Competitive with Baylor

[couch 'em]

This same post is made every year. It is always* wrong.

*TCU victory excepted

[skurtn]

I don't think our offense will be able to stay on the field long enough to give the D any rest. So I expect to hang with them for a half, and probably watch the Bears blow the game open in the second.

This pretty much (not completely) sums up SMU football against good competition in the last few years. We of course have had our blow outs (e.g. against A&M, Baylor 2 years ago, and UH this year), but we seem to come out playing reasonably well in the first half. Then in the second half, it all goes out the window.

I often wonder how much of that has to do with depth and conditioning.

[PonyKai]

We'll get pimp-slapped by Baylor and look utterly unprepared and lost in the process - just like every other year.

[Pony81]

SMU= Nail
BU= Hammer

UCF performed better than SMU versus BU because - compared to SMU - they have more talent, better coaching, and coaches that recognizes they are college kids who can play above their talent if fired up.

JJ and staff are excellent coaches and developers of talent. They are also excellent scouts. Its the NFL model. But they aren't excellent recruiters nor are they inclined to fire up their team to play hard.

Briles and staff are every bit as good at JJ and staff at the talent evaluation and coaching except they recruit hard, motivate their players and create a great team atmosphere.

This explains why SMU rarely beats a team with measurably better talent - our coaches don't get them fired up, don't put in special sets - just do what they do and hope for the best.

Sorry but BU will only be constrainted by their sense of sportmanship. BTW : BU hasn't shown much restraint against SMU in years past.
It'll be ugly. I can't watch.

[smu2004]

I'm stunned! BOLD prediction by 86. Full credit to him for the cajones.

I'm in the minority who feel we actually we have some horses in the cupboard, and while I'm not happy with everything going on, I do generally believe our kids get top notch coaching. All that being said, I expect a pistol whipping next year in Waco.

I *think* we'll be greatly improved on D, and even though Sam Rice is gone, I have some hope for the O-line. But especially early in the season, I don't think our offense will be able to stay on the field long enough to give the D any rest. So I expect to hang with them for a half, and probably watch the Bears blow the game open in the second.

Those would be some small horses if they fit in a cupboard

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

[SMU 86]

I'm stunned! BOLD prediction by 86. Full credit to him for the cajones.

I'm in the minority who feel we actually we have some horses in the cupboard, and while I'm not happy with everything going on, I do generally believe our kids get top notch coaching. All that being said, I expect a pistol whipping next year in Waco.

I *think* we'll be greatly improved on D, and even though Sam Rice is gone, I have some hope for the O-line. But especially early in the season, I don't think our offense will be able to stay on the field long enough to give the D any rest. So I expect to hang with them for a half, and probably watch the Bears blow the game open in the second.

It's not a bold prediction. You, JasonB, and PP were the ones that convinced me thingd were getting better. I did not necessarily say we would win but we should be competitive. We have had long enough to develop the players we have recruited. We took UCF took the wire and they pistol whipped Baylor. This many years into Coach Jones tenure we should not be acting like we are a lower level Sunbelt team. We should be expecting better out of the staff and team by now. I do. I am not giving them a free pass to just show up and get blown out. If we are getting top notch coaching and developing of players we should not get blown out imo. If we do then something needs to change. The time for excuses is gone. It's time to play hard and do well.

[Grant Carter]

I think you do actually know the difference between saying we should be able to play with Baylor in year 6 and saying we are good enough to play with Baylor because it is year 6, right? I think you are just winding people up.

[Stallion]

Life is a Quandry
Should one lower or raise expectations before the Hot Date?

[SMU 86]

I think you do actually know the difference between saying we should be able to play with Baylor in year 6 and saying we are good enough to play with Baylor because it is year 6, right? I think you are just winding people up.

Grant, I am not trying to wind anyone up. I don't know if you are trying to get smart with me or what but I just believe it since UCF beat them so badly.

[blackoutpony]

So you're just now putting your foot down in year 7? That butt raping the Aggy and TCU gave us in year 6 and the beating from Tech wasn't a "foot down" type of moment? How about Baylor and Aggy in year 5? Did those not sting enough? How losing to TULANE in year 5? What about the Aggy and Houston slaughter and beating in year 4?

My point is, when did it no longer become ok to get absolutely run off a field for you???? Just Now?!?!? Losing is one thing, but not even being close to competitive is another

[SMU 86]

So you're just now putting your foot down in year 7? That butt raping the Aggy and TCU gave us in year 6 and the beating from Tech wasn't a "foot down" type of moment? How about Baylor and Aggy in year 5? Did those not sting enough? How losing to TULANE in year 5? What about the Aggy and Houston slaughter and beating in year 4?

My point is, when did it no longer become ok to get absolutely run off a field for you???? Just Now?!?!? Losing is one thing, but not even being close to competitive is another

I hear what you are saying and for the past 2 years I have been saying that it might take 6 games for the team to get warmed up and get in sync. But if you have good solid coaching it shouldn't take 6 games to get warmed up and in sync. Win or lose at Baylor I think the team plays well and does not get blown out if they are prepared.

[Grant Carter]

So you're just now putting your foot down in year 7? That butt raping the Aggy and TCU gave us in year 6 and the beating from Tech wasn't a "foot down" type of moment? How about Baylor and Aggy in year 5? Did those not sting enough? How losing to TULANE in year 5? What about the Aggy and Houston slaughter and beating in year 4?

My point is, when did it no longer become ok to get absolutely run off a field for you???? Just Now?!?!? Losing is one thing, but not even being close to competitive is another

I hear what you are saying and for the past 2 years I have been saying that it might take 6 games for the team to get warmed up and get in sync. But if you have good solid coaching it shouldn't take 6 games to get warmed up and in sync. Win or lose at Baylor I think the team plays well and does not get blown out if they are prepared.

Based on recent games against teams like Baylor, what makes you think they will be prepared though?

[blackoutpony]

What makes you think our lame duck coach will have this team any more, or even at par, preparation wise then what we have seen the past 6 years?

This is a serious question. What makes you think this will be different when we have less talent and less motivation from our coaching staff while losing our best offensive coach? Blind optimism in not a valid answer

[Big12Mustang]

SMU= Nail
BU= Hammer

UCF performed better than SMU versus BU because - compared to SMU - they have more talent, better coaching, and coaches that recognizes they are college kids who can play above their talent if fired up.

JJ and staff are excellent coaches and developers of talent. They are also excellent scouts. Its the NFL model. But they aren't excellent recruiters nor are they inclined to fire up their team to play hard.

Briles and staff are every bit as good at JJ and staff at the talent evaluation and coaching except they recruit hard, motivate their players and create a great team atmosphere.

This explains why SMU rarely beats a team with measurably better talent - our coaches don't get them fired up, don't put in special sets - just do what they do and hope for the best.

Sorry but BU will only be constrainted by their sense of sportmanship. BTW : BU hasn't shown much restraint against SMU in years past.
It'll be ugly. I can't watch.

The only thing I hate about our fanbase is the negativity. If we get steamrolled, then big deal, move on cause we have UNT next.
But I do believe SMU has a decent chance at beating Baylor.

Read this:
http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?id=340010239

"There's not many outside of us who believe we had a chance, but we did and I think we showed what UCF football is all about," Bortles said.

Central Florida (12-1) wasn't given much of a chance, entering the game as a 17-point underdog.

The Knights didn't care about the spread and certainly didn't back down from the big, bad Bears, racing past Baylor with an array of big plays.

They took an early 14-point lead and kept rolling, piling up 556 total yards in the second-highest-scoring BCS bowl ever.

I strongly identify with this, because no one is going to give SMU a chance, and the line vs. Baylor will probably be -18 or similar.

TCU played BU real strong and almost went away with beating them. Next year, TCU will roll on Baylor (for different reasons namely GP having Briles number)

Ok. State destroyed BU last year. Study what the teams that beat them did, and learn how to beat them. No one is invincible.

One of the Keys: Run. The. Damn. Ball.

Looking forward to the upset!

[SMU 86]

So you're just now putting your foot down in year 7? That butt raping the Aggy and TCU gave us in year 6 and the beating from Tech wasn't a "foot down" type of moment? How about Baylor and Aggy in year 5? Did those not sting enough? How losing to TULANE in year 5? What about the Aggy and Houston slaughter and beating in year 4?

My point is, when did it no longer become ok to get absolutely run off a field for you???? Just Now?!?!? Losing is one thing, but not even being close to competitive is another

I hear what you are saying and for the past 2 years I have been saying that it might take 6 games for the team to get warmed up and get in sync. But if you have good solid coaching it shouldn't take 6 games to get warmed up and in sync. Win or lose at Baylor I think the team plays well and does not get blown out if they are prepared.

Based on recent games against teams like Baylor, what makes you think they will be prepared though?

Grant, I think that Coach Jones is out to prove some people wrong this year so I think this year that they will be ready for the first game. Just my opinion.