Close But No Tortilla - cusa-fans.com

[mr. pony]

Close But No Tortilla
Turnovers Doom SMU In 35-27 Loss At Texas Tech
By Rick Atkinson for cusa-fans.com
http://cusa-fans.com/

DALLAS – The rains came Tuesday morning as the Mustangs got back to work following Sunday’s eight-point loss at Texas Tech. Field speakers blared B.J. Thomas’ “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” to an empty Ford Stadium moments before players filed into the monsoon.

The rain continued for half the hour-long session without pads, perhaps washing away memories of Lubbock – though not all the memories were bad. SMU special teams collected two blocked field goals, (Kevin Grenier and -who else?- Margus Hunt), a 92-yard kickoff return by true-freshman Darryl Fields, and a school-record 61-yard field goal by senior Matt Szymanski.



Still, it’s a loss and turnovers - four of them - were the reason. The first one was a killer for a 13-point underdog struggling to steal momentum in a hostile environment. It came late in the first quarter, after Sterling Moore’s sack had forced Tech’s second punt. True freshman return man Kenneth Acker had the ball slapped from his hands, giving the Red Raiders possession on SMU’s 18-yard-line.

Three plays later Tech led, 7-0. Two plays after that, SMU’s Kyle Padron threw his first of three interceptions on the day. Momentum – gone.

Acker, a three-star recruit from Portland, Ore., said Tuesday that his teammates and coaches have been supportive. “They understand, really,” he said. “They took me in. It really wasn’t that much. They put somebody [else] in at the end of the game but I understand because it’s a business and everything.”

“I’m not really down that much about it. I mean, it’s a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes. I come out to practice, work hard and try to get my spot back.”

SMU still had a shot in the fourth quarter. That’s when new Tech coach Tommy Tuberville tried to get Mike Leachy wid it, going for a fourth-and-one from his own 34, only to fumble it away. Padron soon found Cole Beasley, after a tipped ball, for a 13-yard touchdown and SMU was in it, 35-27, with seven minutes to play.

The Mustangs got one more chance with two minutes left, driving from their own six to midfield. After Padron was shaken up, J.J. McDermott was called on for a second time in the game – with SMU facing a last-gasp 4th-and-21.

Facing pressure up the middle, McDermott moved left. “I was just trying to get out of the way so I could get my eyes downfield again,” he said. “Then, right when I was coming out of it, I was just starting to get my bearings and was getting ready to cut one loose, that guy got me from behind.”

McDermott indeed appeared ready to heave it - with one more step. “If I remember it right,” he said, “I think Darius [Johnson] might have been breaking it out. I really just got my eyes up there. Obviously, fourth down, you’ve got to throw it down there some way and I had every intention of doing that. But I just didn’t see that guy coming.”

Earlier in the fourth, McDermott came in for one play when Padron lost a shoe. That time, McDermott took a vicious sack and was back on the headphones seconds later. “It’s just one of the things that come with the territory, I guess,” McDermott said. … “It’s just something you’ve got to be ready for.”

Said running back Chris Butler, who tallied five carries for 29 yards, “We know that we made a lot of simple mistakes that we can work off of. It wasn’t anything major. It was just a couple of assignment busts, nothing major that we can’t get better off of. That’s our mindset: just to come in, work harder to get better, and just look forward to the next game.”

Butler said it felt good to get some carries. “Actually, I felt a little bit rusty, but as the season goes on hopefully I can make more plays.”

Padron finished with 218 passing yards and two touchdown tosses, both to Beasley. He was sacked three times.



Acker said, overall, the team learned a lot. “I think we just understand that we need to play hard every play. We were taking some plays off, mental errors. I think mostly it was just that big-game aspect.”

Up next for SMU are the UAB Blazers, coming off a 32-31 home loss to Florida Atlantic. UAB blew a 16-point third-quarter lead and missed a 28-yard field goal for the win on the final play. The Mustangs won at UAB last year in a 35-33 thriller. SMU is favored by 13 points on Saturday.

Said McDermott, “After we watch [Tech tape] today, you just can’t really think about it too much after that. I know you hear everybody say that but it’s really the truth. We’ve just got to work on UAB and what looks they’re going to be giving you next week and keep working on ourselves. Make sure we don’t beat ourselves and try to cut down on turnovers.”

Prediction
Closer than it should be, but the short-week Mustangs hang on: SMU 31, UAB 24
(Last week: picked SMU, 32-30; 0-1)

Gameday
UAB @ SMU, Saturday, Sept. 11, 7 p.m. Central, TV: Time-Warner Sports

Notes:
*Zach Line led Mustang rushers with 12 carries for 72 yards.
*Six different receivers caught passes for SMU, with Beasley (5-57) leading the pack.
*Linebacker Pete Fleps led SMU with nine tackles, all unassisted.
*SMU won time of possession, but Tech ran 84 plays to SMU’s 65; each team averaged five yards per play.
*SMU is 3-0 all-time versus UAB; the Mustangs have a perfect record against five other schools, (minimum three games): New Mexico State (3-0), Auburn (3-0), Santa Clara (3-0), Wake Forest (3-0), and Washington (Mo.) (4-0).