DMN---- Kates Article 11/21/2010 Title Game Shot
Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:14 amSMU bowl-eligible, has shot to play in title game for first time
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SMU (6-5, 5-2 C-USA) AT EAST CAROLINA (6-5, 5-2) 1 p.m. Friday (CBSCS)
10:52 PM CST on Sunday, November 21, 2010
By KATE HAIROPOULOS / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]
UNIVERSITY PARK – When SMU coach June Jones addressed the remaining fans Saturday evening at Ford Stadium, following a celebration of the Mustangs' 11 seniors, he squarely addressed the team's immediate future.
LOUIS DeLUCA/DMN
Quarterback Kyle Padron (2) and the Mustangs hope to give their fans more to cheer about Friday at East Carolina. "Hopefully we have three games left to play," he said, letting the implications sink in.
Well, it's looking increasingly likely. The Mustangs (6-5, 5-2 C-USA) became postseason eligible with Saturday's 31-17 win over Marshall, so a second-straight bowl trip is all but certain.
And with a win Friday in the regular-season finale at East Carolina – or if Tulsa loses to Southern Miss – the Mustangs will play Dec. 4 in the Conference USA title game for the first time. The likely opponent is Central Florida (8-3, 6-1), the East Division leader that will host the title game for the third time in the last six seasons with a win Saturday at 1-10 Memphis. UCF would host because it would have the highest league winning percentage.
SMU and Tulsa are both 5-2 in league play, but the Mustangs edged the Golden Hurricane, 21-18, at home Oct. 9. Houston dropped out of contention for the West title with its loss Saturday night to Southern Miss.
Tulsa has won five straight – including a defeat of Notre Dame – since its loss to SMU. Southern Miss, which also has an outside shot of representing the East in the title game with a win over Tulsa and a UCF loss, has also been hot. It has won three straight, including handing UCF its only loss in conference play this season.
SMU will face first-year coach Ruffin McNeill's team in Greenville, N.C. McNeill returned to his alma mater after serving as defensive coordinator for Texas Tech and as the Red Raiders' interim coach after the controversial dismissal last December of Mike Leach.
ECU is coming off an eye-popping 62-38 loss at Rice, in which it gave up 410 rushing yards to the Owls. But the Pirates (6-5, 5-2) are 4-1 at home this season.
CONFERENCE USA
Conference Overall
EAST W L PF PA W L PF PA
UCF 6 1 289 148 8 3 385 210
East Carolina 5 2 308 282 6 5 420 476
Southern Miss. 4 2 251 180 7 3 342 256
Marshall 3 4 132 186 4 7 212 322
UAB 3 4 175 225 4 7 293 351
Memphis 0 7 111 269 1 10 156 441
Conference Overall
WEST W L PF PA W L PF PA
SMU 5 2 187 163 6 5 294 288
Tulsa 5 2 290 183 8 3 420 309
Houston 4 4 327 245 5 6 432 351
UTEP 3 5 182 207 6 6 314 305
Tulane 2 5 196 305 4 7 276 408
Rice 2 5 241 314 3 8 316 439
SATURDAY'S RESULTS
Rice 62 East Carolina 38
Tulsa 31 UTEP 28
SMU 31 Marshall 17
UCF 61 Tulane 14
UAB 31 Memphis 15
Southern Miss. 59 Houston 41
FRIDAY'S GAMES
SMU at East Carolina 1:00
Southern Miss. at Tulsa 5:30
SATURDAY'S GAMES
UCF at Memphis 11 a.m.
Tulane at Marshall 11 a.m.
UAB at Rice 2:30
Houston at Texas Tech 7:00
Marshall 0 0 10 7 – 17
SMU 7 17 7 0 – 31
First Quarter
SMU–Haynes 8 pass from Padron (Sada kick), 10:53.
Second Quarter
SMU–A.Robinson 41 pass from Padron (Sada kick), 13:33.
SMU–Padron 1 run (Sada kick), 9:20.
SMU–FG Sada 20, :00.
Third Quarter
Mar–FG Warner 22, 13:02.
Mar–Crawford 32 pass from Anderson (Warner kick), 8:56.
SMU–Line 4 run (Sada kick), :22.
Fourth Quarter
Mar–Taliaferro 11 run (Warner kick), 13:29.
A–17,513.
Mar SMU
First downs 19 20
Rushes-yards 25-50 36-185
Passing 277 230
Comp-Att-Int 24-42-3 17-32-2
Return Yards 48 66
Punts-Avg. 6-44.7 6-43.0
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards 2-20 4-25
Time of Possession 26:40 33:20
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING–Marshall, Taliaferro 8-32, Dobson 1-17, Booker 4-15, Ward 3-4, T.Evans 2-(minus 2), Sullivan 1-(minus 3), Anderson 6-(minus 13). SMU, Line 30-202, Team 1-(minus 1), Padron 5-(minus 16).
PASSING–Marshall, Anderson 24-42-3-277. SMU, Padron 17-30-2-230, Team 0-2-0-0.
RECEIVING–Marshall, Dobson 6-57, Edmonson 4-53, Walker 3-38, T.Evans 3-36, Smith 2-16, Taliaferro 2-7, D.Evans 2-6, Booker 1-32, Crawford 1-32. SMU, Beasley 8-99, D.Johnson 3-32, A.Robinson 2-59, Line 2-26, Haynes 2-14.
• • •
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SMU (6-5, 5-2 C-USA) AT EAST CAROLINA (6-5, 5-2) 1 p.m. Friday (CBSCS)
10:52 PM CST on Sunday, November 21, 2010
By KATE HAIROPOULOS / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]
UNIVERSITY PARK – When SMU coach June Jones addressed the remaining fans Saturday evening at Ford Stadium, following a celebration of the Mustangs' 11 seniors, he squarely addressed the team's immediate future.
LOUIS DeLUCA/DMN
Quarterback Kyle Padron (2) and the Mustangs hope to give their fans more to cheer about Friday at East Carolina. "Hopefully we have three games left to play," he said, letting the implications sink in.
Well, it's looking increasingly likely. The Mustangs (6-5, 5-2 C-USA) became postseason eligible with Saturday's 31-17 win over Marshall, so a second-straight bowl trip is all but certain.
And with a win Friday in the regular-season finale at East Carolina – or if Tulsa loses to Southern Miss – the Mustangs will play Dec. 4 in the Conference USA title game for the first time. The likely opponent is Central Florida (8-3, 6-1), the East Division leader that will host the title game for the third time in the last six seasons with a win Saturday at 1-10 Memphis. UCF would host because it would have the highest league winning percentage.
SMU and Tulsa are both 5-2 in league play, but the Mustangs edged the Golden Hurricane, 21-18, at home Oct. 9. Houston dropped out of contention for the West title with its loss Saturday night to Southern Miss.
Tulsa has won five straight – including a defeat of Notre Dame – since its loss to SMU. Southern Miss, which also has an outside shot of representing the East in the title game with a win over Tulsa and a UCF loss, has also been hot. It has won three straight, including handing UCF its only loss in conference play this season.
SMU will face first-year coach Ruffin McNeill's team in Greenville, N.C. McNeill returned to his alma mater after serving as defensive coordinator for Texas Tech and as the Red Raiders' interim coach after the controversial dismissal last December of Mike Leach.
ECU is coming off an eye-popping 62-38 loss at Rice, in which it gave up 410 rushing yards to the Owls. But the Pirates (6-5, 5-2) are 4-1 at home this season.
CONFERENCE USA
Conference Overall
EAST W L PF PA W L PF PA
UCF 6 1 289 148 8 3 385 210
East Carolina 5 2 308 282 6 5 420 476
Southern Miss. 4 2 251 180 7 3 342 256
Marshall 3 4 132 186 4 7 212 322
UAB 3 4 175 225 4 7 293 351
Memphis 0 7 111 269 1 10 156 441
Conference Overall
WEST W L PF PA W L PF PA
SMU 5 2 187 163 6 5 294 288
Tulsa 5 2 290 183 8 3 420 309
Houston 4 4 327 245 5 6 432 351
UTEP 3 5 182 207 6 6 314 305
Tulane 2 5 196 305 4 7 276 408
Rice 2 5 241 314 3 8 316 439
SATURDAY'S RESULTS
Rice 62 East Carolina 38
Tulsa 31 UTEP 28
SMU 31 Marshall 17
UCF 61 Tulane 14
UAB 31 Memphis 15
Southern Miss. 59 Houston 41
FRIDAY'S GAMES
SMU at East Carolina 1:00
Southern Miss. at Tulsa 5:30
SATURDAY'S GAMES
UCF at Memphis 11 a.m.
Tulane at Marshall 11 a.m.
UAB at Rice 2:30
Houston at Texas Tech 7:00
Marshall 0 0 10 7 – 17
SMU 7 17 7 0 – 31
First Quarter
SMU–Haynes 8 pass from Padron (Sada kick), 10:53.
Second Quarter
SMU–A.Robinson 41 pass from Padron (Sada kick), 13:33.
SMU–Padron 1 run (Sada kick), 9:20.
SMU–FG Sada 20, :00.
Third Quarter
Mar–FG Warner 22, 13:02.
Mar–Crawford 32 pass from Anderson (Warner kick), 8:56.
SMU–Line 4 run (Sada kick), :22.
Fourth Quarter
Mar–Taliaferro 11 run (Warner kick), 13:29.
A–17,513.
Mar SMU
First downs 19 20
Rushes-yards 25-50 36-185
Passing 277 230
Comp-Att-Int 24-42-3 17-32-2
Return Yards 48 66
Punts-Avg. 6-44.7 6-43.0
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards 2-20 4-25
Time of Possession 26:40 33:20
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING–Marshall, Taliaferro 8-32, Dobson 1-17, Booker 4-15, Ward 3-4, T.Evans 2-(minus 2), Sullivan 1-(minus 3), Anderson 6-(minus 13). SMU, Line 30-202, Team 1-(minus 1), Padron 5-(minus 16).
PASSING–Marshall, Anderson 24-42-3-277. SMU, Padron 17-30-2-230, Team 0-2-0-0.
RECEIVING–Marshall, Dobson 6-57, Edmonson 4-53, Walker 3-38, T.Evans 3-36, Smith 2-16, Taliaferro 2-7, D.Evans 2-6, Booker 1-32, Crawford 1-32. SMU, Beasley 8-99, D.Johnson 3-32, A.Robinson 2-59, Line 2-26, Haynes 2-14.
• • •