SMU and Rice Belong Together

[Stallion]

....after all these two schools who proudly proclaim that they will play Division 1A on their own terms have now combined for a combined total of 58 years without going to a bowl game. Meanwhile TCU is heading to its sixth in a row. Now tell me TCU doesn't have a Beef?

[Charleston Pony]

speaking of Rice...PLEASE tell me we actually have a chance to win this game Saturday. At this point, we need something...ANYTHING...positive to renew everyone's hope that there will be a future for SMU football.

Speaking of academics getting in the way of competing on the football field...Notre Dame appears to be suffering the same fate. This was predicted by the past couple of coaches to sit on the hot seat in South Bend.

Oh, and for those who believe our miserable season is all the result of our having an incompetent coaching staff...looks like Fran and that staff he has worked with for years is suddenly incompetent as well. Those buffoons caused A$M to suffer it's worst defeat in school history!

[PK]

As much as I hate to say it, A&M looked like SMU out there yesterday against OU.

[i luv the 80s]

fran is getting what he deserves, but i dont see the comparison b/w him and bennett.

basically bennett has said that we have zero players on this team, and we have no shot at winning. we go out each saturday and run an option (minus the option most of time), in order to get off the field as soon as possible.

people here are debating if bennett is doing a good job coaching, or if our problems are coaching related. however, i would make the argument that what bennett is doing isnt even coaching. there is no plan or strategy here.

i listened to the game yesterday, and you cant win running that kind of offense. if these players are really that inept at football, what are they doing playing the game?

we havent even broken 20pts in a single game yet. hell, OSU scored 28pts in the 10 minutes i was at that game.

how is it possible for a college team to have such a pathetic offense? i mean these guys played in high school, right? someone had to recuit them, which means they watched them play. at any point during this process did someone not sit back and say, hey wait a minute -this guy sucks at football?

i know this is a little harsh for some of you little girls here. but, i just call them like i see them.

[CoxSMU]

You're absolutely right 80's....Yet, watch out because some people here are so blind that you are going to get attacked for no reason...Even though you are right.

[QuietManDisciple]

Maybe you can answer a question, Cox, that I've raised several times only to be ignored or told it's the admissions bogey man and/or too many freshmen.

Why the general reluctance on this board to dissect this season? The prevailing opinion seems to be to absolve Bennett and his staff of all responsibility for the worst, the most humiliating football season in SMU history. Any knowledgeable fan, this line of reasoning suggests, should understand the coaches have done the best they could under the circumstances.

I find it hard to believe this team was doomed to 12 defeats. Previous post-death penalty teams with less talent have managed to win a game or two or even more. What happened this year?

[VarsityShop]

re: speaking of Rice...PLEASE tell me we actually have a chance to win this game Saturday

We do have a chance to beat Rice Saturday!

This game means MUCH MORE to SMU than it does to Rice.

This is basically "The Season" for SMU.

I predict SMU wins this Saturday! :thumbupcool:

Go Mustangs!

[Johnny Rock]

There are two primary reasons SMU has not won a game: (1) lack of QB production and (2) no depth at any position. Reason (1) is not Bennett's fault and reason (2) is not Bennett's fault. It is easy to second quess coaching. We can all agree that if we are going to lose then open the offense up and throw the ball around. I give Bennett two more seasons for improvement or he will be gone.

[EastStang]

Go ahead big fella. If you want to discuss specific things like that say what you want. Part of it is reticence to call out individual players who have bad games. I think people are more comfortable generalizing that we don't have players who can compete yet. Freshman don't have the experience and the size to compete generally, and our upper classmen don't have the speed and size to stay with our opponants. I think most of Bennett's mistakes, miscues, coaching blunders, have been debated ad nauseum after each game, I see questions like. Why did we run the ball so much? Why did Bennett go for two points in that scenario? What was Bennett thinking when he put so and so in the game? Since I didn't see the L.T. game, I can't very well comment what happened other than it sounded over the radio broadcast that our secondary was getting burned. Why were they getting burned? Could be lack of a pass rush due to lack of size. Could be coverage mistakes by younger players. Could be McCown had a great game. Could be they had called a blitz and got burned on one-on-one coverage. Could be our corners were too slow for their wide-outs.

[Hoop Fan]

could be. And probably is.. all of the above.

[Dooby]

Originally posted by Johnny Rock:
There are two primary reasons SMU has not won a game: (1) lack of QB production and (2) no depth at any position. Reason (1) is not Bennett's fault and reason (2) is not Bennett's fault. It is easy to second quess coaching. We can all agree that if we are going to lose then open the offense up and throw the ball around. I give Bennett two more seasons for improvement or he will be gone.

Very reasonable, Johnny. I swear, sometimes I think you are schizophrenic.

[KnuckleStang]

And as far as the offensive side of the ball goes, keep in mind that against LaTech, Phillips was sacked or intercepted on 18% of his attempts, averaging less than 4 yards a pass. This is an improvement over the Wallis-heavy 36% sacks against Fresno. But if you're going to throw the ball downfield, your QB needs TIME to let his receivers GET downfield, and our QBs haven't really been getting that. Given our situation, Phillips is the guy to have back there, but even an athlete like him needs more time to throw. I think Bennett would rather see a 4 yard gain than a sack/interception once every 5 tries.

[ponyte]

The SMU pass defense has been atrocious this year. 97 year drives in 5 plays? 77 yard drives in 3 plays? These are all too common. Coaching doesn’t account for the lack of speed in the Dback positions.

That said, Rice doesn't throw the ball like an OSU, or TTu or LaTech. Thank goodness as well. Soooo, we may, just may have a fighting chance on defense.

Give the QB position some credit. Turnovers by Phillips are not as common as they were with other recent QBs. That is a small plus.

We may just get lucky. Playing at home against a team that doesn't usually attack our biggest weakness and doesn't have a good defense against our strongest offensive asset (running).

[Sam I Am]

If we couldn't score TD's against the 117th defense, then how will we score against Rice? No scores, no victory. Our rushing defense will hold up the Rice option most of the game, so we should noy get slaughtered. But how do we explain what Tulsa and UTEP did to us this year? I foresee another loss and a 0-12 season. I don't enjoy these prospects at all. Thanks goodness the Cowboys are winning so there is someone to care about in Big D this year.

[Johnny Rock]

You are right Dooby. I am schizophrenic at times and I do have issues. However, it is hard to argue against my passion for SMU. As we all do, I want SMU to have success on the football field. Maybe this season will be a blessing in disguise and make the administration make further changes that are needed to play Division 1 football. If all of the alumni and students had my passion and love for SMU, we would have the best crowds in college football. This could be my last post for a long time as I feel that I am starting to sound like a broken record. Unfortuneately, many of you will never know me but that is ok. The next time SMU loses take the pain that you feel and multiply it by five and that is how I feel after every loss. Copeland sent out a letter that said Saturday nights and Sunday mornings have been difficult for him. But I feel pain every day. Good luck to all and happy holidays.