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If we can sign a high profile coach for our basketball program...(Yes.. I said high profile)... then we could sign a high profile coach for our football program. When Tubbs was fired nobody ever thought we would be in the running for a national coach of the year.....

at this point, after the 05 season and the spring game i can't agree with you. the progress visible seems like it may pay off big this year. if u were to of mentioned this after we went 0-12, completely different story. but for right now i'd wait before telling orsini to give jimmy johnson a ring

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Bennett.

In 2001, he led the Wildcat defense to a No. 3 national ranking, allowing just 262.4 yards per game, as K-State made an Insight.com Bowl appearance... Coached the Wildcat defense to a No. 4 national ranking in total defense and a No. 6 national ranking in pass efficiency defense in 2000... Coached Dyshod Carter and Jerametrius Butler, just the second pair of teammates in K-State history to each record 10 or more career interceptions... Led the Wildcats to a No. 1 national ranking in pass efficiency and a No. 2 national ranking in total defense in 1999... Kansas State also led the nation in turnover margin that year... Nominated as National Assistant Coach of the Year in 1999... Coached the secondary at Oklahoma while serving as co-recruiting coordinator in 1998, helping the Sooners rank sixth in the nation in total defense... Was the defensive coordinator at TCU in 1997, leading the Horned Frogs to their highest national defensive ranking in five years... Coordinated the defense at Texas A&M and in 1995 and 1996... In 1995, the Aggies ranked in the national top 10 in every major defensive category, including third in total defense and scoring defense and second in pass efficiency defense... Named American Football Quarterly Defensive Coordinator of the Year that season... Began his coaching career at Texas A&M as a part-time defensive ends coach from 1979-80 before assuming a full-time position in 1981... Moved to TCU and coached tight ends and tackles in 1982... Was the defensive coordinator at Iowa State from 1983-86... Was the defensive coordinator at Purdue from 1987-90... Moved to LSU where he began coaching outside linebackers in 1991 before being named assistant head coach and defensive coordinator from 1992-94... LSU led the SEC in every major defensive category and finished eighth in the nation in total defense in 1994.

Bowl Experience: Player: 1975 Liberty Bowl, 1977 Sun Bowl, 1977 Bluebonnet Bowl; Coach: 1978 All-American Bowl, 1991 Independence Bowl, 1995 Alamo Bowl, 1999 Holiday Bowl, 2001 Cotton Bowl, 2001 Insight.Com Bowl.


Prominent Players Coached: Reggie Brown, Jerametrius Butler, Dyshod Carter, Lamar Chapman, Rich Coady, Jarrod Cooper, Chris Dishman, Kevin Garrett, Dennis Gibson, Bill Hitchock, Darren Howard, Corey Ivey, Warrick Holdman, Steve Jackson, Torie James, Jon McGraw, Keith Mitchell, Jim Thorpe Award winner Terence Newman, Dat Nguyen, Mark Simoneau, Fred Strickland, Dennard Walker and Jim Thorpe Award winner Roy Williams. (http://smumustangs.cstv.com/sports/m-fo ... hil00.html)

COACHING CAROUSEL: In addition to keeping his coaching staff intact, head coach Phil Bennett received a one-year contract extension and a salary increase after a 5-6 finish with a 3-1 record against bowl teams. He is now signed through the 2009 season and will receive a base salary of at least $500,000. (http://www.cstv.com/tsx/current/m-footbl/smu.html)


we have a very experienced coach and a steal @ $500,000.... When NFL teams were coming to him asking him to come to coach (before the 5-6 season) and he said no because he hadn't finished what he promised we also have a man of integrity... PB will be/ is the man who will turn around the program, and all his doubters will be jumping on the wagon or the new "pony express"

Wow, that is a great answer to those who think like the person who start this thread.

phil bennett is a good coach, and is finally beginning to see the fruits of his hard work in the past few years. 9-3 baby, 9-3.

Granted that a coach has to have great material to be a winner, but PB has not shown the offensive acumen to be called great. Like many very good assistant coaches, he was good at that level but moving up to being the head coach is different. Maybe, and just maybe, in time he will become like R.C. Slocum at aTm and win thru good defense and good recruiting. The BB has better prospects for getting better right now than does the FB team. If Bennett turns it around this year, I will gladly join his bandwagon. For now, I am neither a sunshiner or defeatist - the record speaks for itself.

That all depends, I guess, on your definitition of "great." Wasn't just about every coach a coordinator on one side of the ball or the other before getting their first HC gig?

I think you guys are looking too much at the surface. A head coach is only as good as his assistant coaches. Really, the role of the head coach is to recruit and to motivate his team and assistants. They take it from there.

and so far Bennett has outrecruited..... UNT???.... Sam Houston State??? I mean cmon, we should be recruiting better than that. Sure sure everyyear we get a 3-star "gem" who was courted by BCS conference schools; however, we should be getting more than 1 or 2 a year. SMU is for one a great academic school, in a big city, has great football tradition, and brand new facilities... Yet, who are we really competing with here? We are not even competing with the Houstons Baylors UTEPS and Tulsas. If we do not win at least 9 games something has to be done. Until that time, I am sticking by the facts; 1.) No winning record. 2.) Poor assistant coaches. 3.) Terrible recruiting...

SMUnick wrote:and so far Bennett has outrecruited..... UNT???.... Sam Houston State??? I mean cmon, we should be recruiting better than that. Sure sure everyyear we get a 3-star "gem" who was courted by BCS conference schools; however, we should be getting more than 1 or 2 a year. SMU is for one a great academic school, in a big city, has great football tradition, and brand new facilities... Yet, who are we really competing with here? We are not even competing with the Houstons Baylors UTEPS and Tulsas. If we do not win at least 9 games something has to be done. Until that time, I am sticking by the facts; 1.) No winning record. 2.) Poor assistant coaches. 3.) Terrible recruiting...

Of your three listed above, only one is fact.

Seems to me that despite "inferior" recruiting, SMU was able to knock off Houston, UTEP and TCU last year. Guess they won those on sheer luck.

to can Bennett brings a couple of issues:

the cost to replace him would be too great

do you know of any 'bigtime' football coaches with baggage out there available? Orsini brought Daughterty out of exile at FAU and brought back O'Leary at UCF. Who would you bring to the Hilltop that the alumni wouldn't have a calf over?

you fail to realize how deep the hole was at SMU. Try 1 winning season in almost 20 years. The DP cloud still lingers, even just a little bit and Bennett has started turning things around with recruiting, redshirting said recruits, developing a winning program, which takes time.

A coach can turn around a basketball program very quickly due to the fact that one single player can make a very large difference to a team's performance. 1 player out of 5 is 20% of the offense and defense on the field at any one time. That is not the case for football by the dynamic of the game.

SMUnick wrote:has great football tradition

Unfortunately, there has been zero tradition in the last 20 years in football except for the losing. Our "great" tradition in the "modern era" is all tied to paying players, probabtion and ultimately the Death Penalty...and it is hard to say that anybody in their under the age of 50, considers what happened in the days of the Doakster to be of any relevance to SMU football in 2006.

Come on, this site is for the support of the Ponies, right?
(Edited)

expony18 wrote:In 2001, he led the Wildcat defense to a No. 3 national ranking, allowing just 262.4 yards per game, as K-State made an Insight.com Bowl appearance... Coached the Wildcat defense to a No. 4 national ranking in total defense and a No. 6 national ranking in pass efficiency defense in 2000... Coached Dyshod Carter and Jerametrius Butler, just the second pair of teammates in K-State history to each record 10 or more career interceptions... Led the Wildcats to a No. 1 national ranking in pass efficiency and a No. 2 national ranking in total defense in 1999... Kansas State also led the nation in turnover margin that year... Nominated as National Assistant Coach of the Year in 1999... Coached the secondary at Oklahoma while serving as co-recruiting coordinator in 1998, helping the Sooners rank sixth in the nation in total defense... Was the defensive coordinator at TCU in 1997, leading the Horned Frogs to their highest national defensive ranking in five years... Coordinated the defense at Texas A&M and in 1995 and 1996... In 1995, the Aggies ranked in the national top 10 in every major defensive category, including third in total defense and scoring defense and second in pass efficiency defense... Named American Football Quarterly Defensive Coordinator of the Year that season... Began his coaching career at Texas A&M as a part-time defensive ends coach from 1979-80 before assuming a full-time position in 1981... Moved to TCU and coached tight ends and tackles in 1982... Was the defensive coordinator at Iowa State from 1983-86... Was the defensive coordinator at Purdue from 1987-90... Moved to LSU where he began coaching outside linebackers in 1991 before being named assistant head coach and defensive coordinator from 1992-94... LSU led the SEC in every major defensive category and finished eighth in the nation in total defense in 1994.

Bowl Experience: Player: 1975 Liberty Bowl, 1977 Sun Bowl, 1977 Bluebonnet Bowl; Coach: 1978 All-American Bowl, 1991 Independence Bowl, 1995 Alamo Bowl, 1999 Holiday Bowl, 2001 Cotton Bowl, 2001 Insight.Com Bowl.


Prominent Players Coached: Reggie Brown, Jerametrius Butler, Dyshod Carter, Lamar Chapman, Rich Coady, Jarrod Cooper, Chris Dishman, Kevin Garrett, Dennis Gibson, Bill Hitchock, Darren Howard, Corey Ivey, Warrick Holdman, Steve Jackson, Torie James, Jon McGraw, Keith Mitchell, Jim Thorpe Award winner Terence Newman, Dat Nguyen, Mark Simoneau, Fred Strickland, Dennard Walker and Jim Thorpe Award winner Roy Williams. (http://smumustangs.cstv.com/sports/m-fo ... hil00.html)

COACHING CAROUSEL: In addition to keeping his coaching staff intact, head coach Phil Bennett received a one-year contract extension and a salary increase after a 5-6 finish with a 3-1 record against bowl teams. He is now signed through the 2009 season and will receive a base salary of at least $500,000. (http://www.cstv.com/tsx/current/m-footbl/smu.html)


we have a very experienced coach and a steal @ $500,000.... When NFL teams were coming to him asking him to come to coach (before the 5-6 season) and he said no because he hadn't finished what he promised we also have a man of integrity... PB will be/ is the man who will turn around the program, and all his doubters will be jumping on the wagon or the new "pony express"

It's possible he also benefitted from Snyder's recruits