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Should win C USA and crack the top 25 this year

The OLine's performance vs. Pitt has to be understood in the context that Pitt was the #3 sacking team and #10 TFL team last season. Pressure was expected.

The other thing to understand, for the season, was the run blocking and not just the pass blocking. Rushing was good for a RnS team.

Hopefully we can improve the pass blocking and maintain the run game.

June says:

SMUer wrote:June says:

haha, I remember that Mad TV sketch

NomAnor wrote:Should win C USA and crack the top 25 this year

We can do this.

NomAnor wrote:Should win C USA and crack the top 25 this year

THIS!! ^^^

Plus 2013 best class since 1983 carrying us into first year BE.

I always had the impression that AK was a great recruiter but not that good of a coach. He never seemed to instill much discipline in the OL, hence many uncalled for penalties. The OL performed much better in the bowl game than in some of their prior games.

GO PONIES!!!

SMU 86 wrote:

smubrooks wrote:It all comes down to the defense. Can they consistently score as well as holding opponents to low scoring?

That is a good point. Defensive consistency will be very important. Our Oline will have some experience in Collins, McJunkin, Gottschalsk, and two more to chose from out of Hughes, Free, Emshoff, Miller, and Duhe. Others schools have lost players as well and I think we can do this.

Okay, so I think McJunkin is a good player, actually was better in spring and Fall practice than Tennison. Collins we think is going to be okay from what we have seen, and the coaches rave about Gottshalk, so lets assume he performs at least at an average level in CUSA.

The other o-line guys were not ready for prime time last spring. they were dominated when they played out there. Sure, they were up against a top notch d-line and they were also young, haven't had enough time in a college training program, that kind of thing. You left Reich out of that group, FYI, and I have heard he might have been playing the best of the bunch at the end of the season...

Just saying that those other two positions are complete unknowns. The last time we graduated the o-line and d-line was Bennett's last year, and we all know how well that turned out. Go out in the spring and watch them play against Pittman, Hunt, and Grenier, the known quantities on the d-line. if they can handle Pittman and Hunt, we are going to be in good shape. if they struggle significantly, we are going to have to wait for guys to come in at Fall, and playing true frosh on the offensive line is never a strong predictor of success...

We can do this.

With solid QB play no reason we shouldn't win CUSA with Houston rebuilding.

If that's true, then I don't know why June told us all to expect a "drop-off" next year. Under promising, over delivering?

SMUer wrote:If that's true, then I don't know why June told us all to expect a "drop-off" next year. Under promising, over delivering?

He may not have foreseen the coaching changes in CUSA at Houston and USM.

The concern isn't us improving, it's the fact that the rest of the conference is as well.

Outside of the O and D lines, we should have better personel - at least on paper - then we did this year and schools like Houston lose a lot more than we do without proven backups. We have incoming freshmen who can make us contribute and make us better. The schedule is opportunisitic, if a little difficult, but I think we improve and compete for the C-USA championship.

SMU 86 wrote:

SMUer wrote:If that's true, then I don't know why June told us all to expect a "drop-off" next year. Under promising, over delivering?

He may not have foreseen the coaching changes in CUSA at Houston and USM.

And he did foresee a coaching change at SMU.

SMUer wrote:If that's true, then I don't know why June told us all to expect a "drop-off" next year. Under promising, over delivering?

I think June always has seen how important an offensive line is. I remember a couple of years ago, people in the luncheons would ask about the cowboys and Romo, and he would consistently say that Romo is perfectly fine, but the oline is so bad that the cowboys don't have a chance to be really successful.

Inexperience on the offensive line is going to really hurt us next year.