It is Moments Like this when I ask myself, are we EVER

[FordtoTolbert]

going to be D-I competitive again???? [deleted] RICE!!!! we got absolutely blown out by RICE!!! Sad [deleted] day, folks!!!!

[EP Pony Fan]

This reaction is amazing. We're all upset, but how about a dose of reality. One game. And no, it's not the same as Coach Bennett's first game or Coach Cavan's or Coach Rossley's or Coach Gregg's.

When I was at SMU, I took four years of Spanish, but the first time I traveled to Central America, I felt completely lost. I could order a little off the menu but everything was so fast, I had very little idea what was going on around me.

It took a while. But now I'm bilingual.

Coach has been quoted as saying the guys' heads are swimming, and a lot of them looked like it tonight. But giving up on them is ridiculous.

[QuikSStang]

ive predicted this to be a transition year with 09 going to be the breakout. the problem is that we just dont have the personnel to run June's offense on all cylinders right off the bat

[EP Pony Fan]

Quit clouding the doom and gloom with logic, Quik.

[ozfan]

ive predicted this to be a transition year with 09 going to be the breakout. the problem is that we just dont have the personnel to run June's offense on all cylinders right off the bat

The offense not the real problem it will come around but will the coaches kindly tell the defense not to stand around thing called tackling and containment are part of the game also.

[Charleston Pony]

so, now we are 4-16 against RICE since the death penalty.

we have a long ways to go before this program will even sniff around that stated goal of being "top 25"

for those who are bitterly disappointed, maybe you should have listened more carefully to Jones (and Orsini and Turner) when they told the media that there were no expectations this year (in terms of wins & losses). Translation = don't expect much, if any improvement over last year's 1-11 finish.

My hopes for this season:

1) beat Texas State
2) don't get blown out by TCU (TTech is a given)
3) improve to the point of being competitive in CUSA. That means winning a game; not finding new ways to lose in the last minutes like last year.
4) more support (attendance wise) than last year

Of course, I have no expectations - just hope

[jtstang]

for those who are bitterly disappointed, maybe you should have listened more carefully to Jones (and Orsini and Turner) when they told the media that there were no expectations this year (in terms of wins & losses). Translation = don't expect much, if any improvement over last year's 1-11 finish.

I think you may be confusing Jones, Orsini and Turner with jtstang.

[LakeHighlandsPony]

I don't think Rice could have scored 60 points on the 89' team

[EastStang]

The '89 team despite being young was a SWC team of sorts. The defense is the same cast of characters as last year that gave up an average of 40 points with a few freshman thrown in the mix. Did we expect them to suddenly develop speed and size? I think we all knew that the only way to win this year is to simply outscore the opposition. With a freshman QB at the helm instead of Willis, clearly Jones sees this year as a developmental year. He looked pretty cool and calm on the sidelines even when things went badly. After a bad throw by BLM, he'd talk him through what went wrong. He clearly expects a learning curve and is willing to take his lumps this year to be better down the road. Will this type of spanking hurt recruiting for next year? And I don't even want to think about the TT game. They may put 100 points on the board because we know that Leach keeps his foot on the gas the entire game.

[PerunaPunch]

Did we expect them to suddenly develop speed and size?

As much as I hate to admit it, I sort of did. We're big enough up front with Serge, Handy (a little small for a DT, but he's powerful as hell), Smart and Odiari. The DEs aren't as undersized as they seemed last year -- I think I read on PonyFans that Yenga added 20 lbs.

What I saw is that we had very little pass rush other than Yenga. In a couple of cases the DL blew containment. The big problem is that Bell got torched repetitively and Dennis seemed to always be 10 yards out of position. At the start of the game, our DBs were pressing their WRs pretty good (on one play, our DB almost took one of their WR's helmets off), but by the second quarter, Bell was playing 10+ yards off the line of scrimmage.

And now, for an example of either the worst analysis ever, or a journalist that's a true homer looking for something nice to say... From today's Dallas Morning News:
"There were some bright spots, namely on special teams. Senior Jessie Henderson had 160 kickoff return yards, the second-most of his career, including a 37-yard return."

Well duh, that's what happens when you get to field something like 8 kickoffs.

[Hoop Fan]

Please dont suggest this was part of the plan. All ADs hedge on setting expectations publicly for coaches, especially newly hired ones. But all the proof you need that the Mob Boss had no clue how bad we really are is the marketing campaign for this season. You dont market for the future,you market for now. those commericals and billboards look absurd right now. If the guy needed 4 years to get competitive against this schedule, and Orsini knew it, they would have backed off a bit of the hollywood and new coach hype. Biggest concern i have right now is that like in the past, noboby at SMU has any clue how bad we really are or what it takes to get real D-1 players in here. We looked like a high school team all the way around last night. obviously we needed to get about 10 jucos last off season but once again not in the cards at SMu. Make it 9, we do have an experienced 3rd year starting qb on the roster.

[mrydel]

Please dont suggest this was part of the plan. All ADs hedge on setting expectations publicly for coaches, especially newly hired ones. But all the proof you need that the Mob Boss had no clue how bad we really are is the marketing campaign for this season. You dont market for the future,you market for now. those commericals and billboards look absurd right now. If the guy needed 4 years to get competitive against this schedule, and Orsini knew it, they would have backed off a bit of the hollywood and new coach hype. Biggest concern i have right now is that like in the past, noboby at SMU has any clue how bad we really are or what it takes to get real D-1 players in here. We looked like a high school team all the way around last night. obviously we needed to get about 10 jucos last off season but once again not in the cards at SMu. Make it 9, we do have an experienced 3rd year starting qb on the roster.

So you are saying the best marketing move would have been to say that we would suck for at least 3 years, do not buy any tickets, and hopefully we can get you in the stadium in 2011. Orsini needed to sell tickets now now later.

[Junior]

This reaction is amazing. We're all upset, but how about a dose of reality. One game. And no, it's not the same as Coach Bennett's first game or Coach Cavan's or Coach Rossley's or Coach Gregg's.

When I was at SMU, I took four years of Spanish, but the first time I traveled to Central America, I felt completely lost. I could order a little off the menu but everything was so fast, I had very little idea what was going on around me.

It took a while. But now I'm bilingual.

Coach has been quoted as saying the guys' heads are swimming, and a lot of them looked like it tonight. But giving up on them is ridiculous.

are you saying our guys should go to central america to learn spanish?

[Stallion]

I still think Yenga would make a lot better LB than the kids we are throwing out there now. Oh well too late now. Where was the blitzing, attacking defense?