Great game.

[braginator]

Another stellar one. Well I gues we have ensured ourselves a higher rank in this week's "Bottom Ten Poll" on espn.com. Six last week and I would guess we jump up the chrats approaching the number one (OUR CONFERENCE RIVAL) Tulsa.

[MustangMom]

From what I read in the paper (could not make the game), SMU was leading in the first half. I know they lost the game - and I am disappointed too - but the team did score points and played better. I still say - we need more depth, and that is not Coach Bennett or the players fault. I am still behind the Mustangs!

[Charleston Pony]

Baylor, Rice & Eastern Michigan were all members of ESPN's "bottom 10" who found a way to win this week, so we are definitely moving up (or down, I guess) on that list. I agree with Mustang Mom that depth is a serious problem, along with inexperience at some key positions so we should brace ourselves for a tough "rest of the season". It looks like the WAC will be well represented in that "bottom 10" with SMU, Tulsa and UTEP all figuring prominently on that list.

[braginator]

Time to stop saying it isn't the players' or coaches' faults. Its gotta be someone's, and it isn't that we are playing a stellar schedule.

[Corso]

Not so fast, my friend!

You're right, in that it has to be someone's fault. But at the same time, mustangmom also is right. The depth just isn't there. And every good team needs to have some depth. You can have a team full of All-Americas as your starters, but even great players get tired. And when you have second-string guys in there, you have to be able to at least hold your ground, if not extend a lead. There is some talent on this team, but not nearly enough. With improved recruiting will come improved talent and improved depth - and therefore, improved results.

Keep the faith!

[PK]

You are exactly right corso!!! By the fourth quarter, our offensive line was worn out. Our time of possession was almost 40 minutes. Without a strong two or three deep roster, there is no way our O-line can perform as well in the last quarter as they did in the first....especially for 40 minutes of actual offensive activity. You can be sure San Jose was putting in fresh players on their D-line and they have the depth we do not have at this point.

[This message has been edited by PK (edited 10-07-2002).]

[DallasDiehard]

Right on, PK. Time of possession is one of the most talked-about stats, but if you don't have the depth to perform as the other team's defense wears down, it can backfire, like it did Saturday. Our steady, methodical offense wore down our own line, rather than their defense, because we simply don't have the numbers they had. Not yet. We have a lot of young linemen (including redshirts) and two more (so far - hopefully more) coming in in February. This trend soon will be a thing of the past.

[sam]

How do we know we don't have depth? Have you seen anyone play besides the starters? On the DL Marcus Walker is a great player and he has not seen the field,Brad Bean has shown lots of intensity when he play his two plays every game and on the O-line Michael Muns,Eric Neal and that freshman Morton are very good players.DT's we are very deep here and we have seen only three players The Glockzin kid is good Dieneen can play and Karrington and Johnson(both freshman) are real players.In fall workouts Karrington played Tacklr and nobody could stop him. What about safeties? Do you remember what Rushbrook did his freshman year and what about the job that Godfrey did they are both better than Moodley now and they don't play.LB's are our deepest position and you don't see any subs there,toward the end of the game they were missing tackles and this is from fatigue.Don't even get me started about the QB situation,Why Bartel has not played is the greatest mystery I've ever seen.Inside sources say that bennett does not like many of the players attitude and it has nothing to do with ability(bartel surely confirms this.) I will content that this has nothing to do with depth so don't give me that crap about not having any,this is a coaching decision and it is why we are 0-6.bennett was a good DC but he is a horrible HC. I feel bad for the players that the coach's EGO has cause them to play this way.It is the coach's job to put the team is a position to win or compete every week,he cannot do this because his ego will not let him.How would you like to coach for bennett and be told to"shut the %uck up" in front of your players,or better yet"you don't know what you are talking so get the *uck out of the way and I'll coach them" Do you think that the players have any respect for that coach after hearing that time and again. Oh before I go the one I like is the coaches telling the players "that they are worthless pieces of ****" or "a waste of a Div1 scholarship" Nothing like building team unity.bennett you are my hero

[MustangFan]

sam, have you ever seen this team play or practice?

Depth at defensive tackle? You call Marcus Walker "a great player," even though he's never been on the field, and he's missed tons of time for injuries and conditioning. You talk of Brad Bean intensity "in his two plays every game" ... look, Brad is a fraternity brother of mine, and I hope he ends up enshrined in Canton some day, but the kid is not a defensive tackle. They list him at 243 pounds, and if he's 243 (not exactly prototypical DT size), then Cody Cardwell is 6-5, 220. Brad is a good guy who works his tail off, but he is not the answer at DT, and if he is, you're not watching, or your knowledge of the game should come into serious question. Mike Dineen and Clay Glockzin are defensive ends only, and Brent Karrington and Darrin Johnson are true freshmen who are redshirting this year so they can get comfortable with the position and get bigger and stronger and faster and practice against the starting offense. And before you go calling for Darrin Johnson to give up his redshirt year after six games (which would be a huge waste of a season), perhaps you should notice that he hasn't practiced in a while and was wearing a protective boot on his right foot at the last game. In all likelihood, he's done for the year.

Rushbrook was a nice story his freshman year, in part because he's small and because Cavan singled him out to the Morning News as the true freshman that year who might contribute right away. But he's still small, and he's switched positions. Go to a practice and watch. He's a nice athlete, but you can not possibly tell us he's a better corner than Garrett, Rutledge, Humphrey or Orr, and you probably could put a couple others in there, too. Same deal at safety. Godfrey works extremely hard, and he's turned into a very solid special teams guy. But is he better than Moodley, Harris, Harper, Nnabuife. That's debatable. Moodley and Harris have struggled, so Godfrey probably deserves a little more PT. But there's no clear-cut evidence that any safety has taken the job and made it his.

Maybe you have seen a game or a practice. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, because you're right about the LBs being tired at the end of the game.

Huh? You mean there are football coaches out there who use foul language? Oh, the horror of it all! I'm glad I don't play for the team, because I'm a junior and I've never heard a nasty word in my life. Mother won't allow me to hear such things.

[PK]

As I recall...Jimmy Johnson used just a bit of foul language and everyone thought he was the ultimate football coach. Fact is he was pretty damn good and evidently had no problem getting the players attention. So get over it.

[sam]

Look guys don't get caught up in the foul language issue,I don't care,it is the undermining of the coaches in front of the players that I was trying to stress.You don't do that, the old saying holds true,you praise in public you correct in private.And I could care less about the language used toward the players but it is the statements that tear at the psych of the players that I do not understand.I played and coached over twenty years,this is not going to help a young team that is struggling.
And no I cannot attend practices,I live along way from Dallas. But I do attend the games. I did not suggest the Bean and Walker players as replacements but you cannot tell me that they cannot play a series or two to give our starters a break so they can be more effective later in the game.If bennett can take the shirt off two defensive backs(were we have depth) then he might want to consider Karrington,from what I was told when he played DT in practice nobody could control him.That brings up another issue if the coach is going to use redshirts why not use them where you are the weakest.My contention is we have more depth than what the coach is willing to admit,and as a coach I know what he is doing,he is trying to build a case for JUCO's but he has to realize that he is doing it at the expense of attendance and supporters.Did you really hear anybody after the game on Saturday saying"poor bennett he just doesn't have the players",quite the contrary,what I heard was "we got outcoached","why doesn't he play Bartel",can't he see we are out of gas in the 4th qtr","why does he walk off the field with 45 seconds left in the half with the ball at midfield and two timeouts",why go for it on fourth and 21 from the 25 and use a timeout to make that decision".All coaching mistakes.
bennett has been prasied for his ability to recruit,look it was easy to recruit at Kansas State,not as easy at SMU when you have 6-8000 fans and you lose a game that was badly coached.I think(not sure)that Kansas State built there teams thru the JC route and bennett I'm sure would like to go this route because it is the easiest route for coaches that are not good enough to recruit and develop talent.I only wish the best for SMU and there is not bigger fan,but I am tired and disappointed with bennett and his staff.

[This message has been edited by sam (edited 10-08-2002).]

[PK]

You know Sam, I don't know totally where you are coming from, but I think you are making some broad brush characterizations about Bennett based on whinings from a malcontent who has gotten your ear and who you may choose for whatever reason to believe. I've talked to a number of parents of the players and have never heard any mention of dis-satisfaction with coach Bennett. Since you are not at the practices, then you are making rash statements based upon one side of the story only.

You have played and coached for 20 years plus? Obviously you do not now coach college football or you wouldn't be able to attend the games from so far away. Were you or have you ever been a Div. 1 football HC? There are plenty of folks out there who have never coached at all....but they sure know how to do it from their couch. Hope you haven't turned into one of those.

I'm not going to call you names or anything, but don't try to pass yourself off as knowing how good or bad a recruiter Bennett is in Texas from your place in Florida. Also, you do not know all the reasons involved in the decisions made as to who plays and who doesn't and to make the accusation that it is due to ego is unjustified and unfair to Coach Bennett. You may not agree with his evalations, but then he is the Head Coach and see's these kids practice up close and personal and I have more confidence in his assessment than yours from far off Florida.

Back off.

[This message has been edited by PK (edited 10-08-2002).]

[SMUguy]

If Bennett has shown one ability at every stop in his coaching career, it's that he can in fact recruit. Let's all give him the chance to prove it, and see what he can do with the talent.

[fbdad]

Anytime somebody posts a perceived negative comment, it seems they are told to back off. This is an open forum and it should welcome all comments/observations. I happen to support SAM. I've heard the same comments from solid sources that he's talked about in his posts. I sat in the parent section Saturday and heard comments not too complimentary of the present situation. As bad as people perceived the Cavan era to be, I never heard any parent make negative comments of any type.I don't agree that foul language has a place in sports. I, like Sam, have coached and at no time did I use foul language with my players let alone my coaches. Using foul language is a cop out and just a tool of intimadation. It's really an indicator of the users true nature. Several of you claim to go to practices, know team members,etc..Ask those associated with the team about overall morale.Statements were made at the beginning of the season on how the team would function and those statements have not come to fruition.Reasons are given in Sams posts.We have depth, but it remains on the bench. Our offense last year was not the best with musical QB's and lousy kickers but our defense either kept us in games or won them. That entire defense didn't graduate last year.Our defense is not functioning as a cohesive unit. Look at the stats. Why???? I'm all for recruiting great players, but do we have to go 1-11 to prove it necessary. We have the talent to win the rest of our games. Let that talent play....

[PerunaPunch]

Sam, I'm sure everyone appreciates your frustrations, but don't you think a little objectivity is in order?

Most of the players you mention certainly have talent, and I'm looking forward to their future contributions, but it's very rare when a 18- or 19-year-old can hang in there against a 22-year-old who has benefited from 3 or 4 years of college level competition and weight training.

Youth and inexperience is our #1 prolem right now. Subbing out older/bigger/stronger players for younger ones (I believe) would only compound the problem. I started a player-by-player analysis and response to your e-mail, but decided I needed to get back to work.