CFN: 2015 SMU Preview
Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 12:34 pmhttp://cfn.scout.com/2/1545440.html
The storm clouds have passed. The rebuilding is already in full swing in Dallas.
SMU slogged through a miserable 2014 season reminiscent of the post-Death Penalty days, losing its coach after two weekends and waiting until the final Saturday to win a game. But the arrival of new head coach Chad Morris brings much-needed hope for a turnaround. Landing Morris was an epic coup for the administration. While at Clemson, he was one of the nation’s most coveted offensive coordinators, and he has deep-rooted ties to high school football in the state of Texas.
Patience, though, will need to be exercised in the early going because the cupboard needs restocking, and properly installing new systems requires considerable time and teaching.
Make no mistake—the Mustangs don’t possess enough talent to engineer an overnight turnaround from last year’s disaster. Too many holes and too many scars from being outscored by an average of 30 points per game.
So, it’s a good thing that Morris’ blueprint for success is long on substance and void of quick-fixes. It involves reaching out to the community and exuding a palpable energy that was absent during the June Jones regime. Jones no doubt did good things in Dallas, but his detached demeanor became increasingly intolerable as the program began to slide in 2013.
Morris and his staff have spent the first phase of this offseason unveiling new offensive and defensive philosophies and gradually repairing the fractured egos of his kids. Going 1-11 and losing a head coach in-season take a toll on young athletes. Because Morris has had so much success mentoring quarterbacks, Tajh Boyd and Deshaun Watson most recently at Clemson, his ability to develop his newest pupils will attract plenty of attention in 2015. He inherits a pair of intriguing options, dual-threat Matt Davis, a former Texas A&M transfer, and touted rookie Ben Hicks.
Morris didn’t leave a good situation at Clemson. It was a great situation, one he wouldn’t have left if he wasn’t fully convinced he could turn SMU into a winner. Basically, Morris plans to be the Larry Brown of football on the Hilltop, employing a methodical, step-by-step approach to transform despair into victories.
The new man in charge is going to reach his goals. Just afford him a proper honeymoon to get the Mustang house in order, because Jones left him with a mess that’ll require at least a year before order and stability are restored.
What to watch for on offense: An influx of wide receiver talent. The Mustangs need help everywhere, and the backs will get special attention in a system that demands a strong ground game. But it’s the young receivers who could have a particularly immediate impact in 2015. The new staff recruited the area very well in February, beating out Power Five schools for Xavier Castille, James Proche and Kevin Thomas. And 6-4 redshirt freshman Courtland Sutton was a spring star, looking as if he could be the program’s deep threat this season.
What to watch for on defense: Adjusting to a new scheme. So many things are changing at SMU this offseason, including how the defense will be lining up. Gone is the old 3-4 alignment, replaced by a 4-3 that will utilize Shakiel Randolph as a hybrid between a safety and a linebacker. A number of Mustangs have changed positions, and everyone is digesting different roles and responsibilities. Coordinator Van Malone has a vision for his D, but it’s going to take time to attract the right players … and getting them up to speed on the changed looks.
This team will be far better if … it dramatically improves at the line of scrimmage. SMU lost games by an average of 30 points a year ago for a multitude of reasons, but none bigger than an inability to hold up at the point of attack. The O-line got mauled for 47 sacks, while the defense got to opposing quarterbacks just 16 times. For the healing to continue and the team to be more competitive in 2015, winning more of the battles in the trenches is a must this fall.
The Schedule:
- The Chad Morris era on the Hilltop will begin with a nationally televised Friday night visit from Baylor.
- The Mustangs will kick off the 2015 campaign against three Texas rivals, the Bears, North Texas and TCU, before facing a yet-to-be-determined opponent on Sept. 26.
- SMU will play seven games at Ford Stadium this fall, and will leave the Lone Star State just three times, to face South Florida, Navy and Memphis.
- This season’s bye week perfectly intersects the 12-game schedule, with six games preceding it and six games subsequent to it.
- The schedule could provide the landscape for a little end-of-year of momentum, since four of the final six opponents did not finish 2014 above the .500 mark.
- WATCH OUT FOR … Temple. Yeah, the Owls must make the long trip from Philadelphia to Dallas on Nov. 6. But Temple has too many proven returners to be taken lightly this season.
Best Offensive Player: Senior WR Darius Joseph. Joseph is here in part by default and in part because he had a 100-catch season as a sophomore in 2013. He possesses more potential than what was shown last year, a sharp decline in production directly attributable to a lack of support. Joseph is easily the veteran of a youthful corps, which means two things: First, he’ll have the confidence of the inexperienced quarterbacks. And second, he’s being counted on as a leader of a unit flush in up-and-coming playmakers.
Best Defensive Player: Senior LB Jonathan Yenga. The Mustangs have enjoyed a recent tradition of developing playmaking linebackers, a trend Yenga plans to perpetuate in his final year of eligibility. He’s about to enter his third season as a starter, determined to set the defensive tone on the field and in the locker room. Yenga plays the game with maximum speed and range, a particular plus on a defense that allows so many plays get beyond the first level.
Key player to a successful season: Junior QB Matt Davis. While no Mustang is going to singlehandedly elevate this program, Davis can clearly have the biggest impact in 2015. The keys will be to digest Chad Morris’ playbook as quickly as possible and take another step toward becoming a legitimate dual-threat. With continued development—in the weight room and in the film room—Davis is liable to become the coach’s next prolific pupil from behind center. And that’s something June Jones lacked at the tail end of his SMU tenure.
The season will be a success if ... the Mustangs are a markedly better November team than September team. Forget wins and losses for a moment. SMU isn’t quite ready to be evaluated by its record after winning just one time in 2015. This first season under Chad Morris is all about adopting new systems and expectations, and cleaning up what hamstrung June Jones’ final few squads. Oh, and an upset at some point in the final month will provide the young players with a much-needed tailwind to carry into 2016.
Key game: Oct. 8 at Houston. While no single game will define SMU in 2015, the Mustangs and the Cougars are a pair of Texas schools with some history and the potential to really ratchet up this rivalry in coming years. Both programs have new coaches and high expectations. This will be the first battle between Chad Morris and Tom Herman, a couple of the brightest offensive minds at this level. And beyond just one-year bragging rights, this is a matchup that will resonate throughout high schools in the region.
2014 Fun Stats:
- Points per game: SMU 11.1 – Opponents 41.3
- Turnovers: SMU 30 – Opponents 16
- Sacks: SMU 17 - Opponents 48
The storm clouds have passed. The rebuilding is already in full swing in Dallas.
SMU slogged through a miserable 2014 season reminiscent of the post-Death Penalty days, losing its coach after two weekends and waiting until the final Saturday to win a game. But the arrival of new head coach Chad Morris brings much-needed hope for a turnaround. Landing Morris was an epic coup for the administration. While at Clemson, he was one of the nation’s most coveted offensive coordinators, and he has deep-rooted ties to high school football in the state of Texas.
Patience, though, will need to be exercised in the early going because the cupboard needs restocking, and properly installing new systems requires considerable time and teaching.
Make no mistake—the Mustangs don’t possess enough talent to engineer an overnight turnaround from last year’s disaster. Too many holes and too many scars from being outscored by an average of 30 points per game.
So, it’s a good thing that Morris’ blueprint for success is long on substance and void of quick-fixes. It involves reaching out to the community and exuding a palpable energy that was absent during the June Jones regime. Jones no doubt did good things in Dallas, but his detached demeanor became increasingly intolerable as the program began to slide in 2013.
Morris and his staff have spent the first phase of this offseason unveiling new offensive and defensive philosophies and gradually repairing the fractured egos of his kids. Going 1-11 and losing a head coach in-season take a toll on young athletes. Because Morris has had so much success mentoring quarterbacks, Tajh Boyd and Deshaun Watson most recently at Clemson, his ability to develop his newest pupils will attract plenty of attention in 2015. He inherits a pair of intriguing options, dual-threat Matt Davis, a former Texas A&M transfer, and touted rookie Ben Hicks.
Morris didn’t leave a good situation at Clemson. It was a great situation, one he wouldn’t have left if he wasn’t fully convinced he could turn SMU into a winner. Basically, Morris plans to be the Larry Brown of football on the Hilltop, employing a methodical, step-by-step approach to transform despair into victories.
The new man in charge is going to reach his goals. Just afford him a proper honeymoon to get the Mustang house in order, because Jones left him with a mess that’ll require at least a year before order and stability are restored.
What to watch for on offense: An influx of wide receiver talent. The Mustangs need help everywhere, and the backs will get special attention in a system that demands a strong ground game. But it’s the young receivers who could have a particularly immediate impact in 2015. The new staff recruited the area very well in February, beating out Power Five schools for Xavier Castille, James Proche and Kevin Thomas. And 6-4 redshirt freshman Courtland Sutton was a spring star, looking as if he could be the program’s deep threat this season.
What to watch for on defense: Adjusting to a new scheme. So many things are changing at SMU this offseason, including how the defense will be lining up. Gone is the old 3-4 alignment, replaced by a 4-3 that will utilize Shakiel Randolph as a hybrid between a safety and a linebacker. A number of Mustangs have changed positions, and everyone is digesting different roles and responsibilities. Coordinator Van Malone has a vision for his D, but it’s going to take time to attract the right players … and getting them up to speed on the changed looks.
This team will be far better if … it dramatically improves at the line of scrimmage. SMU lost games by an average of 30 points a year ago for a multitude of reasons, but none bigger than an inability to hold up at the point of attack. The O-line got mauled for 47 sacks, while the defense got to opposing quarterbacks just 16 times. For the healing to continue and the team to be more competitive in 2015, winning more of the battles in the trenches is a must this fall.
The Schedule:
- The Chad Morris era on the Hilltop will begin with a nationally televised Friday night visit from Baylor.
- The Mustangs will kick off the 2015 campaign against three Texas rivals, the Bears, North Texas and TCU, before facing a yet-to-be-determined opponent on Sept. 26.
- SMU will play seven games at Ford Stadium this fall, and will leave the Lone Star State just three times, to face South Florida, Navy and Memphis.
- This season’s bye week perfectly intersects the 12-game schedule, with six games preceding it and six games subsequent to it.
- The schedule could provide the landscape for a little end-of-year of momentum, since four of the final six opponents did not finish 2014 above the .500 mark.
- WATCH OUT FOR … Temple. Yeah, the Owls must make the long trip from Philadelphia to Dallas on Nov. 6. But Temple has too many proven returners to be taken lightly this season.
Best Offensive Player: Senior WR Darius Joseph. Joseph is here in part by default and in part because he had a 100-catch season as a sophomore in 2013. He possesses more potential than what was shown last year, a sharp decline in production directly attributable to a lack of support. Joseph is easily the veteran of a youthful corps, which means two things: First, he’ll have the confidence of the inexperienced quarterbacks. And second, he’s being counted on as a leader of a unit flush in up-and-coming playmakers.
Best Defensive Player: Senior LB Jonathan Yenga. The Mustangs have enjoyed a recent tradition of developing playmaking linebackers, a trend Yenga plans to perpetuate in his final year of eligibility. He’s about to enter his third season as a starter, determined to set the defensive tone on the field and in the locker room. Yenga plays the game with maximum speed and range, a particular plus on a defense that allows so many plays get beyond the first level.
Key player to a successful season: Junior QB Matt Davis. While no Mustang is going to singlehandedly elevate this program, Davis can clearly have the biggest impact in 2015. The keys will be to digest Chad Morris’ playbook as quickly as possible and take another step toward becoming a legitimate dual-threat. With continued development—in the weight room and in the film room—Davis is liable to become the coach’s next prolific pupil from behind center. And that’s something June Jones lacked at the tail end of his SMU tenure.
The season will be a success if ... the Mustangs are a markedly better November team than September team. Forget wins and losses for a moment. SMU isn’t quite ready to be evaluated by its record after winning just one time in 2015. This first season under Chad Morris is all about adopting new systems and expectations, and cleaning up what hamstrung June Jones’ final few squads. Oh, and an upset at some point in the final month will provide the young players with a much-needed tailwind to carry into 2016.
Key game: Oct. 8 at Houston. While no single game will define SMU in 2015, the Mustangs and the Cougars are a pair of Texas schools with some history and the potential to really ratchet up this rivalry in coming years. Both programs have new coaches and high expectations. This will be the first battle between Chad Morris and Tom Herman, a couple of the brightest offensive minds at this level. And beyond just one-year bragging rights, this is a matchup that will resonate throughout high schools in the region.
2014 Fun Stats:
- Points per game: SMU 11.1 – Opponents 41.3
- Turnovers: SMU 30 – Opponents 16
- Sacks: SMU 17 - Opponents 48
It's a much lower number