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SMU sticking with Bennett
02:27 PM CST on Tuesday, November 28, 2006
By KATE HAIROPOULOS / The Dallas Morning News
Phil Bennett will remain SMU's football coach.
Athletic director Steve Orsini confirmed Bennett's return in a university statement Tuesday.
"Coach Bennett has exhibited the leadership traits necessary to put us in a good position to reach our goals," Orsini said in the statement. "While we did not succeed to the levels we had hoped this season, we continue to make progress. We will return SMU football to national prominence."
Bennett is 17-41 in five seasons at SMU. He led the Mustangs to their best record since 1997 this season, but 6-6 was not good enough to earn a bowl bid. Bennett said at the start of the season that fans should expect a bowl. Orsini, in his first year at SMU, agreed.
The two spent several hours discussing the direction of the program during the last two days.
"As the head coach, I evaluate the program at the end of every season," Bennett said in the statement. "It is a comprehensive assessment of where we are – what we did well and what we need to improve.
"We'll look at all aspects of the program. We have a great nucleus coming back and I am confident that we will again be competing for a conference championship in November.
"It's my charge now to determine what final steps we need to take to reach the goals for the SMU football program."
Bennett signed a one-year contract extension in January that runs through 2009.
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