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After reading the threads of the last few days, I got to thinking about how SMU football usually trends...i.e. things that are usually "just our luck." I thought I'd list a few and open it up to the board why or why not these trends will stay the same or change this season.

Trend:
We have a good QB coming back, and are relying on him to have another successful year, perhaps moreso than last. I'm thinking our usual outcome in this situation would be said player lays an egg, for whatever reason (think DeMyron last year).

Trend:
We lost players in the D-Line. Our usual outcome is we go from being decent against the run to looking like the last time we played at Rice.

Trend:
We need players to step up in the secondary, filling the hole left by Sturdivant's departure, etc. Our usual outcome is we get torched, and say, "man, if only Joe could've redshirted.

Trend:
We need someone besides Emmanuel to step up. Our usual outcome is Emmanuel is double covered all year, and JWill continues to run for his life, as no one steps up. Except for perhaps Zach Sledge catching 4 yard outs on 3rd and 7. And we wind up with no 'o'.

Trend:
We would like to think the O-Line will be improved. Our usual outcome is that we'll have an injury, need to move someone in who isn't as well suited for the position, an JWill continues to run for his life. And we have no 'o'.

Trend:
We're hoping for better short yardage offense and better outcomes in close games. Our usual outcome is that it'll be the same old crap, and we'll be hearing PB say ''we need to be better as players and better as coaches, and I can tell that these players want to win, but we have a RS Fr starting at xxx, and a true sophomore starting at xxx, and another RS soph at xxx, and those want to win, we just need to do a better job getting them in the right place at the right time."

So, Ponyfans, let's hear some reasons as to how/why we should expect the above listed trends to go the other direction for us this year. If you think they'll stay the same, let's hear that too.

It's like standing on the edge of a knife. It will either fall to the right, like it has done for the last two decades and one or more of those trends will happen and just continue playing into the culture that has become SMU football. Or, it'll fall to the left and either the talent and coaching and conditioning will be there to make it on first and goal, sack Kolb in the endzone, or win an important game on the road against a good team, finally breaking the old culture. Until that happens fans can only expect it to fall the way it has, which is what the culture is now.

The law of averages. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then. I think we are more talented than in past years and players who have been waiting in the wings should be ready to "step-up". This is what the past four years of recruiting is supposed to show. Some of these kids may have tough games against Tech and TCU. But we'll know their mettle by the end of the 4th game. Martin could have a great year with Willis, thus giving us a true double threat on the ground and in the air. Last year we had no running game. The year before we had no passing game. This year we have a chance a both. On the other side of the ball, who knows. The only good thing is that Bennett is for all his shortcomings a very accomplished defensive coach.

RGV Pony wrote:Trend:
We need someone besides Emmanuel to step up. Our usual outcome is Emmanuel is double covered all year, and JWill continues to run for his life, as no one steps up. Except for perhaps Zach Sledge catching 4 yard outs on 3rd and 7. And we wind up with no 'o'.

I don't know it's as much someone besides Sanders stepping up as much as it is Willis looking at other options. It was ridiculous how much he overlooked a wide open Bobby Chase last year. Sanders is not the only receiver on the field.

ponyboy wrote:It was ridiculous how much he overlooked a wide open Bobby Chase last year.

Ridiculous is right. There were some "issues" there... I hope the QB has matured... he's got a lo-o-o-o-ng way to go.

mediocre in-mediocre out-luckily we play in a mediocre conference and likely have a shot at a mediocre bowl by going a mediocre 6-6

RGV Pony wrote:Trend:
We have a good QB coming back, and are relying on him to have another successful year, perhaps moreso than last.

I wouldn't call this a trend. We've had how many starting QBs in the last decade? At least 10 that I can count. We haven't had stability year to year at that position and hopefully Willis will change that. If this really fit the SMU trend, he would have left the team during the summer to star in a broadway show or something.

MustangStealth wrote:If this really fit the SMU trend, he would have left the team during the summer to star in a broadway show or something.

The summer is not over yet..................

Typical PS tripe.

These are trends or gripes?

03 was 0-12
04 was 3-8
05 was 2-6 then 3-0
06 was 6-6

It is clear what the trend is. Can we expand on that? Who knows. But the things PmS threw up there were not trends but rather isolated anecdotes at best and unsupported gripes.