Crystal ball time

[Corso]

OK, we've got two games to go, and today's announcement about Sturdivant getting Defensive Player of the Week got me wondering which Mustangs, if any, should get all-conference honors this year? (Of course, I'd like every spot on the all-CUSA team to be filled with SMU players, but I picked a bad week to stop taking hallucinogenic drugs .... so I'm painfully aware that that won't happen.) So, after leaping back into the world of reality (and considering the votes will be cast based upon what they did in conference games), here's who I'd like to see on each team:

FIRST TEAM
Joe Sturdivant -- This should be a no-brainer. He's been sensational.
Adrian Haywood -- Ken Hatfield might be Haywood's campaign manager.
Chris McMurtray -- From erratic freshman to record-setting kicker. There should not be a vote.

SECOND TEAM
Justin Rogers -- I'd like to see him on the first team, but his stats aren't gaudy enough.
Jamey Harper -- Ditto. Started fast with three picks in two games, but has none since.
Ryan Mentzel -- Blocks, whether they're his fault or not, will hurt his chances.

HONORABLE MENTION
DeMyron Martin -- Talent-wise, he's higher than this, but I can't believe the votes will go to a freshman from SMU.
Bobby Chase -- Also should be higher, but he's come off the bench several times. You can bet Watson Brown will be voting for him.
D.D. Lee -- probably won't get it, but I'd like to see him on this list just because of how hard he worked to come back from that gruesome arm injury. And he has played well, just probably not at an all-conference level.

[Pony4Life]

Your suggestions have a lot of legitimacy. But I bet we get lighter representation than that, because there are a lot of other good players in the conference, and a lot of the voters simply don't know who all of our guys are yet. By bet is that Sturdivant and Haywood both get hosed and end up on the second team. If McMurtray is anywhere but first-team, they should abolish the all-conference team.

As for the second team, I'd bet that's where Sturdivant and Haywood end up, and maybe Mentzel. More likely, however, Mentzel will get penalized because of the blocked kicks, even if some were the result of matador-style blocking in front of him.

I'll offer this as a likely (at least in my opinion) breakdown:
First team: McMurtray
Second team: Sturdivant, Haywood, Martin
Honorable mention: Mentzel

[SMU Football Blog]

Why are we talking about McMurtray being first team all C-USA as a placekickerwhen statistically he is around the 5th or 6th best in C-USA? Ditto Mentzel for punting. These stats really aren't that hard to look up.

[Pony4Life]

Because the blocks he had were the result of blocking breakdowns in front of him, not an inability to get the kick up in the air. And he has a cannon of a leg, and he set a school record for consecutive FGs. He's a terrific kicker. And Mentzel has been pretty good, too, when he gets the ball away clean, but blocked punts have hurt his average.

[The PonyGrad]

Martin for FR of the year

How can you deny Sturdivant?

Mentzel's slow kicking partially causes those blocks. I doubt he has a chance.

A lot depends on the next two games.

[mr. pony]

No, Mentzel gets the blame fort the blocks.
His approach to the ball is so slow it is absolutely amazing.
And it is amazing that no one has corrected it.

[EastStang]

Messing with a punter's rhythm never works. They get all screwed up. If he keeps getting blocked put another punter back there, or teach him how to throw a screen pass, which if it works once would of course slow down the rush on him.