Article: Bennett at SMU crossroads

[Water Pony]

Sherman Denison Herald Democrat, TX

By Rick Atkinson
Special to the Herald Democrat

UNIVERSITY PARK - Saturday the SMU Mustangs travel to Huntington, West Virginia to face Conference USA foe Marshall for the first time. The two conference newcomer are seeking a quick rebound. The Ponies need a good performance after last week's disheartening 31-10 loss to Tulane at home. The team appeared flat and uninspired in that contest.

"The players did not feel good about the way they played," said SMU Head Coach Phil Bennett. "We've got to play with more intensity. I think that's obvious."

SMU will attempt to end its 13-game road losing streak in less than ideal conditions. The 38,000-seat stadium at Marshall has a reputation of being a hostile environment for visiting teams. The fans are loud and rambunctious, with a particularly boisterous student section.

Marshall (1-2, 0-1) narrowly missed defeating Kansas State two weeks ago at home.

The Thundering Herd moved to Division I-A play in 1997 and until this season was a member of the Mid-American Conference. The program has produced current NFL stars Randy Moss, Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich.

First year Head Coach Larry Snyder played his collegiate ball at Marshall and is a former assistant at Ohio State. At 40, Snyder is one of the youngest Division I-A head coaches in the country.

SMU (1-3, 0-1) did not control the line of scrimmage on offense against Tulane, and finished with just 127 yards of total offense. Bennett is also looking for consistency from the quarterback position. After two good games, Jerad Romo was not as sharp against Tulane, completing just 4 of 11 passes for 25 yards. Bennett said both Romo and Tony Eckert will see action against Marshall.

"We're only four games into the season," said Bennett. "We're a better team than we showed (against Tulane)."

A bright spot for SMU has been the play of kickoff return specialist Jessie Henderson. The redshirt freshman from Paris leads Conference USA in kickoff return yardage with just over 38 yards per return. Henderson returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown last Saturday.

The Mustangs will be without fifth-year senior defensive end Don Ieremia-Stansbury for the remainder of the season. The team captain left the Tulane game in the second quarter with a leg injury. An MRI Monday revealed a torn Achilles' tendon. "I hate that about as bad as anything I've ever had happen," said Bennett. "Don was playing so well and was totally dedicated to what we were trying to do." Ieremia-Stansbury will be replaced by sophomore Corey Muse, of Oklahoma City.

Part of SMU's problem, Bennett said, is that the Mustangs are not yet good enough to overcome mistakes. SMU again lost a pair of fumbles last week. They have put the ball on the ground nine times this season, losing seven "We're not a dominant team," said Bennett. "For us to succeed, we have to hit on all cylinders, and everybody play to the top of their game."

Although Bennett says he knew the SMU program would be tough to turn around when he took the job, he acknowledged he was surprised to have won just seven games in three-plus years. "This is a good place, though," he said. "I think it's a place that you can build. But I never go into anything expecting to lose."

Nothing would help the program more now than a big road win against Marshall and its fired up crowd. "It's going to be a challenge for us," said Bennett. "But after the way we played Saturday (against Tulane) we should be ready to accept a challenge."

Kickoff is at 3 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on CSTV.

[lugus830]

SMU has a shot if they come out fired up and ready to play. Limit mistakes and the mustangs can come away with a win. I hope to see a SMU team play like a team. Everyone doing their part for a W.

[DallasDiehard]

Eliminate turnovers and minimize penalties, and there's no reason we can't compete with Marshall. They're a pretty good team, but they're not great.

Come on, Ponies - circle the wagons.
BEAT MARSHALL!

[RGV Pony]

Question: Why do they care in Sherman-Denison?

Not that it's a bad thing.