Phil Bennett-Hot Sports Opinions

by **ponydawg** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 5:13 pm

couch 'em wrote:It should be noted that the best Rusty Burns year had more offensive production than any year under June Jones.

by **Topper** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 5:25 pm

PB was in a straitjacket in many ways. But his game plans never made sense. Why run the no-huddle with 3 passes and punt over and over against superior talent? It only lengthens the game and gives the better, deeper team more of a chance. At least he got SMU mentioned in the Wikipedia article about the "swinging gate." (Sarcasm). A more dubious waste of practice time I have never heard of.

by **ObeyMyDog** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 5:35 pm

couch 'em wrote:It should be noted that the best Rusty Burns year had more offensive production than any year under June Jones.

It should also be noted that we went to our first bowl in 25 years under June Jones, and another one the year after that.

It should further be noted that I am still trying to forget the fact Phil Bennett was the head coach at SMU. Great D coordinator. Ridiculously awful awful awful head coach. So bad. So, so bad.

by **Treadway21** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 5:38 pm

Stallion wrote:yeah that's what I said before he was hired

Of course you wanted Charlie Waters at the time; if I remember correctly. Wonder how that would have worked out.

by **2ndandlong** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 5:58 pm

ObeyMyDog wrote:
couch 'em wrote:It should be noted that the best Rusty Burns year had more offensive production than any year under June Jones.

It should also be noted that we went to our first bowl in 25 years under June Jones, and another one the year after that.

It should further be noted that I am still trying to forget the fact Phil Bennett was the head coach at SMU. Great D coordinator. Ridiculously awful awful awful head coach. So bad. So, so bad.

and a conference championship

by **PonyPlayer4** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 6:37 pm

StallionsModelT wrote: As a student during the Bennett years I can tell you with 100% certainly those kids didn't respect Coach Bennett. The atmosphere around the program was so "give up" that most of the kids just went through the motions of practices and games.

I think this is completely unfair for you to say not being in the locker room yourself. Bennett's athletes practiced hard and played hard. Losing games does not mean not trying, they were just outskilled and coached.

by **ponyboy** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 6:41 pm

I know of one receiver everyone here would know who did not like Bennett's coaching style.

I do agree with the poster above that JJ's biggest mistake was in not utilizing Justin Willis.

by **ObeyMyDog** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 6:45 pm

Maybe you worked hard.

I tend to agree with ModelT though, I would put money on the fact that quite a few of the players slowly began to stop giving a sh!# after a few games in to each season.

Unfortunately, losing became contagious during PB's years. Not the players fault, it was a combination of SMU Administration's general disdain for anything athletic, and PB being a terrible head coach.

by **Stallion** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 6:50 pm

Not a Phil Bennett fan but if you let him get into 60% of his players from Category C like SMU released statistics show that SMU admitted in June Jones first 2 years then he easily gets us to a Bowl-heck he was 1 yard away as it was. Those stats showed a huge increase in Category C admissions in comparison to Phil Bennestts last year. If you follow the profile of the kids we get in NOW and THEN there is no comparison. One thing is certain-both won 1 game with poor talent.

by **ObeyMyDog** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 6:54 pm

Agreed, as I said the Admin had quite a bit to do with his horrible tenure. But, his head coaching was still utterly terrible.

by **ponyboy** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 6:54 pm

Right Stallion. And remember, Phil didn't recruit badly given the environment.

Post Phil, though, you had to have a June Jones to have any chance of turning this around. Remember two things: 1) He was personally responsible for the final "ease-up" in admissions standards; and 2) It's not ALL about recruiting. He instituted the cultural changes necessary to win.

by **Dooby** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 7:28 pm

Bennett had some restrictions, but the fact is his teams lost to Rice and Tulsa teams filled with players he could have gotten into school.

The admin did a study and found it to be the case. I am not saying he could get any kid he wanted; I am saying he could have gotten the kids at Rice and Tulsa that beat him bloody.

Case in point, Bennett tried to spin after a rice loss he would have liked to have Jarrett Dillard but couldn't get him into school, which was nonsense, because Dillard said he was invited to walk on At SMU (and he had a bball scholarship at F'ing Colgate).

by **kull** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 7:52 pm

CUSA is a better conference top to bottom now then it ever was during the Bennett years.

by **skyscraper** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 8:59 pm

I feel sad when I think about the Bennett era. I'd rather forget about it.

by **PonySnob** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 9:44 pm

He did give the great quote of "I've forgotten more football than all of you will ever know" to members of the Mustang Club at one of the morning "chalk talks".