ESPN's take on us from the spring
Posted: Wed May 10, 2006 10:46 amI thought all of it was pretty accurate.
Read Ivan Maisel's take at the bottom
This is a year where we either take the program in a new direction or we stay below the hump.
2006 Schedule
9/2 at Texas Tech
9/9 at North Texas
9/16 Sam Houston State
9/23 Arkansas State
9/30 at Tulane
10/7 at UTEP
10/14 Marshall
10/21 at East Carolina
10/31 UAB
11/11 Houston
11/18 Tulsa
11/25 at Rice
2005 overall record:
5-6
Conference record:
4-4
Returning starters
Offense: 8, Defense: 6, Kicker/punter: 0
2005 statistical leaders (*returning)
Rushing: DeMyron Martin* (854 yds)
Passing: Jerad Romo (1,781 yds)
Receiving: Bobby Chase* (625 yds)
Tackles: Joe Sturdivant* (112)
Sacks: Justin Rogers* (7)
Interceptions: Jamey Harper and Alvin Nnabuife (4)
Spring answers: SMU hasn't seen a tailback like DeMyron Martin in years. That much is certain. When the Mustangs handed TCU its only loss of the season, Martin announced his arrival by scoring all three of the Mustangs' touchdowns. He kept it up throughout the fall and throughout the spring. He's tough to catch, tough to bring down and will team up with the ultra-quick Johnnie Fitzgerald in a Thunder-Lightning combo that will be tough to contain. … SMU faced an extremely muddled situation at quarterback going into the spring, but now appears to have its man. Like the rest of the contenders, redshirt freshman Justin Willis has never taken a college snap, but shows a good grasp of the offense and puts the ball where it needs to be. He doesn't have a cannon, but so far he's shown the best ability to avoid mistakes, which is key for this run-oriented team. As for Chris Phillips, the only quarterback who had taken a snap, he really never recovered from a shoulder injury and was moved to tight end in March. … The Mustangs lost two starters at linebacker, but coach Phil Bennett firmly believes they'll be better at that spot. Reggie Carrington has proven what he can do and the staff is high on the potential of converted receiver Tony Hawkins, who has bulked up but can still fly.
Fall questions: Eight offensive starters return and SMU thinks it can run with any team in the league. Lofty goals for a unit showed some life late in the season, but still finished last in C-USA and 104th nationally in total offense (308 ypg). The Mustangs need to develop some sort of passing game this year, so opponents don't stack eight or nine in the box every down. If this team doesn't develop a deep threat to at least keep the opponents honest, the struggles will continue. SMU actually led the nation in red zone efficiency (30-of-32), but the Ponies settled for three instead of six too often. Chris McMurtray made his final 17 field-goals attempts of 2005, but he is gone now and the kicking situation isn't settled. So it's time to find the end zone. … Which team will show up this fall? The one that beat three bowl teams (TCU, Houston and UTEP) and pushed the conference champion (Tulsa) or the one that scored 13 points against Marshall, lost to Tulane by 21 and got smoked, 66-8, by Texas A&M? SMU posted its most victories in eight years and won three straight to end the season. If this program is to be taken seriously, that momentum must be maintained throughout 2006.
Ivan Maisel on the what he can't wait to see about CUSA:
It has been 19 years since SMU suffered the death penalty, and never in that time have the Mustangs been so close to breaking through to success. An offense that scored more than 21 points only twice in the first nine games averaged 32 points per game in a three-game winning streak to close a 5-6 season. False hope? Is Phil Bennett's SMU team for real?
Read Ivan Maisel's take at the bottom
This is a year where we either take the program in a new direction or we stay below the hump.
2006 Schedule
9/2 at Texas Tech
9/9 at North Texas
9/16 Sam Houston State
9/23 Arkansas State
9/30 at Tulane
10/7 at UTEP
10/14 Marshall
10/21 at East Carolina
10/31 UAB
11/11 Houston
11/18 Tulsa
11/25 at Rice
2005 overall record:
5-6
Conference record:
4-4
Returning starters
Offense: 8, Defense: 6, Kicker/punter: 0
2005 statistical leaders (*returning)
Rushing: DeMyron Martin* (854 yds)
Passing: Jerad Romo (1,781 yds)
Receiving: Bobby Chase* (625 yds)
Tackles: Joe Sturdivant* (112)
Sacks: Justin Rogers* (7)
Interceptions: Jamey Harper and Alvin Nnabuife (4)
Spring answers: SMU hasn't seen a tailback like DeMyron Martin in years. That much is certain. When the Mustangs handed TCU its only loss of the season, Martin announced his arrival by scoring all three of the Mustangs' touchdowns. He kept it up throughout the fall and throughout the spring. He's tough to catch, tough to bring down and will team up with the ultra-quick Johnnie Fitzgerald in a Thunder-Lightning combo that will be tough to contain. … SMU faced an extremely muddled situation at quarterback going into the spring, but now appears to have its man. Like the rest of the contenders, redshirt freshman Justin Willis has never taken a college snap, but shows a good grasp of the offense and puts the ball where it needs to be. He doesn't have a cannon, but so far he's shown the best ability to avoid mistakes, which is key for this run-oriented team. As for Chris Phillips, the only quarterback who had taken a snap, he really never recovered from a shoulder injury and was moved to tight end in March. … The Mustangs lost two starters at linebacker, but coach Phil Bennett firmly believes they'll be better at that spot. Reggie Carrington has proven what he can do and the staff is high on the potential of converted receiver Tony Hawkins, who has bulked up but can still fly.
Fall questions: Eight offensive starters return and SMU thinks it can run with any team in the league. Lofty goals for a unit showed some life late in the season, but still finished last in C-USA and 104th nationally in total offense (308 ypg). The Mustangs need to develop some sort of passing game this year, so opponents don't stack eight or nine in the box every down. If this team doesn't develop a deep threat to at least keep the opponents honest, the struggles will continue. SMU actually led the nation in red zone efficiency (30-of-32), but the Ponies settled for three instead of six too often. Chris McMurtray made his final 17 field-goals attempts of 2005, but he is gone now and the kicking situation isn't settled. So it's time to find the end zone. … Which team will show up this fall? The one that beat three bowl teams (TCU, Houston and UTEP) and pushed the conference champion (Tulsa) or the one that scored 13 points against Marshall, lost to Tulane by 21 and got smoked, 66-8, by Texas A&M? SMU posted its most victories in eight years and won three straight to end the season. If this program is to be taken seriously, that momentum must be maintained throughout 2006.
Ivan Maisel on the what he can't wait to see about CUSA:
It has been 19 years since SMU suffered the death penalty, and never in that time have the Mustangs been so close to breaking through to success. An offense that scored more than 21 points only twice in the first nine games averaged 32 points per game in a three-game winning streak to close a 5-6 season. False hope? Is Phil Bennett's SMU team for real?
