SMU and the lost season of 1997

[utkgbro56]

The last winning season (6-5). Mike Cavan took over after they fired Rossley which I thought was the dumbest move. We had the best offense, all we needed was a better d-coordinator. The future looked bright until the final game against TCU who was winless until that game. My brother was Chris Gedwed ( OLB#31) and had his knee blown out on the second play of the game. That game we got burned by their TE, who he would have been covering. I was just a little kid then but it broke my heart to see things end like that. SMU tanked from that point on and TCU took off. Those were the god ol' days with Ramon Flannigan, Donte Womack, Kevin Thornall, Craig Swann, Chris Bordano, Donald Mitchell etc. Who knows what could have been if SMU had won that game against TCU. Would like to hear your thoughts....

[Jeffrey Lebowski]

I was a freshman on the scout team that season...it was fun to play with those guys and your brother was a good player and was always a very nice guy, even to the nobody scout teamers like me.

That TCU game was a total shock. I know I for one was pretty dang certain we were gonna beat an 0-fer Froggie team.

[SMUstang]

In retrospect, I wish we had stayed with Rossely a little longer. He certainly had an exciting offense to watch and the defense was getting better too. Cavan came in and insisted on running a straight "T" formation even though he didn't have the personnel to do it. He ended up not even playing his best players in that game with TCU. No wonder he had problems keeping good quarterbacks. He wouldn't let them play their games.

[SMU_is_bowling]

TURNING POINT IN BOTH SCHOOLS FOOTBALL HISTORY.

[Me]

I was there too. Very dissapointing. Oh well, maybe things will get better finally.

[FWMustangGirl]

That may have been the most painful loss I experienced as an SMU student. It was my senior year and I was devastated. I could only imagine what a let down it was for the players, especially those that Cavan benched. Idiot.

[regis]

Let's not forget that the Independence Bowl reps were on site ready to give us an invite after we won.

Cavan was the one who tanked that game. He benched Womack. He had Ramon splitting time with Frosh Chris Sanders. That big southern dummy should have been fired on the spot.

[Paladin]

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery..... I felt the same way after Hayden Fry was dumped and replaced with Dave Smith, the year before I was a freshman.

At least I'm thankful we seem to be headed in the right direction now (finally)....

[PonySoprano]

I'm not so sure that even if we won we would have gotten an Independence Bowl bid. I know that is the popular belief, but LSU and Notre Dame ended up playing in the Independence Bowl that year. Do you really think the Bowl committee would have taken a 7-4 SMU team over LSU (the home state team) or Notre Dame?

That being said, I was at the game and it was the 3rd biggest SMU heartbreak (#1 - 1995 at A&M 20-17 loss on last play of the game, #2 - 1994 vs. A&M 21-21 tie (missed FG on last play)).

[Mexmustang]

Now tell me why we hired Cavan and who did it? Rossely was a hell of a coach given limited talent...still the best talent we have had since.

[smudad]

We lost two games that season because of Cavan's ridiculous QB rotation. We should have beat BYU at the Cotton Bowl as well. It probably shouldn't have gone to OT. But, when it did, mu recollection was that Ramon was not at the Wheel. I really like(d) Sanders. But, Ramon in charge gives us two more W's that year.

[FWMustangGirl]

That being said, I was at the game and it was the 3rd biggest SMU heartbreak (#1 - 1995 at A&M 20-17 loss on last play of the game, #2 - 1994 vs. A&M 21-21 tie (missed FG on last play)).

You're right. Those sucked too. Would have beaten those blasted aggies in 1994 if we had been able to hit a field goal. And if I recall the 1995 game correctly, the ref said our QB's (was Ramon playing that game? Our was it our punter? I don't remember correctly) knee was down on a play that pretty much cost us the game.

[PonySoprano]

I believe Derek Canine was the QB for the 1995 game. If I remember correctly, that was the year that Ramon got hurt early in the first game of the year against Arkansas. We won the game, but that was our only win that year.

[Junior]

I'm not so sure that even if we won we would have gotten an Independence Bowl bid. I know that is the popular belief, but LSU and Notre Dame ended up playing in the Independence Bowl that year. Do you really think the Bowl committee would have taken a 7-4 SMU team over LSU (the home state team) or Notre Dame?

That being said, I was at the game and it was the 3rd biggest SMU heartbreak (#1 - 1995 at A&M 20-17 loss on last play of the game, #2 - 1994 vs. A&M 21-21 tie (missed FG on last play)).

Both those A&M games were rough. I was at the tie in San Antonio. we missed a makeable FG. In the game we lost, didn't we get called for pass intereference in the end zone, maybe twice, on the game-winning drive?

[FWMustangGirl]

Both those A&M games were rough. I was at the tie in San Antonio. we missed a makeable FG. In the game we lost, didn't we get called for pass intereference in the end zone, maybe twice, on the game-winning drive?

Yep. That too. And it was a very questionable call. It left me wondering why SMU never got any "home cooking" from the refs. We always seem to be on the wrong end of crummy calls. The wind shifted when we actually got JJ to come here, so I hope our bad luck streak is over.