ESPN Blue Ribbon Preview: SMU

[Harry0569]

It came out today...anyone care to post?

[NickSMU17]

its been out...but here ya go...

ditor's Note: ESPN Insider has teamed with Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook to provide a comprehensive look at all 120 FBS teams. To order the complete 2011 edition of Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, visit www.blueribbonyearbookonline.com or call 1-877-807-4857 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern. This information is up to date as of June 25.


ABOUT
Boise State. TCU. Hawaii. Utah. What do those four teams have in common? All were from non-automatic qualifier conferences, and all of them have crashed the BCS party.

SMU coach June Jones knows what it takes to secure one of those difficult-to-attain spots. He led Hawaii to an undefeated regular season and Sugar Bowl bid. But after having attained that particular pinnacle, he traded it all in for a chance to return to the mainland and take over the struggling Mustangs.

Four years later, does Jones have SMU poised to make a similar run? For what it's worth, Jones doesn't think the Mustangs are very far away, believing it will happen "either this year or next year."

Jones is not just reading the tea leaves, either. The Mustangs are loaded, by any definition. Among Conference USA teams, only Tulsa can match SMU's total number of returning starters -- 18 -- on offense and defense from a team that played in that league's title game last season.

The collection of veteran talent includes standout quarterback Kyle Padron, a 1,000-yard receiver in Cole Beasley and a stalwart running back in Zach Line who rushed for nearly 1,500 yards. The entire starting offensive line also returns intact, and top pass rusher Ja'Gared Davis and leading tackler Taylor Reed headline a contingent of eight incumbent defensive starters.

Add a recruiting class considered the best at SMU in recent memory, and it's no shock Jones is thinking big.

2011 Schedule
Sept. 4 -- @Texas A&M
10 -- UTEP
17 -- Northwestern St.
24 -- @Memphis
30 -- @TCU
Oct. 15 -- UCF
22 -- @Southern Miss
29 -- @Tulsa
Nov. 5 -- Tulane
12 -- Navy
19 -- @Houston
26 -- Rice
• 2010 Schedule and Results
• 2010 Statistics
"The 25 kids we have coming in this year really give us some depth and quality," Jones said. "I feel like we're a good team, but not a great team, without those guys.

"The key is getting it done on the field, but we've got a shot to do it this year."

No Conference USA team has ever appeared in a BCS game, and SMU would need to go undefeated to become the first. That goal faces a significant obstacle right off the bat as the Mustangs open on the road against Texas A&M.

"If we weren't going down there, it might happen this year," said Jones, whose Mustangs also travel to TCU on Sept. 30. "A&M's probably going to be one of the best teams in the country. How you react to that, how you handle that, really affects your demeanor for the whole year."

Jones would like to see the SMU defense boost the team demeanor by producing a few more turnovers. Last season the Mustangs forced just 15 out of the opposition and ranked among the bottom 10 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision in turnover margin.

"We had five games in a row without getting a defensive turnover. We won two of those games, which is kind of unbelievable," Jones said. "If we play a little more aggressive, that's the biggest thing I think we have to do."

THE STAFF
C-USA TEAMS
East Carolina
Houston
Marshall
Memphis
Rice
SMU
Southern Miss
Tulane
Tulsa
UAB
UCF
UTEP
Head Coach: June Jones (New York State Regents '82)
Record at school: 16-23 (3 years)
Career record: 91-64 (12 years)

Assistants:
• Dan Morrison (UCLA '71) Offensive Coordinator
• Tom Mason (Eastern Washington '82) Defensive Coordinator
• Frank Gansz, Jr. (Citadel '85) Special Teams
• Joe Haering (Bucknell '65) Linebackers
• Bert Hill (Auburn '82) Defensive Line
• Adrian Klemm (Hawaii '00) Offensive Line
• Derrick Odum (Utah '93) Secondary
• Jeff Reinebold (Indiana '81) Wide Receivers
• Wes Suan (Linfield '75) Running

[NickSMU17]

Offense

QUARTERBACKS
In his first full season as a starter, Kyle Padron (6-4, 233) did not exactly endure a sophomore slump -- but he left plenty of room to improve entering his junior campaign. While Padron did throw for 3,828 yards and 31 touchdowns, his completion percentage (302-of-508, .594) and quarterback rating (137.4) both dropped -- albeit from a sample size more than double the 201 passes he attempted in 2009 after replacing the injured Bo Levi Mitchell as starter at midseason.

Padron also had a shaky finish, throwing four interceptions against three touchdowns in the C-USA championship game and the Armed Forces Bowl. The Mustangs lost both games.

"If you look at his stats, they're very acceptable," Jones said. "The key in what we do is making big plays. That comes from receivers and quarterbacks getting that done. We've just got to improve on that as we go through."

The Dallas native certainly is becoming a better physical specimen as he grows older. Padron has put on about 40 pounds since he first arrived on campus.

Senior J.J. McDermott (6-4, 227) returns as Padron's backup. He appeared in four games in 2010, his first eligible year with the program after transferring from New Mexico State.

Two former high school all-stars are trying to climb the depth chart.

A case of mononucleosis shelved redshirt freshman Steven Kaiser (6-3, 217) for the 2010 season. He's had to spend the subsequent months rebuilding his arm strength and trying to catch up on lost time in the meeting room.

True freshman Conner Preston (6-0, 200) enrolled early after racking up more than 3,500 passing yards as a senior at Junipero Serra High School in California. Preston went through spring practice focusing primarily on learning Jones' intricate run-and-shoot offense.

RUNNING BACKS
Zach Line rushed for 1,494 net yards in 2010. That stands as the second-highest total in a single season by an SMU running back. Only Eric Dickerson, with 1,617 yards in 1982, has been more prolific.

That's pretty good company for a Mustangs running back to keep.

"Zach played about as well as anybody in the conference," Jones said.

While Jones' offensive philosophy definitely emphasizes the aerial approach, running 542 pass plays against 370 rushing plays last season, the system often gets some very solid production from the ground game.

Line (6-1, 230), whose 106.7-yard average ranked 14th in the FBS, became the second straight 1,000-yard rusher for SMU in as many seasons.

"We get the run because we're a passing team," Jones said.

"Instead of having eight, nine guys in the box for a running back, you really have six guys or five. When you have a talented back, he's able to get more yards."

Line missed spring practice with a broken lumbar bone in his lower back, but that should do nothing to alter his status as SMU's primary ball carrier. He is expected to be at full strength this preseason.

Meanwhile, sophomore Darryl Fields (6-2, 215) got a ton of reps and left spring ball as Line's understudy. Fields did a fine job on special teams last season, averaging 25 yards per kickoff return to earn Conference USA All-Freshman honors. However, he logged only eight carries because he struggled to pick up the pass protection schemes. If Fields can show a better grasp of the playbook, that carry total should significantly increase.

Keep an eye on freshman K.C. Nlemchi (6-1, 195), a consensus three-star prospect rated among the top running backs in the country by both Rivals and ESPN.

Jones typically rotated backs during his stint at Hawaii, so there could be opportunities for Fields, Nlemchi or both if they prove capable.

RECEIVERS
Aldrick Robinson, SMU's top big-play threat, was drafted by the Washington Redskins in April. Replacing his 14 touchdowns and 1,301 yards receiving appears daunting -- until one examines the contributions made by Cole Beasley (5-9, 180) and junior Darius Johnson (5-10, 175) last season.

Both Beasley (87) and Johnson (74) made more catches than Robinson's 65. And, as a duo, they combined for nearly 2,000 receiving yards.

Beasley, a senior, joined Robinson in the 1,000-yard club, reaping 1,046 yards on those team-high 87 catches. Johnson finished his sophomore year strong, making nine receptions in both the conference title game and bowl game. He figures to replace Robinson as SMU's primary downfield threat -- assuming he can handle the extra attention from opposing defenses. Johnson appears ready for the challenge, setting 1,200 yards as his personal goal.

Sophomore Keenan Holman (6-1, 188) arrived at SMU under the radar after playing in a run-based offense in high school. Six of his nine catches in 2010 came in the Mustangs' final three games, including his sole TD in the regular-season finale against East Carolina. Holman added some needed muscle and explosiveness during the off-season and left spring as the starting X-receiver.

Questions exist at the other outside receiver position opposite Holman. Senior Terrance Wilkerson (5-10, 183) is the most proven candidate, but he was academically ineligible last season and had some work to do in summer school to return to action.

Senior Bradley Haynes (6-3, 237) was fantastic in practice last season but struggled carrying that over to games. He moved to inside receiver this spring and will also line up at tight end in certain packages.

Sophomore Jeremy Johnson (6-1, 175) was a fantastic dual-threat quarterback in Texas' 5A high-school classification. He made the transition to wide receiver last season and joins Holman among those players who could see many more chances in Robinson's absence.

Other candidates include redshirt freshman Der'rikk Thompson (6-0, 188), who boasts a 4.3-second 40 time, and sophomore Chayse Joubert (6-0, 193).

Don't expect Jones to rotate at receiver if he can avoid it.

"Unless they pull themselves out of the game, the four guys that play are going to play all the time," he said.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Continuity is not a problem on SMU's offensive line. All five starters return for their senior year.

Kelvin Beachum, Jr. (6-3, 306) returns for one more hitch protecting the blind side of Padron. A first-team all-conference pick last year, Beachum has started every game the last three seasons at left tackle. J.T. Brooks (6-5, 330) enters his third year as the starting right tackle, and finally felt at full strength this spring after battling chronic knee problems throughout his collegiate career.

Center Blake McJunkin (6-2, 290), a four-year starter like Beachum, has been chosen to the Rimington Award watch list. Kelly Turner (6-1, 301) returns at right guard after starting 13-of-14 games last season.

Bryce Tennison (6-3, 290), the other incumbent senior starter, was the regular at left guard last year but was listed as the backup center on the post-spring depth chart. Meanwhile, senior Josh LeRibeus (6-2, 305) held the top spot at left guard after sitting out last season because of academics. LeRibeus started every game at that position in 2009.

Sophomore Ben Gottschalk (6-5, 275) left spring practice as the third tackle, and junior Bryan Collins (6-3, 302) was tabbed as the backup for both guards on the post-spring depth chart.

[NickSMU17]

Defense

DEFENSIVE LINE
Senior nose tackle Marquis Frazier moved to the interior from end only out of necessity. Junior defensive end Margus Hunt's first two seasons at SMU also marked his first two years playing football. As both players continue to grow into their respective positions, SMU's defensive line should continue to improve -- and Jones thinks both will end up playing on Sundays.

Hunt (6-8, 295), a native of Estonia, has had quite the road to playing at the FBS level. A gold medalist at the 2006 World Junior Championships in the shot put and discus for his homeland, Hunt still holds the world juniors record in the discus. He enrolled at SMU in 2007 to train privately with the Mustangs' track coach, and when a spot on the team did not open, he tried out for football. He used his gigantic frame to good effect on special teams in 2009, blocking a program-record seven kicks, and earned all-conference honorable mention accolades last season after starting 13-of-14 games at end.

Frazier (6-3, 287) probably would prefer to go back to coming off the edge, but Mike O'Guin's injury this spring guaranteed that Frazier will conclude his college career at the nose. Opposing offensive linemen will have to contest with a leaner, meaner Frazier after he changed his diet. SMU's most productive lineman last season with 51 tackles, Frazier intends to make the best of playing nose tackle.

"One of my goals is to become an All-American," he told PonyPride.com.

O'Guin (6-2, 311) lost at least his entire sophomore season after a catastrophic mishap this spring that saw him tear his ACL, LCL and meniscus. That should yield more reps for senior Szymon Czerniak (6-4, 268) and sophomore Jordan Favreau (6-2, 280), a converted offensive lineman.

Senior Taylor Thompson (6-6, 287) provides a big, imposing presence off the edge. Just ask last year's opponents. Thompson tallied 4.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss, while earning first-team All-Conference USA honors.

Redshirt freshman Beau Barnes (6-5, 225) and senior Kevin Grenier (6-4, 259) held the backup spots at end on the post-spring depth chart.

LINEBACKERS
A new leader needs to emerge, but production is not a problem for SMU's talented linebacking corps. Two of the team's top four players in tackles last season man the second level of the Mustangs' defense.

Taylor Reed (6-0, 230) led the team with his 145 stops, and his 10.4 tackle average ranked third in Conference USA. A 20-tackle day against Navy, which included 12 solo stops, was the high water mark of Reed's junior season. He heads into his senior year trying to become a more disruptive player; Reed notched just two sacks in 2010. He also will try to step up and fill the leadership role vacated by departed seniors Pete Fleps and Youri Yenga.

Ja'Gared Davis (6-1, 220), one of four returning first-team all-league selections, contributed 90 tackles to rank fourth on the squad. He also paced SMU in sacks (nine) and tackles for loss (16), and scored a pair of touchdowns. Davis is probably the best athlete among the linebackers but needs to become more mature, both as a leader on the field and in the classroom.

Reed returns as the starting Mike linebacker with Davis at the Will position. Junior Cameron Rogers (6-0, 230) came out of spring drills leading at Buck linebacker, the other inside position in defensive coordinator Tom Mason's 3-4 scheme. Rogers was Fleps' backup for two years.

Junior Victor Jones (6-1, 220) -- no relation to SMU's head coach -- got few playmaking opportunities last season after missing most of 2009 with an Achilles injury. One of the strongest players on the defense, Jones is competing for the starting job at Sam linebacker against redshirt freshman Uchenna Nwabuike (6-1, 217).

Redshirt freshman John Bordano (6-2, 230), who piled up 197 tackles as a senior at New Braunfels (Texas) High, ended spring drills as Rogers' backup.

Junior Byron Brown (5-11, 210) and sophomore Randall Joyner (5-10, 228) are also in the mix.

One player to watch? Sophomore Kevin Pope (5-10, 225), who made the position change from running back to linebacker this spring. He did play that position in high school, totaling 76 tackles, four forced fumbles and a pair of sacks as a senior.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
The 2011 season marks just Richard Crawford's second year with the program, but the senior cornerback is stepping up as a team leader out of necessity.

Crawford (5-11, 195) already has shown he can get it done on the field, snaring a team-high four interceptions -- including a pair of picks against Marshall last November.

Departed senior Sterling Moore held the other corner spot but missed six of 14 games last season with a knee problem. His usual replacement -- Bennie Thomas -- also was a senior. Junior Keith Robinson (5-9, 191) and sophomore Kenneth Acker (5-11, 195) came out of spring practice in a battle at that position.

Senior Chris Banjo (5-10, 210) carries a 34-game starting streak at safety into his final season. Banjo, the free safety, already was one of the key leaders of the defense last year and should reclaim that role. Junior Ryan Smith (5-11, 191), Banjo's roommate, is the starting strong safety.

Sophomore Chris Parks (6-1, 185) rounds out the current two-deep at cornerback. Senior Justin Sorrell (5-10, 198) and sophomore Jay Scott (6-1, 206) head into fall camp as the backup safeties.

[NickSMU17]

Sp. teams

SPECIAL TEAMS
Jones does not waste a lot of sleep worrying about finding a capable player to return kickoffs and punts for the Mustangs.

"Because of what we do on offense, there's always a lot of return guys," Jones said.

SMU's punt return game -- which averaged less than five yards per attempt in 2010 -- left much to be desired, and ranked 103rd among 120 FBS programs. Johnson, Crawford, Acker and Parks all got chances there last season. Heading into 2011, the smart money is on Acker, who had 11 returns for touchdowns on special teams as a senior at Grant High School in Portland.

Fields is a proven commodity on kickoff returns.

KICKERS
Matt Szymanski did nearly all the kicking and punting at SMU for multiple seasons. While Marcelo Sada chipped in a bit last year and also handled the bulk of the kickoffs, both are gone.

Jones thinks he has another potential all-everything specialist in Matt Loftus (6-1, 204). Coming out of high school, the redshirt freshman was considered one of the top 10 kickers in the country by ESPN Recruiting.

Juniors Matt Stone (6-1, 180) and Brian Farkas (5-8, 165) are competing with Loftus. All three are possibilities on field goals, extra points, kickoffs or punts.

PUNTERS
Matt Stone actually attempted six punts in relief of Szymanski last season, averaging 31.7 yards. That's not much of a sample size, but it's six more punts than Matt Loftus or Brian Farkas -- the other two candidates -- have attempted at this level.

SMU ranked 10th among the 12 Conference USA teams in net punting last season.

[NickSMU17]

Newbies...

NEWCOMERS
Months of labor on the recruiting trail yielded a fine batch of incoming players for the Mustangs. Jones anticipates as many as 15 true freshmen could play for SMU, with particular needs at receiver, offensive line and defensive line.

Jones thinks any of the four wide receivers SMU signed will have a chance to see the field.

"They're not going to be full-time players, but they're going to allow us to rotate like everyone else does," he said.

[NickSMU17]

Conclusion

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
Jones certainly likes a rebuilding project. Hawaii was a mess when he took over there, and SMU was never the same team after receiving the death penalty from the NCAA in 1987.

"They're challenging, I will say that," Jones said. "They're just kind of what motivates me."

And Jones excels in such scenarios. He's arguably ahead of schedule at SMU.

Hawaii made its undefeated run to the Sugar Bowl during the ninth season of his tenure. Meanwhile, heading into year four at SMU, the Mustangs appear poised for their biggest achievements since before the NCAA handed down its historic sanctions.

Even though a BCS bid is very unlikely given the tough non-conference schedule, winning nine games or more would mark SMU's most successful season since 1984. Given the abundance of returning talent on offense and defense, logging at least nine victories seems a very reasonable goal for the 2011 season.

[NickSMU17]

CUSA predictions

Conference USA

C-USA East
1. Southern Miss
2. UCF
3. UAB
4. Marshall
5. East Carolina
6. Memphis
C-USA West
1. Houston
2. SMU
3. Tulsa
4. Rice
5. UTEP
6. Tulane

All-C-USA Team

Offense
WR: Damaris Johnson, Tulsa
WR: Patrick Edwards, Houston
WR: Lance Lewis, East Carolina
OL: Kelvin Beachum, Jr., SMU
OL: Matt McCants, UAB
OL: Chris Thompson, Houston
OL: Clint Anderson, Tulsa
OL: Tyler Holmes, Tulsa
QB: G.J. Kinne, Tulsa
RB: Bryce Beall, Houston
RB: Zach Line, SMU
Defense
DL: Vinny Curry, Marshall
DL: Taylor Thompson, SMU
DL: Elliott Henigan, UAB
DL: Darius Nall, UCF
LB: Ja'Gared Davis, SMU
LB: Trent Mackey, Tulane
LB: Marcus McGraw, Houston
DB: Kemal Ishmael, UCF
DB: Marco Nelson, Tulsa
DB: Josh Robinson, UCF
DB: Emmanuel Davis, East Carolina

Specialists
K: Danny Hrapmann, Southern Miss
KR: Quincy McDuffie, UCF
P: Kyle Martens. Rice
PR: Damaris Johnson, Tulsa

Offensive Player of the Year
G.J. Kinne, QB, Tulsa

Defensive Player of the Year
Vinny Curry, DL, Marshall

Newcomer of the Year
Reggie Bullock, RB, East Carolina

[ponyte]

Dang our schedule has folks spooked. But it is nice to have a competitive schedule again.

Meyer’s team at SMU showed it could play with anyone in 1978 when the Ponies played Ohio State, Penn State and Florida all on the road and went 1-1-1. A few more breaks in conference play and the Ponies would have been bowling that year. Perhaps this is a similar challenge for this year’s Ponies. Play well on the road and beat one or two that folks don’t expect us to beat and who knows.

And get some more turnovers D!

[PonyPlayer4]

Love all the previews. Only thing keeping me sane without football. Can't wait for September.

[NickSMU17]

Ill edit...

[Harry0569]

Thanks Nick. I've been meaning to sign up for insider, just been too lazy.

[EastStang]

It mentioned Fields as ZL's understudy. Is he coming back? I thought I read that he might be leaving?

[RGV Pony]

It mentioned Fields as ZL's understudy. Is he coming back? I thought I read that he might be leaving?

moved to Miami

[RGV Pony]

It mentioned Fields as ZL's understudy. Is he coming back? I thought I read that he might be leaving?

moved to Miami

Oklahoma