Key to winning at Tulane

[westexSMU]

Why do you guys keep talking about "LAST YEAR". It is not really relavent. These are two different teams this year. Sure, Tulane will be emotional and have a big home crowd etc. and it is important that we survive the 1st Quarter. The key to Victory for SMU is how we execute. Will we be prepared to play ? Hopefully we will play up to our potential in all phases of the game. It is a huge opportunity for us with the game being televised nationally. GO MUSTANGS !

[mustangfan01]

We have all the momentum in the world right now.

Our 2nd string RB will be back, our QB is tearing up defenses, our D-Line is finding a groove, our WR's are throwing TD's, we have brought our stellar TE into the gameplan and he is catching everything....everything is clicking. I expect our momentum to carry us through this game...coupled with our pissed off attitude from last year.


No pity for Tulane this year, sorry.

[smu diamond m]

We have all the momentum in the world right now.

Our 2nd string RB will be back, our QB is tearing up defenses, our D-Line is finding a groove, our WR's are throwing TD's, we have brought our stellar TE into the gameplan and he is catching everything....everything is clicking. I expect our momentum to carry us through this game...coupled with our pissed off attitude from last year.


No pity for Tulane this year, sorry.

I have nicknamed Willis "JUKEBOX"

It's just fitting.

[PerunaPunch]

Tulane is not a crappy team-they physically manhandled SMU last year. They have comparable or better talent than SMU. They played an entire season on the road under the most stressful and conditions that were not conducive to competing much less winning-what did you expect them to do last year. Anybody predicting an easy victory over Tulane because they were "crappy" last year is a fool. SMU hasn't played even a decent game that I can remember in New Orleans. I'd make Tulane a favorite

We'll see Stallion. I'm not saying Tulane is crappy either, but I submit that their "physical manhandling" of us last year had less to do with their supposed "comparable or better talent" and more to do with the Mustangs own miscues and offensive woes (which hopefully we've now overcome).

IMHO, the keys to winning the game are as follows (please read with sarcasm):

1) Don't start Jerad Romo. If you remember the Tulane game last year, it was played long before our offense finally warmed up. Last year, Romo was 4-of-11 for 25 yards, and he was sacked 9 times. Our lone TD last year was a kick return by Jesse Henderson.

2) Avoid the three 'n outs. We couldn't generate any offense last year, so the Green Wave hogged more than 40 minutes of possession time. Their offense was decent, but didn't rack up any staggering numbers. Their QB Lester Ricard was accurate, but only notched 213 yards. Their RB, Forte, had 87 yards. The problem is that since our offense generated nothing, the Green Wave had to travel only slightly farther than our punts to score.

3) Watch the fumbles!! Mapps dropped two against Arkansas State and Henderson muffed a kickoff return against Tulane last year that they recovered on the 16-yd-line (Tulane scored a TD on the next play).

Point is, we generate some offense on Saturday, take the crowd out of the game, and the result is completely different from last year.

And speaking of completely different, Tulane is only returning 13 starters from last years, so this team is going to look substantially different from the team we faced last year.

[Stallion]

be very wary of simple justifications for getting your butt kicked and physically manhandled that involve excuses like "we weren't mentally prepared". That is absolutely no excuse. That's part of the game. The simple fact remains you got your butt kicked and physically manhandled. It was one of the worst performances by an offensive line in SMU football history.

[abezontar]

not being mentally prepared is part of the game?

[Pony4Life]

Mental preparation IS part of the game, but it also goes into the explanation of what happened last year, I think. I don't know if the Ponies were subconsciously sympathetic for the Tulane guys, they couldn't concentrate because it was overcast that day .... hard to say. Whatever the reason, we appeared completely uninterested. As far as we were on the low end of the "focus" spectrum last year, we need to be that far on the high end this year.

[Big10Ponyfan]

"we weren't mentally prepared". That is absolutely no excuse.

Just keep that in mind when you're before the judge and you aren't with it mentally, say something that doesn't make sense or when you write a brief and wonder why you wrote something that was irrelevant. And either of those situations you may blow a case, etc. It is the same thing in all walks of life.

You know damn well that bringing your mental part of the game is equally important. And if you refuse to believe that, then you are blinded by your arrogance.

Again, our talent is the same as Tulane's. Period.

[tmustangp]

i am sure someone has already said that but i am too antsy to speak and don't want to ready all three pages..

Why don't we do what we have been doing that last two games.. trounce on them immediately..

I say we receive the ball if we get the option and go down and score on the first drive just like the last two games..

the first three drives will be key.. we can afford one 3 n out but only one in the first three drives.. to get the crowd out of it, we need 2 def stops out of the first three drives and our offense can only afford one 3 n out in the first three drives..

[jtstang]

Again, our talent is the same as Tulane's. Period.

And NTSU's too.

[PonyTales]

And Arkansas State's, too, according to folks who closely study these things.

Play well, we can win. Play horribly, we can get beaten.

In other breaking news, the sky is blue, Terrell Owens is still a jerk/diva, the Rangers don't matter after May (if then), Brent Musberger is still ruining games there has not yet been a valid reason given for why anyone -- especially a top-caliber basketball player -- would choose Baylor.

[Stallion]

this reminds me of every other year when all the sunshiners predict an easy victory over Rice even though we haven't beaten the fiesty Nitebirds in Houston since the Reagan administration.

[SC Pony]

[quote="Stallion"]be very wary of simple justifications for getting your butt kicked and physically manhandled that involve excuses like "we weren't mentally prepared". That is absolutely no excuse. That's part of the game. The simple fact remains you got your butt kicked and physically manhandled. It was one of the worst performances by an offensive line in SMU football history.[/quote]

Thusly, I assume that the only way that we could have possibly beaten TCU last year was our "comarable or better talent".

[Big10Ponyfan]

this reminds me of every other year when all the sunshiners predict an easy victory over Rice even though we haven't beaten the fiesty Nitebirds in Houston since the Reagan administration.

Ladies and gentlemen,
I give you the eternal pessimist.

[Stallion]

how's that worked out for all you eternal optimists over the last 17 years. I'm not saying SMU will lose but calling Tulane "crappy" and we should beat them like a "red headed stepchild" and considering the Tulane program inferior to SMU's program is ignorant. This is a jump-ball. Look if you want to just do a Cheer for good ole SMU then fine but don't expect it to have any credibility after the record most of you have had over the years.