Why have \"we\" anointed Bennett??*

[HixsontoLeVias]

.....help me here. His personal story? The A$M connection? K-State tie-in? Texas ties? Why is this guy the savior? Just curious...nothing against coach, but why him??? BTW...show me something, MUSTANGS!!!!

[Diehard Pony]

Bennett is well thought of by many because of his personality, enthusiasm, work ethic, and his recruiting. If you meet him you can't help but like him.

Unfortunately, what I haven't seen yet is an ability to be an exceptional game day coach. This is especially true on defense which is really puzzling, since that is his coaching background.

I still believe he will get the job done with time, but I was hoping he would do something similar to what Franchione did at TCU.

[Johnny Rock]

Bennett will win at SMU. It may take him a few more seasons, though. First of all, for the last twenty years, SMU has brought in inferior talent than the other Texas Division 1 schools (Texas, Houston, Baylor, TCU, etc.). In large part, due to higher academic standards, poor facilities, no on campus stadium, and a lack of committment from the university. Second, please do not compare Bennett's situation at SMU to Franchoine's situtation at TCU. They are like night and day. At TCU, they had more talent than what Bennett has at SMU. TCU has and will recruit any athlete regardless of the recruit's academic acheviement or lack thereof; and the administation will do whatever it takes to get the recruit accepted into the school. Many of Franchoine's recruits, were out of Dallas high schools. These recruits could not get accepted into SMU even if they wanted to come to school here. When Bennett took over last year, he was faced with impossible odds. The top two quarterbacks left school, one of our top running backs and wide receiver were injured, and our best defensive end was academically ineligible. Fla. St., Texas, OU, and USC could not win under these cicumstances and they have much more talent than we do. So we went on the road and played a team with much more talent then we do and got our butts kicked. I am not that suprised but I am disappointed. Remember, Bartel only played a half of a season in his short college career. He still needs more experience. Bennett is a fine coach. He will win at SMU. It will take him time to get better players here. Last season, he brought in the best recruiting class we have seen since the Death Penalty. He will have a better one for next year. We have several top notch recurits committed to us that will compete for instant playing time. Our coaches can have the best game plan possible but it is up to the players to execute. We do not have the players yet. But we will. My point is this, do not get discouraged this year by our wins and lossess. Instead, get encouraged by our progress we are making. The wins will come. We have had twenty years of losing football; that is going to change soon.

[Mustangs35SMU]

Thank You Johnny Rock!! Totally agree with everything you say!!

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The Pride and Winning Tradition of the SMU Mustangs Will Not Be Untrusted to the Weak Nor the Timid
L! O! B! O! S! LOBOS! GO!!!!

[Pony Up]

Ditto.

There are a lot of people out there like Bill Snyder - who know a whole lot more about football and about coaching football - than any of us ever will. And if all those coaches think Coach Bennett is going to be a successful head coach, I would have to agree. Nobody outside the coaching profession knows nearly as much as they do.

[Diehard Pony]

Guys, I agree with you completely about Bennett ultimately getting the job done.

But as to my comment about hoping he was Franchione, keep in mind that Franchione took a 1-10 TCU team (hardly talent laden) with very few of his own players and turned them into 8-4 and a bowl win over USC.

I don't admire him as a person, particularly after what he did with his Alabama players, but I think he has an incredible football mind.

I'm extremely pleased we have Bennett. I know we will get there. Like many others, however, I long for the day it starts showing up on the field.

[GoRedGoBlue]

Not so fast my friend...that 1-10 TCU team that Franchione took over ended up sending 8 guys drafted to the NFL...including LaDanian...

Trick is, Pat Sullivan WAS a bad coach.

[giacfsp]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Diehard Pony:
[B] .... and a bowl win over USC.... /B]</font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Several USC players have said they felt a bowl game against that TCU team was a slap in the face and were out drinking across the border from El Paso the night before that Sun Bowl.

[This message has been edited by giacfsp (edited 08-31-2003).]

[fan]

UMMMM.......Remember Bennett WAS a coach on that 1-10 TCU team!!!!!!

[Stallion]

....that TCU team just feel apart-even when they upset SMU their talent was at least equal to SMU's talent especially if you take away Donte Womack and Kelsey Adams and play in Ft Worth.

[ReedFrawg]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Stallion:
<B>....that TCU team just feel apart-even when they upset SMU their talent was at least equal to SMU's talent especially if you take away Donte Womack and Kelsey Adams and play in Ft Worth.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I was on that 1-10 team and we did have talent. Sullivan was simply not a good head coach. We should/could have won 4-6 games that year but we couldn't get it done. Sullivan's heart was not in it and the team just collapsed because there essentially was no team. It was just a bunch of talented players (some more so than others) going throught the motions.

[RED]

Again I ask WHY DO WE TALK MORE ABOUT TCU ON THIS BOARD THAN ABOUT OUR OWN UNIVERSITY?!!!

Coach Bennett is fantastic and anyone who has every spent time with him would agree. If you have never come to one of the events he has spoken at, shame on you. He is as good as they come. All successful coaches didn't start with winning records from day 1!

He is speaking tonight at the party at Land Rover Dallas (on 75) at 6:00 PM. If you haven't ever met him and are talking bad about him, you will change your tune as soon as you speak to him. Come out. Everyone come out. We all know that you can't win every game out of the gate with such a young team. Give Bennett some respect and some support. Matter of fact, that's what SMU needs too.

[ReedFrawg]

I went on record before the hiring of Bennett and said he was a great guy and a quality coach. I do think that it's elevant for SMU to compare itself to TCU just as it's relevant for TCU to compare itself to SMU. Same media market, same enrollment, private schools, non-BCS conferences, etc. Who better to compare yourself to than a similar program experiencing some success in a certain sport? I would hope that TCU compares itself to SMU when they are doing something better than TCU is. JMHO.

[WTA]

To answer you questions...

His ties to Texas A&M are that he played football there in college. And was a position coach in the mid-late 90's.

He was the DC at K-State before taking the SMU job.