PonyFans.com game report: Navy 38, SMU 7

[PonyPride]

The opening of the Phil Bennett era had all the makings of a Hollywood script. Members of the undefeated 1982 SMU team were on hand to be honored at halftime. SMU great Don Meredith emerged from his New Mexico ranch to oversee the coinflip with Navy alum Roger Staubach. Gerald J. Ford Stadium was honored with two fly-overs from a quartet of F-18 jets. Fireworks were launched in front of the JumboTron behind the south end zone.

That's when things started to go wrong. The fireworks set a series of small fires in the grass on the hill behind the end zone, setting off a cloud of smoke that drifted over Mockingbird Lane. When the smoke had cleared after the Mustangs' season-opening game with Navy, the Ponies found themselves trying to explain a 38-7 loss to the Midshipmen.

"That's a hell of a way to start, isn't it?" Bennett said when told of the pre-game blaze.

In Navy, SMU was facing a team that had won once in its previous 21 games. But under the direction of new head coach Paul Johnson, Navy unleashed a potent offense -- punctuated by three rushing touchdowns by quarterback Craig Candeto -- and an opportunistic that forced three turnovers by the SMU offense en route to a 38-7 win over SMU.

"We didn't play great," SMU redshirt freshman quarterback Tate Wallis said after his first collegiate start. "But we can't hang it all on that. They played well, and didn't commit any turnovers."

The Ponies actually started off well. With 8:10 left in the first quarter, Wallis flipped a pass into the end zone that was tipped and the grabbed by tight end John Hampton for a 13-yard touchdown.

But from there on out, it was all Navy. Jonas Rutledge had two crucial miscues on special teams, a muffed punt when he dove for a ball Bennett said he should have avoided and a fumble on a kickoff return. The two gaffes led to two Navy touchdowns on a 9-yard run by tailback Eric Roberts and a 2-yard plunge by Candeto as the Middies went ahead, 14-7 and never looked back.

"We never thought we'd be on this end of a 38-7 score," Rutledge said. "We wanted to come out tonight and show the new Mustang team. We didn't do that. We hope everyone comes out next week to see us play Texas Tech."

The second quarter was even more disheartening for the Ponies, as Candeto rushed for 94 of Navy's 95 yards on a scoring drive that was capped by his 56-yard run through the Mustang defense.

"The long (touchdown) run by the quarterback really hurt us," senior linebacker Vic Viloria said. "We had one breakdown in the defense and he goes for, I don't know .... a million yards. It's frustrating, and something we surely don't accept.

"If we're going to be the kind of defense we think we are, we have to come in here tomorrow and go back to work. We'll be ready for Texas Tech."

Trailing 28-7 at halftime, the Ponies were forced to play catch-up after the intermission, which is not what Bennett and his staff wanted in the college debut of their young signal-caller.

"I saw tonight that Tate (Wallis) is competitive," Bennett said. "I think he'll get better. We're talking about a guy who'd never played a down in college football."

More than anything, Bennett blamed himself for the loss.

"They (Navy) are a flexible offensive team that we didn't line up right for," Bennett said, "and that's my fault. It's not fair to the kids, because I didn't coach right. I accept total responsibility for that. I agree with Vic (Viloria), we're "

But while the Ponies first-year coach was quick to shoulder much of the blame, he didn't give the impression of a man who is ready to let a loss affect his confidence.

"I told the team a story, and it's a true story. When I was at Kansas State, we suffered one of the most disappointing losses I've ever been associated with against Texas A&M. It hurt. But the next week, we beat Nebraska. That's the approach we have to take. I'm more disappointed in myself than I am in the players."

Running backs Keylon Kincade and ShanDerrick Charles opened the game together in the backfield, but it was Kincade who led the way for the SMU offense with 101 rushing yards.

"They're both talented running backs," Bennett said of Kincade and Charles. "If you noticed, we started the game with both of them in the backfield. We'll do that again. ShanDerrick had a back sprain over the summer, so we're still working him back in, and Kris Briggs didn't play tonight (Briggs missed part of preseason workouts with dehydration), but he'll be a factor for us, too."

Wallis completed 12-of-31 passes for 144 yards, the touchdown to Hampton and a pair of interceptions (he also lost a fumble when he was hit from behind). Hampton and true freshman Daniel Francis led the receivers with three catches apiece. Redshirt freshman Cedric Vinson also had his first collegiate catch, an acrobatic 20-yard grab on third down that kept alive an SMU drive in the fourth quarter.

Despite the lopsided score, Bennett reprimanded only himself.

"These people have worked hard to get the program going, and we will," he said. "Nobody will work harder than this staff and these players. But the first person I'm going to look at is myself, because I didn't do any justice tonight."

[This message has been edited by PonyPride (edited 08-31-2002).]

[SMUguy]

There were some positive signs:

Keylon Kincade looked great.
Jonas Rutledge had some great returns, when he didn't fumble.
Cody Cardwell had a great return near the end of the game.
Lute Croy and Allan Adami were amazing in the middle of the d-line.
The Ponies never quit.

But I still have to say, I'm very very disappointed.

[Hoofprint]

From where I sat (about the 25 yard line on the north end of the field), it looked like Navy's first touchdown was illegal. The pitch from the quarterback came after the QB had crossed the line of scrimmage, and it looked like a forward pitch to the running back. Isn't that illegal? If he's behind the line of scrimmage, it's a shovel pass. But the refs blew that one. Who knows how the game might have changed if they'd called that one back.

[GrapevineMustang]

I don't know, Coach Schumann's defense always did well against the option.

[ProudPonyPa]

I am worried about ShanD. I have heard his back still hurts him. He didn't seem as quickfooted a last year.