Charleston Pony wrote:There is no question that this team is not playing with the same determination and fire they showed against TCU. My thinking is that after beating TCU and UCF, they got a little full of themselves and then traveled to play a very tough USM team in a hostile environment, got punched in the mouth and did not respond very well. Followed that with another tough road trip and got kicked in the teeth by Tulsa, eliminating any chance of returning to CUSA Championship game so season's goal was shot. Lack of motivation since falling behind early to Tulsa seems pretty obvious, but keep in mind that guys are nicked up this time of year and that makes it even more difficult for them to bring maximum effort. Would be nice to have more depth
No, they had no emotion or energy at all against USM. Something internal is going on.
Obviously no clear answer and plenty of factors to mess it up. Look they got some spotlight on them, they heard all the news about the BE (Probably some upset they wont be playing in AQ conference), probably little divide with Padron loyalists and JJ loyalists, also they hated that after beating TCU they didnt get a sold out stadium against UCF (unrealistic, but they are all idealistic children), and they cant get out of a rut when they are getting beat. Also, I think McDermott has and always will be overrated. Im sorry never liked him to begin with, I thought alot of people bailed him out and made him look good rather than him earning it. IMO
CalallenStang wrote:Could it possibly be the same thing that prompted a walk-on to trash the university for not supporting the team?
You may be on to something.
I don't think there is any question that the team would play with more emotion if they have a rabid 30k plus in Ford cheering them on. SMU's lack of fans is a HUGE part of why this is such a difficult rebuilding job, but I've seen these guys play much harder in front of less than 20k fans
I have no clear, insider information. This is my opinion based on what I've seen and heard ...
I think Santoniomustang and Charlestonpony hit the nail on the head. There are a few studs on this team but outside of that they are average D1 athletes (Oline, etc) that started to think they are better than they are ... to beat the Navys and give the Tulsas a run, you have to play ALL OUT with fire and intensity and discipline. I think they took USM lightly (as if we don't HAVE to beat them to play in CUSA) and realized how much less talented they are than that USM team across the board and their confidence took a big hit. But I thought they would come out and fight hard against that Tulsa team, which is better than I thought. Maybe after seeing how good Houston is they don't think they'll have any chance to play in the CUSA championship game so they are kind of coasting and plan on beating Rice soundly to ensure a bowl game and ride the momentum from the win into it, preferably Hawaii. But, that's a [deleted] attitude and if they bring that to the Rice game they WILL get beat. And you better fight your [deleted] against UH, because they'll put up 100 on you and not think twice about it. The lack of PRIDE and fire is what drives me nuts, especially in the less talented athletes on this team across the board (you could see some of the frustration in Cole's interview ... he's got the talent AND the passion but we need 11 just like him and we don't ... YET).
CalallenStang wrote:Could it possibly be the same thing that prompted a walk-on to trash the university for not supporting the team?
You may be on to something.
No Doubt about it!!!
I bet the kid got high fives from the whole team. I understand they love playing on the road. So they probably hate playing at home. Probably want to go to Hawaii. They probably made the mistake of reading Ponyfans forum and it could have caused a let down. Maybe it's worse, could it be a communicable mental disease that is being passed around from their fans that has killed their spirit?
baylor = waco. you are obviously high on baylor, and seem to have forgotten that waco is one of the true shi.tholes in the united states. additionally, your program is non existent despite having a decent year this year, and you will therefore vanish into obsolescence when texas or ou bolt and the big 12 falls apart. enjoy the alamo bowl or whatever BS bowl you go to this year. guess you'll get to enjoy playoff football soon!
I haven't been around to say what is what. I do know that dedicated athletes find a way to win no matter what. And for football, they need to win and play tough if they want more folks to watch. Look at our soccer teams. They NEVER play in front of big crowds, bu they always play hard. Heck, my son still remembers the "Go Ponies" beating unc in Chapel Hill. The only SMU fans there were parents and a handful of alumni.
We have some good talent. Time for our team to play proud and strong.
well travelled pony wrote:I haven't been around to say what is what. I do know that dedicated athletes find a way to win no matter what. And for football, they need to win and play tough if they want more folks to watch. Look at our soccer teams. They NEVER play in front of big crowds, bu they always play hard. Heck, my son still remembers the "Go Ponies" beating unc in Chapel Hill. The only SMU fans there were parents and a handful of alumni.
We have some good talent. Time for our team to play proud and strong.
Go Ponies!
The difference though is that SMU soccer (as well as other teams) has a recent history of success. SMU soccer is more often ranked than not. We're still trying to build that up in football. Our last success in football is far removed and it takes time and a lot of effort to get that back. We're too inconsistent. This could have been a great season. I thought we had turned around after we beat the toads, and it's hard to understand the decline. I do think all the bad press about the lack of attendance did play a factor and hurt our momentum.
