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Bennett On Southwest SportsTalk Wednesday SMU Coach To Be In-Studio At 6:30 P.M.
March 28, 2007

DALLAS (SMU) - SMU Head Coach Phil Bennett will be live in-studio with host Josh Roe for Southwest Kia SportsTalk on Wednesday, March 28. Bennett and Roe will discuss Spring Practice and preview the Red & Blue Scrimmage starting at 6:30 p.m. tonight on Channel 52.

Mustang fans should be sure to tune in to hear Coach's thoughts on practice and get updates on 2006 Freshmen All-Americans Justin Willis and Emmanuel Sanders, 2005 Freshmen All-Americans DeMyron Martin and Jessie Henderson and all the other Mustang stand-outs.

SMU has one more practice set for the spring session on Friday and will host the annual Red & Blue Scrimmage at 2 p.m. on March 31 in Gerald J,. Ford Stadium. Admission to the game is free and open to the public.

Someone tape it and put in on Youtube for the rest of us

I thought Bennett did a great job. They also rolled a lot of tape of practice.

Interview was at Victory Park studio as Mavs fans were filing into AAC for game. Bennett said he'd like to go to Mavs game if he didn't have to go home and cook dinner.

mr. pony wrote:I thought Bennett did a great job. They also rolled a lot of tape of practice.

Interview was at Victory Park studio as Mavs fans were filing into AAC for game. Bennett said he'd like to go to Mavs game if he didn't have to go home and cook dinner.

Is that all he said?

I think there is a replay at 11:30 on Channel 52 for those who missed it.

perunapower wrote:I think there is a replay at 11:30 on Channel 52 for those who missed it.

Most of us don't live in Dallas

[quote="smupony94"] Is that all he said?[/quote]

He said the time is now. Things are in place. He said SMU's got it all: committment to winning AND academics and said kids should take a look at SMU. Praised Orsini and Turner.

He said, since last season, these are his kids - handpicked.

This is his first season with a returning starting quarterback and he praised Slater as a solid No. 2.

smupony94 wrote:

perunapower wrote:I think there is a replay at 11:30 on Channel 52 for those who missed it.

Most of us don't live in Dallas

Okay. Then what I said wasn't directed towards you. It was a general statement for those who do.

perunapower wrote:

smupony94 wrote:

perunapower wrote:I think there is a replay at 11:30 on Channel 52 for those who missed it.

Most of us don't live in Dallas

Okay. Then what I said wasn't directed towards you. It was a general statement for those who do.

No disrespect to you. I just want to hear what he says.

I watched it, normal stuff about getting better and the like, and an interesting quote (pseudoquote from me, I don't remember exactly) -- "You can't judge your progress in the first 2 or 3 years by wins and losses, you have to look at the finer things and how you're getting better."

But come on Phil (I know you're reading!), wear some nice shoes. You can afford them. ;p

Bennett said:

He is excited because we have a lot of players coming back and they are determined and hungry to win. He praised Justin Willis and Corey Slater. He wants SMU to be mentally tough in their games because CUSA has a lot of parity and we need to be ready to play the entire game. More importantly, we need to expect to win going onto the field and have confidence in our abilities.
He is trying to develop depth to bring experience into the game, especially the redshirt freshmen. He believes the players are invested in the team. He said that he believes the time is now and thinks recruits should look at SMU because good things are around the corner. But, he doesn't think SMU has turned the corner like most people are saying, he said that he won't believe we have turned the corner until going to bowl games and winning championships are the norm.
He said he feels the buzz around campus that people on campus and around Dallas are getting excited. Other team fans (UT, A&M, OU) tell him they are pulling for SMU. When asked about how he dealt with the losing seasons in the past, he said that you can't just judge teams off of winning and losing records, but you need to look at the finer points too.
He finished up by promoting Red vs. Blue game on Saturday. He pointed out that it's free and all of the cool things (the clinic, the crawfish boil, etc.)

What was wrong with the shoes? He just wasn't wearing socks.

mr. pony wrote: He just wasn't wearing socks.

Forgotten football. Forgotten socks. What's next?

I'm not sure SMU has even seen the corner yet. SMU was a mediocre team last year that had a losing record against Division 1A schools, lost to North Texas State(for only the 4th time in its history) and Rice (for its 8th straight loss in Houston to a former whipping boy) and padded its record against the easiest schedule in the history of the school. Improvement in the life blood of a program-recruiting-has been snail like and I truly believe more a reflection of changes in admission policies than real recruiting success. I attibute whatever slight improvement in the program there has been to these admission policy changes more than I do to any coaching genius. SMU is a much easier place to win than it has been at any other time since the DP and yet the improvement despite easy schedules, better facilities and better admission policies has been disappointing. A more accurate picture is SMU is treading water as the level of competition is lowered to historic lows. Phil Bennett should be judged on a different scale than all previous post DP coaches and it is time to produce or move on.

Stallion wrote: A more accurate picture is SMU is treading water.

Exactly. An Orsini hire will help shift this program into high gear. Coach Bennett has laid the groundwork, but enthusiasm is waning. The right guy will make this program take off.