SMU coach June Jones doesn't make a big deal out of spring football, but there are big things happening on the Hilltop this April.
There won't be a heavily-promoted Red-Blue scrimmage to finish off the spring, inspire the faithful and boost season ticket sales. Instead, there will just be a final practice April 30 that will be open to the public.
What the public sees that day may not resemble the team that takes the field in the fall. A number of headliners from 2010 are sitting out the spring with injuries, including RB Zach Line (back) and defensive ends Margus Hunt and Taylor Thompson (both coming off shoulder surgery).
That doesn't mean expectations have been lowered for 2011. SMU, after a 25-year bowl drought, is coming off back-to-back bowl appearances. After winning the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl in 2009, the Mustangs were co-champions of C-USA's Western Division and played in both the conference championship game and the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in 2010.
The season ended with a 16-14 loss to Army in the bowl game, saddling SMU with a 7-7 record.
In some ways that was a step back from 2009's breakout year, when SMU went 8-5, but overall the momentum of the program continued to build with the division title and repeat bowl appearance.
As the Mustangs begin their fourth season under Jones, the goal is obvious: Build on the success of the previous two seasons. The next logical step is to win a conference championship.
Despite suffering some key personnel losses, the Mustangs have the makings of another C-USA contender. Just four of the 22 starters last season were seniors.
Spring game or no spring game, the work SMU accomplishes this spring will go a long way toward taking that next step in the program's growth.
More at:
http://www.foxsportssouthwest.com/04/22 ... eedID=3742
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 7:56 am
