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Bad lose yesterday. The good news is we finally have a break in our season. We need it. We need time to get some key players healed (Muse, Martin). We also need some folks to come back hungry for a win. And we have 10 days to prepare for UAB. We have time to work on some issues that plague us. We have time to be creative in our preparation. We are on TV on Halloween so there should be some level of excitement not usually seen at a SMU in late Oct. And we have a chance, a real chance, to have the best season at SMU since 1985.

No doubt there is some major disappointments (How do we stay on the field with UTEP and get blown out by ECU???) to overcome. But we also have opportunity. Now is the time to key in. 3 home games and Rice on the road to finish the year. We have a strong front 7 on defense. We have won 4 games without our best running back. We have a redshirt freshman having a great year. We have some playmaker receivers. We are vastly improved on the kicking game. Yes we have weaknesses. Unlike previous years where the whole team had weaknesses, we now have plenty of strengths.

Key in for the rest of the season players and coaches. Don't get down or give up.

Fix the secondary's pass defense if we are going to survive UAB, Tulsa, UH, and Rice. Losing to ECU is forgivable. Losing to UNT was not.

Ponyte, I agree with you but one thing really bothers me this morning. I was reading the DMN story on the game and even though we had the #1 defense against the rush, and even though ECU was the last or near last in rushing, Bennett openly states that we were caught off guard and that we had game planned and stacked up against the run. I, for the first time since he has come, have some very, very strong doubts about Bennett's coaching ability. I do not want him to go, because I do not have to start all over again and stop what progress we have made (even if it is against lesser teams), but my 6 month old puppy (the one that barked at you at my house) told me that we needed to be prepared for a passing assault.

maybe we prepared to stop the run because we are incapable of stopping the pass. I think we've already demonstrated that

I think it is safe to assume that we will have the number 1 rush defense in the conference. There is no need to run against us. We have a serious issue with pass defense. Our defensive assumptions from now till the end of the season should be pass first, pass second and run third. I did not watch the game but I do think we will need to start bumping receivers at the line. I have not heard or seen where we play bump and run or try to disrupt receiver’s rhythm. We need to give an extra 1/2 second for our interior pressure to be more effective. It will also make receivers work much harder to get into their patterns.

ponyte wrote:I think it is safe to assume that we will have the number 1 rush defense in the conference. There is no need to run against us. We have a serious issue with pass defense. Our defensive assumptions from now till the end of the season should be pass first, pass second and run third. I did not watch the game but I do think we will need to start bumping receivers at the line. I have not heard or seen where we play bump and run or try to disrupt receiver’s rhythm. We need to give an extra 1/2 second for our interior pressure to be more effective. It will also make receivers work much harder to get into their patterns.

But, that would make too much sense.

FILM, FILM, FILM....that is the key to success. Hopefully PB will have this guys in intense film sessions watching UAB nonstop against every team they have played.

Watch Film, Make adjustments, and practice practice practice.

ponyte wrote:I think it is safe to assume that we will have the number 1 rush defense in the conference. There is no need to run against us. We have a serious issue with pass defense. Our defensive assumptions from now till the end of the season should be pass first, pass second and run third. I did not watch the game but I do think we will need to start bumping receivers at the line. I have not heard or seen where we play bump and run or try to disrupt receiver’s rhythm. We need to give an extra 1/2 second for our interior pressure to be more effective. It will also make receivers work much harder to get into their patterns.

Hard to see on the blurry picture and the angles you get, but they definitely do not bump and run and it seems they mostly play a very loose zone. Kind of a "back peddle" as fast as you can and keep the receiver in front. If there is not an immediate unobstructed rush to the QB, the receiver can cut or turn and be a good 10 to 15 feet from the defender. If the LBs are playing run first, they can not get back into the throwng lanes to dispupt the passing. I am very happy that Lowery got his 3 interceptions a week ago but they were all 3 on passes thrown very poorly. None were due to Lowery stepping in front or being close to the receiver. On the last one Lowery was all alone on the sideline and the QB hit him in the numbers. You can not count on that happening.

mrydel wrote:If the LBs are playing run first, they can not get back into the throwng lanes to dispupt the passing. I am very happy that Lowery got his 3 interceptions a week ago but they were all 3 on passes thrown very poorly. None were due to Lowery stepping in front or being close to the receiver. On the last one Lowery was all alone on the sideline and the QB hit him in the numbers. You can not count on that happening.

From what I have seen, our backers do not get great drops. That leaves the middle open. Our backers are looking to hit somebody (one does have to love that attitude) which usually means they are looking run first. We need them to use that SMU smarts to figure out that 3rd and long usually doesn't involve an off tackle run. They need to get good drops. That forces the passer to look underneath. Also. We can afford to bump and run at times. That allows us to better disguise coverage later in the game. It takes athletes at the corners to play Bump and run and 2/3s into the season one hopes that the coaches would trust our corners to handle that type of coverage. We have been burned badly in the pass with exposed corners (oh, think the last time we played OSU at home as an example) so I imagine our coaches are trying to protect against past (pass?) debacles. We do need to expand the coverage options and take a chance. Our coaches are wise enough to push things and evaluate our talent to know what is an acceptable risk and what isn't.

And mrydel. I know we are like one big Breeder reactor just feeding upon ourselves but I do thing with 4 games left and some difficulties against the pass, we can afford to try some more aggressive coverage schemes.

I agree with all you say. And, if we do not have corners who can bump and run and man to man, we need to go out and get some JC ones that can.

I don't know about preparing but it sounds like we are planning to rest and heal.

TE & Mrydel, I'm with ya. The soft pass defense has got to stop-- if only because everyone in D-I knows that's how we play.

We have 10 days to prepare against an average UAB.

Then, hell with & skip past Tulsa & UofH, just prepare for Rice.

They get no rest like we do-- ECU visits them week before our game. Now, we grab those 2 wins (UAB & Rice) & eliminate the bubble teams looking for Cusa bowl bids.

That gets you at least 6-6 & MAYBE (probably) a Cusa bowl arrangement.

Regardless of the 6-6 record, off-the-field-antics, etc., Orsini cannot replace the 1st SMU FB coach to reach a bowl game (in damn near forever).

THEN, we can move onto recruiting for 2007 & beyond...

You blitz a lot when you're secondary sucks. Didn't see the Tech,
Tulane, or ECU games so I didn't see what we were doing. Is bumping
the receivers at the line of scrimmage still legal? Guess we're just slow,
and can't risk not catching up with them if we do that.

Maybe when were giving up major league yards passing, and no yards
rushing, we can try something different. Blitzing on every play except
third, and 1 or 2.

Try Hayden Fry's scrambling field mice linemen so an offensive lineman
doesn't know who to block and where to block him on those blitzes.
Also juke the linebackers back and forth so they don't who's blitzing, or
playing back.

Really liked watching those field mice linemen in the 60s as a kid, and it
Worked Time to gamble a little

Ponyte and Mrydel??? Are either of you going down next Tuesday? I am. If I'm not there we will only have 4,999 fans..we need to top 5,000 for the game on TV. I will also TIVO it in case we win.

Arkpony wrote:Ponyte and Mrydel??? Are either of you going down next Tuesday? I am. If I'm not there we will only have 4,999 fans..we need to top 5,000 for the game on TV. I will also TIVO it in case we win.

Can not make it Judge. Bus is expecting you. Cheer loud enough for me.