PFN:Amid skepticism, SMU continues to prove their legitimacy
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2019 3:57 pmRanked for the first time since 1986, the SMU Mustangs have quietly climbed the AP Poll as offensive juggernauts.
Southern Methodist’s path to relevence has been paved with a few road blocks along the way.
The last time Southern Methodist was ranked, the year was 1986. They cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time in program history on Oct. 25, 1986, coming in at No. 18, to be precise. The following season, however, the school was hit with the death penalty, after the NCAA learned that the resurgent program was wrongfully paying some of the football players, dating back as early as the mid-1970’s. The ban effectively wiped out the Mustangs’ 1987-88 seasons.
Since returning from the death penalty in 1989, the once-formidable Southern Methodist Mustangs could only muster one winning season over the next two decades, going 6-5 in 1997. The program was eventually revitalized under legendary coach June Jones, who coached the team from 2008-2014, compiling three winning seasons over that span. The Mustangs were 36-43 under his leadership.
Fast forward to 2019, a year in which the surging Mustangs have taken the college football world by storm under second-year head coach Sonny Dykes. Armed with an explosive offense and an opportunistic defense, the modern-day Mustangs have won games in a multitude of ways in 2019, on their way to a 8-0 record. They currently come in at No. 15 on the AP Top 25 poll.
Despite asserting their dominance upon every team in their path, there are some who still aren’t sold on this year’s ‘Cinderella’ team.
I’ve identified some of the key offensive players that are responsible for the strong start, highlighting why they are equipped to stand tall in December.
https://www.profootballnetwork.com/sout ... macy-2019/
Southern Methodist’s path to relevence has been paved with a few road blocks along the way.
The last time Southern Methodist was ranked, the year was 1986. They cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time in program history on Oct. 25, 1986, coming in at No. 18, to be precise. The following season, however, the school was hit with the death penalty, after the NCAA learned that the resurgent program was wrongfully paying some of the football players, dating back as early as the mid-1970’s. The ban effectively wiped out the Mustangs’ 1987-88 seasons.
Since returning from the death penalty in 1989, the once-formidable Southern Methodist Mustangs could only muster one winning season over the next two decades, going 6-5 in 1997. The program was eventually revitalized under legendary coach June Jones, who coached the team from 2008-2014, compiling three winning seasons over that span. The Mustangs were 36-43 under his leadership.
Fast forward to 2019, a year in which the surging Mustangs have taken the college football world by storm under second-year head coach Sonny Dykes. Armed with an explosive offense and an opportunistic defense, the modern-day Mustangs have won games in a multitude of ways in 2019, on their way to a 8-0 record. They currently come in at No. 15 on the AP Top 25 poll.
Despite asserting their dominance upon every team in their path, there are some who still aren’t sold on this year’s ‘Cinderella’ team.
I’ve identified some of the key offensive players that are responsible for the strong start, highlighting why they are equipped to stand tall in December.
https://www.profootballnetwork.com/sout ... macy-2019/