Character Counts -- Part II

[George S. Patton]

The third year in any regime is really going to tell you where this thing is going. By now, the coach has most of the players who fit his style of play and the system has been in place long enough to where everybody has a pretty good idea on how to run it and how to make adjustments within it.

Most importantly, the caliber of the young men who make up this team reveal something as well.

More than ever, SMU fans should behold really what they saw from the middle of the third quarter until the end of the game. I mean really behold it.

Texas Tech takes the second half kickoff, drives the ball down and scores to go up 28-7. Perfect time to pack it in. Usually trips to Lubbock follow that theme for the Mustangs.

This SMU team takes the ensuing kickoff, drives the ball down and answers with a touchdown to make it 28-14. In fact, SMU outscored Texas Tech 20-7 in the final 1-quarter plus. Chew on that. Since the program returned from the death penalty in 1989, the attitude about Lubbock was, "oh just get the darn thing over with.'' This team played to find a way to get the thing tied. It just didn't work out at the end.

I'm not interested in what a team is all about when you're winning and everybody is patting you on the back and telling you how great you. Yes, we won a lot of close games in 2009 and finished 8-5.

Most of that came against competition that wasn't like Texas Tech. And I don't give a tinker's dam about what the Tech fans or Tommy Tuberville said or the excuses they made. That game was in their building and they were hanging on. They made excuses. That's the Tech way of doing business.

What I am interested in is show me what you got when it's about come apart. When a team stands up and responds to adversity in the right way like SMU did, it sends a signal that it isn't going to be this way anymore. For the Texas Tech game, that's what I saw.

I do not believe this was a one game blip. I believe a foundation is in place and the program is on the cusp of turning in another direction. It's even closer than what I thought after 2009. Let the season unfold as it should.

Have a great day.

[SmooBoy]

The times, they are a changin'.

[cutter]

yep

[Harry0569]

I really hope Bob Dylan was right because if the final quarter+ is any indication of the future of SMU football, we, my friends, are in for a real treat. (especially the people who have been around this program for many moons)

[NickSMU17]

Scary part is that it really is only JJ's second year...taking the job mid-jan didnt leave him very much time to recruit players he wanted...

[ponyboy]

Great post, Patton.

[Water Pony]

The times, they are a changin'.

[Dutch]

well said.