Willis says he will transfer if Bennett is fired

[Big10Ponyfan]

For some reason, I had trouble copying the link, but it is on dallasnews.com.

[FloridaMustang]

what a horrifying twist.

[RGV Pony]

heat of the moment comment, I suppose. If PB stays, great...let's develop Willis. If PB goes, new guy needs to meet with Willis pronto. And Orsini needs to tell JWillis how they did things up at the Golden Dome...no one player is greater than the program.

[smu diamond m]

I saw that. I wonder why Willis has such faith in Bennett? Willis is a budding quarterback, and I do not see why he is overlooking PB's conservative playcalling, bad decision-making, and generic being bad.

Does SMU need Willis in order to proceed to the next level? or does SMU need a new regime and a new system in place to improve? Or should PB remain head coach, under the restriction of a assistant coach shake up? I think a shake up would be most effective, since Willis will leave.

[FloridaMustang]

I saw that. I wonder why Willis has such faith in Bennett? Willis is a budding quarterback, and I do not see why he is overlooking PB's conservative playcalling, bad decision-making, and generic being bad.

Does SMU need Willis in order to proceed to the next level? or does SMU need a new regime and a new system in place to improve? Or should PB remain head coach, under the restriction of a assistant coach shake up? I think a shake up would be most effective, since Willis will leave.

No matter what, I hope Joe Sawyer gets the boot. He's not.. cool!

Is that better, PonyPride?

[RE Tycoon]

For some reason, I had trouble copying the link, but it is on dallasnews.com.

Sounds about right. I'm an SMU fan so I was expecting this.

[Come and Take It]

Here you go: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/topstories/stories/112606dnsposmulede.24edc92c.html

[Come and Take It]

Here's the article:

SMU loss is a heartbreaker

11:50 PM CST on Saturday, November 25, 2006
By KATE HAIROPOULOS / The Dallas Morning News

HOUSTON – SMU quarterback Justin Willis said Saturday that he will transfer if coach Phil Bennett does not return next season.

Willis made the statement following SMU's heart-wrenching 31-27 loss at Rice that almost certainly will keep the Mustangs (6-6, 4-4 Conference USA) from going to their first bowl in 22 seasons.

"If Bennett's not here, I'm not going to be here," Willis said. "He's the coach for SMU. If they don't see that, I don't know what they're looking for."

Bennett's job status is in question because the fifth-year coach said before the season that SMU fans should expect a bowl. First-year director of athletics Steve Orsini agreed it should be the goal.

SMU went 6-6 to become bowl eligible, but will not get a bid to one of C-USA's five bowl tie-ins. East Carolina's 21-16 win over N.C. State on Saturday ruined any hope for the Mustangs, because five conference teams have better records than SMU.

Bennett was not available for comment Saturday. He suffered a rib-cage injury after a sideline collision near the end of the second quarter. While wearing a sling, Bennett coached the second half and was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital for X-rays immediately after the game.

"We're going to sit down and evaluate the whole season," Orsini said when asked if Bennett would return as coach. "We're not going to make a decision today. I want to sit down with Coach and have a thorough evaluation of everything."

Bennett is 17-41 at SMU. Since going 0-12 in his second season in 2003, his winning total increased each season. Bennett's contract runs through the 2009 season after he signed a one-year extension in January.

Bennett talked earlier this week about SMU's young talent, including record-setting redshirt freshmen Willis and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, whom the Mustangs can build around.

But after playing a schedule designed to help SMU reach a bowl, the Mustangs still came up short in a tumultuous season.

A 24-6 loss at North Texas in the second game sticks out. So does a 24-21 loss at UT-El Paso, when Willis did not play because he was suspended for an off-the-field incident.

SMU could not string two wins together after starting C-USA play but also never suffered consecutive losses. The Mustangs led in the fourth quarter in games against Rice, Houston and UTEP. Their only blowout loss in league play came at East Carolina.

"There were many great spots, that's for sure," said Orsini, calling the six wins a step forward. "We've got some young, talented players. At the end of the day, he [Bennett] knows and we know, it's getting the job done. That's why we have to really sit down and assess the whole situation.

"We're going to have a winning program at SMU, and we're going to sustain that."

[MFFL02]

We better bring back PB. Cause if he is fired and Willis leaves, that will be a PR nightmare. And what a set back for this program. I swear we are so close to getting to a bowl game. We haven't had this good of a QB since Ramon Flanagan. We need him to stay.

[BringBackThePonies03]

It is an interesting call, Bennett has taken the program in the right direction, but we should have done better this year. Willis is a good quarterback, but can we win without him? I think a lot of quarterbacks won't even consider SMU right now because we have a redshirt freshman quarterback, I am not saying that this is the best option, but if we were to get rid of Bennett and Willis were too leave I wonder what types of quarterbacks would be interested in the program.

GO PONIES!!!

[FloridaMustang]

It is an interesting call, Bennett has taken the program in the right direction, but we should have done better this year. Willis is a good quarterback, but can we win without him? I think a lot of quarterbacks won't even consider SMU right now because we have a redshirt freshman quarterback, I am not saying that this is the best option, but if we were to get rid of Bennett and Willis were too leave I wonder what types of quarterbacks would be interested in the program.

GO PONIES!!!

Uhhh.. ok.

[Col. Nathan R. Jessep]

"If Bennett's not here, I'm not going to be here," Willis said....

TAIL WAGGING DOG- NOT A GOOD SIGN.[/b]

[bigdaddy08091]

Does SMU need Willis in order to proceed to the next level? or does SMU need a new regime and a new system in place to improve? Or should PB remain head coach, under the restriction of a assistant coach shake up? I think a shake up would be most effective, since Willis will leave.

You have got to be out of your mind. The first mistake made was bringing in the Yankeee Orsini!! His only objective is to get back to some big program as an AD. SMU is only an avenue for him. J-Will is the biggest signing SMU has had in years. Can possibly bring in some top recruits, just with the numbers he has put up as a red-shirt freshman. A shake up is just what some of you want, so the focus can be on the boulevard and tailgaitnig, and the rest of the [deleted] on campus instead of football. There were more fans at the game today than there has been at any home game. Fu*k all of you wanna be fans!! J-Will is not going anywhere and he does not need to meet with anyone. He is at SMU for the promise of what the school brings and he will continue to work hard in the classroom and on the football field. Where would he transfer to? He is on a team that is 6-6? Who wants any of these guy, besides LA Tech, UNT, Middle Tenn, and so on?

[PlanoStang]

It's been a good and bad football day for me so far. I listened to the
SMU game traveling back to Plano from Longview to see the Lobos
play Garland in Texas Stadium. Both games were very fun, and
undecided till the end, but both were lost.

Willis said "If Bennett's not here, I'm not going to be here," Willis
said. "He's the coach for SMU. If they don't see that, I don't know what
they're looking for."

ME TOO Copeland II BETTER NOT REAR HIS UGLY HEAD, AND "I'VE
BEEN RIDING THE FENCE FOR A LONG TIME

[PonyFan]

I agree that losing Willis would be an abject disaster. There is no way a player, even as talented a player as Willis is, calling shots, and I don't think that's what he's doing here. He's an extremely competitive guy who wants to win -- we've all read the quotes, and they sound legit. Coach Bennett is the coach he signed to play for, and Willis just went through a very tough day. He didn't play as well as he is capable of playing, and his team -- OUR team -- lost. The emotions have to be flowing, and will continue to do so for a while. He's human, and that's normal.

Personally, I don't think Coach Bennett should be fired, and I hope he's not. I'm pissed, he's pissed, the team is pissed -- we're all pissed about the way the season ended today. The drive back was a lot longer than the drive down. However, Coach Bennett still garners a lot of respect in coaching circles. Iowa State reportedly has some level of interest in him. He holds court at coaching conventions. He seems to have good relationships with a lot of high school coaches and has recruited a caliber of athlete that dwarfs what was here when he arrived, and he will walk through fire (or fight a coach or coach with his arm in a sling). These players want to win, and they want to win for Coach Bennett. If an assistant coach should be swapped out, I don't know, and while NO player is bigger than the team, losing Willis would be a monstrous disaster -- not just in terms of PR, but also on the field. Keep Coach Bennett.