Phillips to start

[LA_Mustang]

Saturday according to today's DMN. Let's hope that means he'll get more than two drives.

[Mike Damone]

Per DMN:
Freshman QB Chris Phillips will start Saturday. ... Senior OLB Brian Bischoff failed to record a tackle for the first time this season and was benched for poor play. ... Freshman MLB Reggie Carrington led the Mustangs with 10 tackles. ... SMU started five freshmen and played 21. ... SMU's 17 penalties set a school record. ... Senior RB Keylon Kincade had a career-high 185 yards on a season-high 36 carries.

I say give Phillips the keys to car and don't bring him out unless he's hurt. I'd rather lose 50-0 with him playing the whole game, than lose 40-0 with Wallis in there. Suprised about Bischoff. Positive about Carrington. Way to take advantage of playing time. I'm one of the Bennett supporters on this board, but you can't blame the penalties on lack of talent. That one is on the coaching staff.

[Diehard Pony]

Originally posted by Mike Damone:

I say give Phillips the keys to car and don't bring him out unless he's hurt. I'd rather lose 50-0 with him playing the whole game, than lose 40-0 with Wallis in there. Suprised about Bischoff. Positive about Carrington. Way to take advantage of playing time. I'm one of the Bennett supporters on this board, but you can't blame the penalties on lack of talent. That one is on the coaching staff.

I agree completely!! That's what I drove to Tulsa to see. Seeing Wallis in there for the majority of the time reconfirmed this approach in my mind.

[Hoop Fan]

How much did Bishoff play? Obviously Bennett has decided that the seniors have had their shot and its time to go young. He stopped short of what Morriss recently did at Baylor by publicly chastising their seniors. Its unfortunate when good kids like Bishoff can't end their careers on a high note, but at some point you simply have to invest in the future. SMU has never really done that. Yes Cavan jerked Ramon around in 96, but Bennett stayed with the veterans last year. Every year during Cavans era, he stayed with his veterans trying to squeeze out that 4th or 5th win to save his job. Its painful, but some of this is probably overdue. You can't stay with Bishoff if there are guys who can play and need experience. The exceptions would be guys like KK and Jonas who have distinguished themselves, although who knows whats up with Jonas and busted coverages.

[FloridaMustang]

Christ, get it straight kids. We had 17 penalties because a) we played 21 freshmen and b) those guys were frustrated as hell

not everything can be blame on talent and coaching. sometimes inexperience and emotion come into play.

[PonyFan]

Originally posted by Hoop Fan:
Obviously Bennett has decided that the seniors have had their shot and its time to go young.

Really? According to the depth chart for the Fresno State game, Keylon Kincade, Steve Reindl, Sterling Harris, Trent Hrncir, Chris Cunningham, Brian Bischoff, D.D. Johnson and Jonas Rutledge are all starting -- and they're all seniors. (And if Bischoff sits, another senior -- Jarrian James -- will start in his place.)

[KnuckleStang]

I get the feeling Phillips will get more than a few snaps this Saturday. Bennett commented on how different his first practice this week was, compared to last week. I'm all for it, let's look to the future.

If we can end up landing a quality juco QB, maybe that means we can find another place on the field for Wallis. He's an excellent athlete, and a hell of a competitor.

[EP Pony Fan]

Say SMU does land a quality JUCO quarterback - maybe the King kid listed on the recruiting page. If he comes in and he's really ready to play, could Phillips get back his redshirt year by watching all year next year, and studying from the sideline? He could practice with the top offense and be ready as the #2 guy, but then not play and get back the extra year? Might be tough to sit through from the sideline, but it just might make him a better player in the long run.

Is that possible? Is it logical? Is it legal?

[McAndless]

I take great offense to people advocating the benching of Bischoff. This guy came to SMU as a walk-on and has done everything possible for the program. If the team has glaring faults, the play of Bischoff is not one of them. Try for once to place yourself in his shoes, doing everything asked of him as a player and team leader, in this his 5th and final year. If stuff like that takes place, then I can assure our coach has lost his mind and this will be my last year as any bit of a supporter of what Bennett is trying to accomplish with this program. It already seems as if the poor guy has lost his mind, and by benching seniors who have bent over backwards for him and his B.S. program is a sign that you have an absolute phony on your hands. Why do I feel so slighted? Because this is my alma mater and for individuals like Bischoff I would like to witness some respect uphold by the coach. There aren't many like him in that program and benching him would make as much sense as us hiring this guy in the first place.

[FloridaMustang]

Shutup McAndless. Bischoff got benched for [deleted] poor tackling. The kid has heart, and he's a great player, but sometimes players have bad days and they get benched. I'm sure he'll start again this year.

As far as Phillips goes, no he cant get his redshirt back unless he gets hurt and manages to get a medical redshirt.

[Prof X]

Originally posted by FloridaMustang:
Shutup McAndless. Bischoff got benched for [deleted] poor tackling. The kid has heart, and he's a great player, but sometimes players have bad days and they get benched. I'm sure he'll start again this year.

As far as Phillips goes, no he cant get his redshirt back unless he gets hurt and manages to get a medical redshirt.

Its too late in the season for Phillips or anyone else to get a medical redshirt. Its game 9. If he sat out all of next season and didnt play at all, as El Paso suggested, he could be redshirted as a sophomore, its not very common, but its been done before. If you're going to tell other posters to shut up, you might make an effort to know what you are talking about.

Personally, I happen to think McAndless makes a few good points. I feel very bad for the older players, especially the seniors who are going to see their careers end this way. Brian Bischoff is someone that I have particular respect for, because I was once a walk-on, myself. More than a few of the lineup changes and playing time decisions mystify me. Some of the disparaging comments made about individual players, particularly some of the things said about Keylon Kennedy, are frankly classless and hideously disrespectful to young men who have put their bodies on the line to represent our university. I'm ashamed to be in any way associated with more than a few of you people. I swear your like kids that broke your toy intentionally so your parents would buy you a new one.

I know everybody is in a hurry to get our older players out and replace them with guys who got more stars from the recruiting services. Thats the false hope so many of you are clinging to like crack addicts. But you might want to go back and look at the posts from one year ago. See how many you can find about Anthony Barnett running wild on the scout team against the starting defense, and what a huge impact Marcus Walker was going to make at defensive end, because he was SOOOOO big. A dozen people assured me that those two were going to be the new cornerstones of our offense and defense. One year later Barnett is a 2nd string cornerback who doesnt see a whole lot of playing time ( and in my opinion he's a talent thats being wasted), and Walker is.......... somewhere else. Your fantasies dont always work out quite the way you want.

Respect the players who have put themselves on the line for you. Dont be in such a hurry to brush them aside to play with the latest shiny new toy. The respect or disrespect you show to the people who have risked injury to represent you is actually more an indication of your own character, than it is of theirs.

[Hoop Fan]

I don't go around bashing or disrespecting players, but there is a happy medium here. Anybody who suggests that seniors or walk-ons who have earned their way should play the entire game by virtue of their experience is wrong. Young guys like Reggie Carrington need to play right now, in significant game time situations. That doesn't mean you kick Bishoff to the curb but he is not entitled to the position either. My way of looking at it is you start the senior out of respect, if he is earning it and playing hard and well. But if the young player has earned playing time he should get it early and often, and yes that sometimes comes at the expense of the senior. It really doesn't need to be a divisive issue, at 0-8 you have to work in more young players.

[Stallion]

how would you know it was false hope to switch players with more recruiting stars-its been about 15 years since that happened if ever around here. The only other period that arguably happened was with Cavan 2nd and third class when we signed kids like Aldridge, Cunningham, Lute Croy, Kris Briggs, Kevin Garrett and they all had nice careers. Marcus Walker was a second tier prospect -decent but he certainly wasn't highly recruited and Barnett is a redshirted freshmen playing a brand new position this year-I really wouldn't expect him to play much in that situation. You really need to stop your pathetic whining trying to deflect criticsm from the administration just because they are your buddies. You act like you are the most loyal guy in the world-true blue SMU- but you have just about back-stabbed every coach that comes down the pike and you should know better. I guess you're already ready to fire a coach in his second year? How come the never-ending loyalty to the administration's point of view but never to the coach. Your response when people propose change is to throw up your hands and say it can't be done. Guess what-it will be done or the Football program will go out of business.

<small>[ 10-28-2003, 08:33 AM: Message edited by: Stallion ]</small>

[EdWiz]

I see nothing wrong with letting the younger guys get a handful of snaps, but they shouldn't be handed a position simply because they need the experience. I agree with McAndless in that benching Bischoff would be a slap in the face to the guy and everything that he has worked for. Yeah, maybe the guy had one bad game, but how many good games has the guy had. Last year at fresno, he tore it up. If he gets benched to allow younger guys to play then it is clear that bennet definitely has his head in the sand, and im with McAndless and im gone. I will just continue to make money betting against my alma mater.

[Stallion]

at 0-8 Bennett should do what's best for the program PERIOD.