Frank Gansz, SMU Special Teams Coach, passed away yesterday at Presbyterian Hospital here in Dallas after experiencing complications from knee replacement surgery. Gansz was a salient figure in both college football and the NFL where his knowledge of football in general and special teams play in particular put him high in the esteem of many.
"He was the finest football coach I ever worked with," [Dick] Vermeil said Monday. "The quality of the human being matched his coaching skills. ... His vibrancy will live forever in the people that he touched."
Junes Jones coaxed Coach Gansz out of retirement in 2008 to help reshape SMU's football program.
Coach Gansz's family was with him when he died. He was 70 years old.
Dallas Morning News Story on Coach Gansz
Showing posts with label June Jones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label June Jones. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
New Class, New Faces, New Positions...A Look at the New Class
On the first Wednesday of February, June Jones signed his second class of recruits to Letters of Intent to play football at SMU. The reviews of the class, the first one where Jones had an entire year to recruit, are generally positive with some writers going so far as to say this is the best class that SMU has signed in 20 years. Another reviewer said that this class is a severe disappointment because it was light on linebackers and defensive linemen and too heavy on defensive backs and 'project' offensive linemen.
Generally speaking, I think this is a solid class. It is comparable to Phil Bennett's best class in 2003. But I think what makes most individuals feel warm and fuzzy about this particular class is that June Jones--quite unlike Phil Bennett--has a proven ability to get the most out of a player's level of talent. A few players are steals: Joey Fontana, Darius Johnson, and Chris Atchison are all three considered excellent recruits that will fit well into the Run N' Shoot offense. June Jones also mentioned at his Signing Day Press Conference that Johnson--nickname, The Truth!--may also return punts. I also personally have high expectations for safety James Scott out of Houston Strake Jesuit (my high school's archrival!).
Here is my breakdown of the class:
Chris Atchison, Joey Fontana, Darius Johnson, Mike Loftus, James Scott, Ryan Clark, and Marquis Frazier are all players that enter SMU with high expectations. Frazier and Clark were JUCO teammates at Navarro College and both should start this fall. Frazier has been enrolled on the Hilltop since January and Clark--a Rivals 4 star recruit--will enroll this summer most likely. Frazier and his huge 6-4, 260 lb frame should be at either DT or DE for the season opener depending on the results of spring practice and how Tom Mason and company decide to re-align the defense (rumor is that the Mustangs will be switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 but nothing has been confirmed yet). Clark will compete for time at safety right away and could supplant Rock Dennis.
With James Scott, I would not be surprised to see him red shirt but nor would I be surprised to see him get spot time, especially in nickel situations. He has great hands and size, and good enough speed to have played QB for Jesuit in 2008. June Jones has often said that he believes in putting the best talent on the field right away and if Scott proves himself in August practice, he could forego a red shirt year altogether. But because of the depth already extant in the secondary, he could just as easily take a red shirt and spend a year getting adjusted to college.
Atchison and Fontana are premiere offensive lineman. Atchison is a guard and Fontana can play anywhere on the line. Both have the skills to play right away, though Atchison could use some bulking up during the summer. Though the Mustangs offensive line played better than could have been expected in 2008, either Atchison or Fontana could challenge for playing time very soon particularly in running situations, the blocking for which was lamentably poor last year (which is part of the reason that the running game only netted 490 yards).
Mike Loftus is the heir apparent to the great Thomas Morstead. Loftus was graded in the top 10 of high school kickers in 2008 by ESPN and Scout and in the top 20 by Rivals. Loftus, however, will not be thrust into a starting role just yet. Kickoffs for next year will still likely be handled by Kellis Cunningham (who may also get time at safety in spring practice according to Jones...anyone who saw him level Memphis's kick returner last year knows why) and placekicking/punting duties will be handled by Matt Szymanski, who sat out 2008 after transferring to SMU from Texas A&M. In all likelihood, Loftus will red shirt and not even see the field in 2009. So Mustang fans should take heart that we will continue to be set at kicker "for 4-5 years" in the words of June Jones.
Finally, Darius "the Truth" Johnson out of Fort Bend Hightower should make it onto the field very quickly. Based on statements by Jones about Johnson's ability and talent, I would be extremely surprised not to see him starting in 2009 alongside Emmanuel Sanders and Aldrick Robinson. At 5-10, he has decent height, but will need to pack some more muscle onto his 160 lb frame in order to stand up to the more physical secondaries he will face in the NCAA. Johnson, with his great hands, blazing speed (he ran a 4.4 40), and excellent body control (see the one handed end zone grab he made in the state playoffs in 2008) will make a great target for Bo Levi Mitchell right away. He'll face a steep learning curve as the Run N' Shoot will be more complicated than any offense he has ever contemplated being a part of, but expect him to be a star for the Mustangs.
How does the rest of the class shape up? It is very light on defensive linemen and linebackers. Brandon Henderson and Braylon Williams are the only two high school lineman to have been signed and I would not be surprised to see either one of them gray shirt or red shirt. The Mustangs have little depth on defense, especially with the recent release of Anthony Sowe and the graduation of Serge Elizee and Patrick Handy. Moreover, Adrian Dizer had a terrible neck injury during the 2008 season and it is unknown if he will be able to return to football at all. Taylor Thompson has reportedly bulked up to 260 in the weight room since the end of the season and Evan Huahulu could see quite a bit of playing time at DT/NT. As mentioned previously, JUCO transfer Marquis Frazier will very likely start while Mickey Dollens will see more time as will Chris Parham. 2008 walk on (and Army veteran) Jesse Andrew could get on the field as well.
Margus Hunt, even with his 6-7, 280 lb frame and plaudits from Junes Jones (and JJ has been very free flowing with his praise), still has never put on pads or played a down of football in his life and so cannot be considered anything more than a project for the future at this point (he will have 4 years of eligibility). Justin Smart could move back to DE from outside linebacker, but this move is a wash as Youri Yenga is likely to move from DE to LB. So even with all of the unknowns surrounding the defensive line, I still expect both Williams and Henderson to sit out next year to develop physically and for Tom Mason's defense to rely on a strong, fast secondary for the foreseeable future.
Jones and his staff have, however, earmarked the defense as the area to focus on for 2010. This very day, SMU received its first commitment for the next recruiting cycle in the form of DT Michael O'Guin. O'Guin is already being called one of the best recruits that SMU has picked up in 20 years. It is early yet and players have been known to switch commitments, but this is a great start.
Other notable signees are Kyle Padron out of Southlake Carroll who provides much needed depth at QB, Beck Coulter, Deonte McDade, Chayse Joubert, Aron Franklin, Ben Hughes, and Jordan Favreau .
With Bo Levi Mitchell expected to start again, New Mexico State transfer J.J. McDermott sitting out 2009 per NCAA rules, Logan Turner and 2008 red shirt Winston Gamso transferring to other schools, only Braden Smith (who kept his red shirt intact throughout 2008) will be immediately available to back up. It will be interesting to see if Justin Willis is even listed on the depth chart as a QB after spring practice, but my feeling is that he will not be. I think June sees Willis solely as a receiver now and I cannot imagine Willis throwing the ball again outside of some sort of trick play. Additionally, with the emergence from the shadows of Michael Morse (who came in and got a couple of snaps in relief of Turner against Memphis last season) Padron will likely be red shirted, but I can see Jones not hesitating to burn the red shirt if the other QBs on the depth chart do not deliver.
McDade, Joubert, and Franklin are all receivers with excellent speed and athletic ability. Expect McDade to see the field in 2009 but Joubert and Franklin red shirting. With a decent amount of depth at WR between Sanders, Robinson, Bryant, Wilkerson, Medford (if he's fully recovered from his shoulder injury), E.J. Drewery (who did not lose his red shirt last year), and others there will not be a need to rush either one onto the field as was done with the Coles Loftin and Beasely.
Ben Hughes was listed by some writers as a potential heir at center to Mitch Enright, though I think it more likely that either Blake McJunkin--who performed admirably well as a slightly undersized true freshmen during the middle of the season--or Joey Fontana will eventually take over at center for Mitch Enright. Enright only played in 3 games due to a hand injury and so still has eligibility as he now pursues his MBA. It is rumored that Hughes has agreed to gray shirt along with Christian Miller, so the Ponies may not get their first glimpse of him until spring practice in 2010. Favreau is another lineman who has gained praise for his technique, if not his size. At 6-3 and 245, he has the height but not the weight he needs before he can effectively play guard at the NCAA level.
Beck Coulter is one of the most intriguing signees of the entire class. A late add to the commit list, Coulter hails from Pago Pago in American Samoa and was targeted early by recruiting extradonaire Jeff Reinebold. Coulter has decent size and great speed at linebacker (a place the Mustangs need immense help), but I have my doubts that he will be academically eligible to play. Coulter was forced to sit out his senior season in high school due to grades and if he has not found the ability to balance his time between football and class, it is unlikely that he will ever see the field as a Mustang. If he does, he will be a huge help to a linebacking corps that has struggled for two years and could, along with Evan Huahulu and new signee K.J. Vaifale, be the start of a great recruiting pipeline within the Samoan, Tongan, Polynesian communities.
Rounding out this recruiting class are LB's Byron Brown and Taylor Reed, OL's Christian Miller and Bryan Collins, DB's Kievon Gamble, JR McConico, Sterling Moore, K.J. Vaifale, and ATH's Ja'Gared Davis and Chris Frazier. Less is known about this group. Christian Miller is huge, 6-5 285, but apparently very raw and will need time to develop his technique. Byron Brown and Taylor Reed are the sort of quick, hard hitting LB's that June Jones, and by extension Tom Mason, have said they prefer, but what sort of impact either will have is difficult to predict. Any of this group could end up being a star as we have seen in the past and what positions each plays will slowly be sorted out in August practice. But until then, they are all wild cards with something to prove.
There will be a just as long post about positions and possible depth charts when spring practice starts in late March. More posts about subjects other than football will be coming in the next few days. Thanks for reading guys, don't forget to check back for updates.
Generally speaking, I think this is a solid class. It is comparable to Phil Bennett's best class in 2003. But I think what makes most individuals feel warm and fuzzy about this particular class is that June Jones--quite unlike Phil Bennett--has a proven ability to get the most out of a player's level of talent. A few players are steals: Joey Fontana, Darius Johnson, and Chris Atchison are all three considered excellent recruits that will fit well into the Run N' Shoot offense. June Jones also mentioned at his Signing Day Press Conference that Johnson--nickname, The Truth!--may also return punts. I also personally have high expectations for safety James Scott out of Houston Strake Jesuit (my high school's archrival!).
Here is my breakdown of the class:
Chris Atchison, Joey Fontana, Darius Johnson, Mike Loftus, James Scott, Ryan Clark, and Marquis Frazier are all players that enter SMU with high expectations. Frazier and Clark were JUCO teammates at Navarro College and both should start this fall. Frazier has been enrolled on the Hilltop since January and Clark--a Rivals 4 star recruit--will enroll this summer most likely. Frazier and his huge 6-4, 260 lb frame should be at either DT or DE for the season opener depending on the results of spring practice and how Tom Mason and company decide to re-align the defense (rumor is that the Mustangs will be switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 but nothing has been confirmed yet). Clark will compete for time at safety right away and could supplant Rock Dennis.
With James Scott, I would not be surprised to see him red shirt but nor would I be surprised to see him get spot time, especially in nickel situations. He has great hands and size, and good enough speed to have played QB for Jesuit in 2008. June Jones has often said that he believes in putting the best talent on the field right away and if Scott proves himself in August practice, he could forego a red shirt year altogether. But because of the depth already extant in the secondary, he could just as easily take a red shirt and spend a year getting adjusted to college.
Atchison and Fontana are premiere offensive lineman. Atchison is a guard and Fontana can play anywhere on the line. Both have the skills to play right away, though Atchison could use some bulking up during the summer. Though the Mustangs offensive line played better than could have been expected in 2008, either Atchison or Fontana could challenge for playing time very soon particularly in running situations, the blocking for which was lamentably poor last year (which is part of the reason that the running game only netted 490 yards).
Mike Loftus is the heir apparent to the great Thomas Morstead. Loftus was graded in the top 10 of high school kickers in 2008 by ESPN and Scout and in the top 20 by Rivals. Loftus, however, will not be thrust into a starting role just yet. Kickoffs for next year will still likely be handled by Kellis Cunningham (who may also get time at safety in spring practice according to Jones...anyone who saw him level Memphis's kick returner last year knows why) and placekicking/punting duties will be handled by Matt Szymanski, who sat out 2008 after transferring to SMU from Texas A&M. In all likelihood, Loftus will red shirt and not even see the field in 2009. So Mustang fans should take heart that we will continue to be set at kicker "for 4-5 years" in the words of June Jones.
Finally, Darius "the Truth" Johnson out of Fort Bend Hightower should make it onto the field very quickly. Based on statements by Jones about Johnson's ability and talent, I would be extremely surprised not to see him starting in 2009 alongside Emmanuel Sanders and Aldrick Robinson. At 5-10, he has decent height, but will need to pack some more muscle onto his 160 lb frame in order to stand up to the more physical secondaries he will face in the NCAA. Johnson, with his great hands, blazing speed (he ran a 4.4 40), and excellent body control (see the one handed end zone grab he made in the state playoffs in 2008) will make a great target for Bo Levi Mitchell right away. He'll face a steep learning curve as the Run N' Shoot will be more complicated than any offense he has ever contemplated being a part of, but expect him to be a star for the Mustangs.
How does the rest of the class shape up? It is very light on defensive linemen and linebackers. Brandon Henderson and Braylon Williams are the only two high school lineman to have been signed and I would not be surprised to see either one of them gray shirt or red shirt. The Mustangs have little depth on defense, especially with the recent release of Anthony Sowe and the graduation of Serge Elizee and Patrick Handy. Moreover, Adrian Dizer had a terrible neck injury during the 2008 season and it is unknown if he will be able to return to football at all. Taylor Thompson has reportedly bulked up to 260 in the weight room since the end of the season and Evan Huahulu could see quite a bit of playing time at DT/NT. As mentioned previously, JUCO transfer Marquis Frazier will very likely start while Mickey Dollens will see more time as will Chris Parham. 2008 walk on (and Army veteran) Jesse Andrew could get on the field as well.
Margus Hunt, even with his 6-7, 280 lb frame and plaudits from Junes Jones (and JJ has been very free flowing with his praise), still has never put on pads or played a down of football in his life and so cannot be considered anything more than a project for the future at this point (he will have 4 years of eligibility). Justin Smart could move back to DE from outside linebacker, but this move is a wash as Youri Yenga is likely to move from DE to LB. So even with all of the unknowns surrounding the defensive line, I still expect both Williams and Henderson to sit out next year to develop physically and for Tom Mason's defense to rely on a strong, fast secondary for the foreseeable future.
Jones and his staff have, however, earmarked the defense as the area to focus on for 2010. This very day, SMU received its first commitment for the next recruiting cycle in the form of DT Michael O'Guin. O'Guin is already being called one of the best recruits that SMU has picked up in 20 years. It is early yet and players have been known to switch commitments, but this is a great start.
Other notable signees are Kyle Padron out of Southlake Carroll who provides much needed depth at QB, Beck Coulter, Deonte McDade, Chayse Joubert, Aron Franklin, Ben Hughes, and Jordan Favreau .
With Bo Levi Mitchell expected to start again, New Mexico State transfer J.J. McDermott sitting out 2009 per NCAA rules, Logan Turner and 2008 red shirt Winston Gamso transferring to other schools, only Braden Smith (who kept his red shirt intact throughout 2008) will be immediately available to back up. It will be interesting to see if Justin Willis is even listed on the depth chart as a QB after spring practice, but my feeling is that he will not be. I think June sees Willis solely as a receiver now and I cannot imagine Willis throwing the ball again outside of some sort of trick play. Additionally, with the emergence from the shadows of Michael Morse (who came in and got a couple of snaps in relief of Turner against Memphis last season) Padron will likely be red shirted, but I can see Jones not hesitating to burn the red shirt if the other QBs on the depth chart do not deliver.
McDade, Joubert, and Franklin are all receivers with excellent speed and athletic ability. Expect McDade to see the field in 2009 but Joubert and Franklin red shirting. With a decent amount of depth at WR between Sanders, Robinson, Bryant, Wilkerson, Medford (if he's fully recovered from his shoulder injury), E.J. Drewery (who did not lose his red shirt last year), and others there will not be a need to rush either one onto the field as was done with the Coles Loftin and Beasely.
Ben Hughes was listed by some writers as a potential heir at center to Mitch Enright, though I think it more likely that either Blake McJunkin--who performed admirably well as a slightly undersized true freshmen during the middle of the season--or Joey Fontana will eventually take over at center for Mitch Enright. Enright only played in 3 games due to a hand injury and so still has eligibility as he now pursues his MBA. It is rumored that Hughes has agreed to gray shirt along with Christian Miller, so the Ponies may not get their first glimpse of him until spring practice in 2010. Favreau is another lineman who has gained praise for his technique, if not his size. At 6-3 and 245, he has the height but not the weight he needs before he can effectively play guard at the NCAA level.
Beck Coulter is one of the most intriguing signees of the entire class. A late add to the commit list, Coulter hails from Pago Pago in American Samoa and was targeted early by recruiting extradonaire Jeff Reinebold. Coulter has decent size and great speed at linebacker (a place the Mustangs need immense help), but I have my doubts that he will be academically eligible to play. Coulter was forced to sit out his senior season in high school due to grades and if he has not found the ability to balance his time between football and class, it is unlikely that he will ever see the field as a Mustang. If he does, he will be a huge help to a linebacking corps that has struggled for two years and could, along with Evan Huahulu and new signee K.J. Vaifale, be the start of a great recruiting pipeline within the Samoan, Tongan, Polynesian communities.
Rounding out this recruiting class are LB's Byron Brown and Taylor Reed, OL's Christian Miller and Bryan Collins, DB's Kievon Gamble, JR McConico, Sterling Moore, K.J. Vaifale, and ATH's Ja'Gared Davis and Chris Frazier. Less is known about this group. Christian Miller is huge, 6-5 285, but apparently very raw and will need time to develop his technique. Byron Brown and Taylor Reed are the sort of quick, hard hitting LB's that June Jones, and by extension Tom Mason, have said they prefer, but what sort of impact either will have is difficult to predict. Any of this group could end up being a star as we have seen in the past and what positions each plays will slowly be sorted out in August practice. But until then, they are all wild cards with something to prove.
There will be a just as long post about positions and possible depth charts when spring practice starts in late March. More posts about subjects other than football will be coming in the next few days. Thanks for reading guys, don't forget to check back for updates.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
It's Been Awhile
Hello there to the dedicated hangers on and those who have randomly found this blog (possibly while looking for porn) and have decided to keep reading out of boredom.
It was a busy several months between Halloween and, well, now. But I, Irwin Fletcher am back to talk beer, SMU, football, and whatever the hell else is on my mind. Let's get to it, shall we?
The 2008 football season did not end up quite how we in Mustang Nation had hoped. When June Jones became head coach on January 5, 2008, I think most observers expected or prayed for at least a 3-4 win season. If you go back to my season preview--which shouldn't take too long to find since we haven't written very many entries--you will see that I predicted, rather extravagantly a 5 win season. So what happened to cause another 1-11 season?
For starters, the defense simply could not stop the other team. It seems overly glib to say it like that, but the problem truly was as basic as that. Many fans called for the head of Defensive Coordinator Tom Mason, but one must consider that Mason, Tim Hundley, and Bert Hill just did not have much to work with. With the exception of Serge Elizee, who drew double teams from o-linemen all season, the other spots on the defensive line were a revolving door of players; some too small, some too slow, some not big enough to challenge his opposite number. Adrian Dizer and Anthony Sowe could not provide a fast pass rush from the end positions and neither held onto their starter slots either as Dizer was injured and Sowe was ineffective (and is now no longer with the team, more on that in a minute).
Youri Yenga, who continues to be the single most effective pass rusher than the Mustangs possess, quickly found a full time role at both end positions while true freshmen Taylor Thompson got lots of valuable playing time as well. Patrick Handy shared time with Mickey Dollens and others alongside Elizee at tackle. The result of this constantly changing cast? An inconsistent pass rush and an opposing quarterback with lots of time to make a pass.
The linebackers, with the exception of the reliable senior Will Bonilla, were a non entity. Unable to stop the rush and ineffective in nickel coverage, the linebacking corps had an undistinguished year.
Only the secondary, anchored by Derrius Bell and Bryan McCann at the corners with Rock Dennis and true freshman Chris Banjo at the safety positions, was oustanding as a unit. All four will be returning in 2009, though Bell is suspended per Conference USA rules for the first half of the first game next year for getting in a fight during the season finale against Southern Miss. Bell, McCann, Dennis, and Banjo will provide in 2009 the core of a powerful secondary which will include recent juco signee (and 4 star Rivals recruit) Ryan Clark and other promising prospects like Houston Strake Jesuit's James Scott. Derrick Odum has quite the stable of young players to form the Ponies' secondary into a force over the next couple of seasons.
What it all comes down to is the defense could not stop opponents in third down situations, could not pressure the quarterback, and could not read the run. The futility of this defense was best demonstrated against Houston when the Mustangs, with less than 90 seconds left and the Cougars with no timeouts, could not prevent Houston's offense from marching 60 yards down the field and scoring the game winning touchdown. If SMU is to return to bowl eligibility, that will have to change.
The offense, which had embarassing sputters at the beginning of the season, seemed to finally coalesce around Bo Levi Mitchell, Emmanuel Sanders, and Aldrick Robinson in the second half (the Navy game aside...I mean come on, that weather was ridiculous).
Lacking among the names I mentioned above was a running back. The Mustangs had an absolutely pathetic ground game in 2008 with only 490 yards gained on the entire season! Senior DeMyron Martin never found the magic that he had as a redshirt sophomore while B.J. Lee and Chris Butler struggled through injuries. Bryce Lunday showed streaks of greatness and he will be relied on next season along with Chris Butler if Miami transfer Shawnbrey McNeal does not receive his NCAA waiver to play in '09 and since B.J. Lee will likely become a full time kick returner (replacing the redoubtable Jessie Henderson, the all time NCAA leader in kickoff return yardage, who is graduating).
Bo Levi Mitchell showed fantastic growth in the second half the 2008 season. Starting in the Tulane game, fans could sense an attitude change in him. Bo Levi became crisper in his decisions, learned to scramble when no receivers were open (though not to stiff arm), and did not force passes. Injuring his throwing shoulder against Memphis effectively ended his season with two games left. It seems that June Jones and Mustang Nation both expect Bo Levi to benefit greatly with a year of the Run N Shoot under his belt and with most of his receiving corps still intact from 2008 and he should. There has never been any doubt of Bo Levi's arm, rather the question has been about his head: can he fully grasp June Jones's complex offense with it's multiple reads in a two step drop? June has a reputation as an excellent talent evaluator and if he believes that Bo has the ability to succeed in this offense, then I trust that judgment.
Emmanuel Sanders and Aldrick Robinson return for their senior and junior years respectively to be the focal point of June Jone's offensive attack. Both had career years in their first season in the Run N Shoot and with even more targets for Bo Levi Mitchell to be throwing to in 2009, the receiving corps is looking primed for another record setting campagin.
One of the surprises of the Mustangs 2008 season was the offensive line. Cobbled together by coach Dennis McKnight from a returning center (Mitch Enright) and Guard (Sean Lobo), combined with freshmen at guard and tackle (Beachum and Tennyson) and a converted tight end (Vincent Chase) at right tackle, the situation looked ripe for disaster. As events turned out, the line turned into one of the more consistently good units for the Mustangs. Enright was injured and replaced by true freshman Blake McJunkin who performed as well as could be expected in his situation and red shirt freshman Josh LeRibeus proved that he belongs as a starter. Beachum and Tennyson performed admirably and senior Tommy Poynter was a jack of all trades, filling in all over the line wherever needed. With the accumulation of talent and prospects, a pool of greyshirts will be built up that will join LeRibeus, Beachum, Tennyson, and promising recent signees Joey Fontana and Chris Atchison in a couple of years to form a powerful front line for Bo Levi Mitchell and the running backs.
So what does the future hold? Yesterday, 9 football players found out that that future did not include them. The players--CB De'Von Bailey, LB Taylor Bon, RB Ben Goldthorpe, LB Julian Herron, DE Jordan Johnson, CB Deyon McElroy, LB Alex Odiari, OL Andrew Robiskie, and previously mentioned DE Anthony Sowe--were all informed that their scholarships were not being renewed for 2009 due to academic and disciplinary reasons. Anyone who doubts that June Jones does not want to clear out anyone who he sees as not being a positive impact on this program should reread that list of players. Bailey and McElroy were highly prized recruits out of high school as was LB Herron. Alex Odiari was a high profile transfer from Oklahoma State--symbolizing the type of player that SMU was open to enrolling for the first time since the Death Penalty--and who was expected to provide a physical presence at linebacker. But Odiari never found his footing with the defensive coaches and saw very limited time in 2008.
There has been much said since the end of last season about the culture within the football program. In a widely circulated quote, June Jones remarked that he had never seen a weight room as empty during off hours as that in Ford Stadium. This statement openly questioned the commitment of some upperclassmen who it has been felt have become accustomed to and even okay with losing. Around the same time, another widely publicized quote by Bo Levi Mitchell indicated the he, as the team's starting quarterback, was not ok with the contented attitude of some upperclassmen. Such comments, and the subsequent actions by Coach Jones mentioned above, belie a new sentiment for SMU football. Mitchell was the starting quarterback for the 4A State Champion Katy Tigers in 2007-08 and has made it clear that he has brought that winning attitude with him to the Hilltop. It is thrilling, as a fan of SMU football, to see a salient figure make his voice heard so loudly in regards to the team's discipline and attitude towards success. One can only hope that it bodes well for the future.
Well, with that I will call it a post friends. Very soon (perhaps Friday) I will post about the Mustangs newest class of signees and how they could impact the team in 2009 and beyond. More frequent updates will begin again, I promise. So please return for more SMU football, baseball, beer, and perhaps even some politics!
Until next time, Pony Up!
It was a busy several months between Halloween and, well, now. But I, Irwin Fletcher am back to talk beer, SMU, football, and whatever the hell else is on my mind. Let's get to it, shall we?
The 2008 football season did not end up quite how we in Mustang Nation had hoped. When June Jones became head coach on January 5, 2008, I think most observers expected or prayed for at least a 3-4 win season. If you go back to my season preview--which shouldn't take too long to find since we haven't written very many entries--you will see that I predicted, rather extravagantly a 5 win season. So what happened to cause another 1-11 season?
For starters, the defense simply could not stop the other team. It seems overly glib to say it like that, but the problem truly was as basic as that. Many fans called for the head of Defensive Coordinator Tom Mason, but one must consider that Mason, Tim Hundley, and Bert Hill just did not have much to work with. With the exception of Serge Elizee, who drew double teams from o-linemen all season, the other spots on the defensive line were a revolving door of players; some too small, some too slow, some not big enough to challenge his opposite number. Adrian Dizer and Anthony Sowe could not provide a fast pass rush from the end positions and neither held onto their starter slots either as Dizer was injured and Sowe was ineffective (and is now no longer with the team, more on that in a minute).
Youri Yenga, who continues to be the single most effective pass rusher than the Mustangs possess, quickly found a full time role at both end positions while true freshmen Taylor Thompson got lots of valuable playing time as well. Patrick Handy shared time with Mickey Dollens and others alongside Elizee at tackle. The result of this constantly changing cast? An inconsistent pass rush and an opposing quarterback with lots of time to make a pass.
The linebackers, with the exception of the reliable senior Will Bonilla, were a non entity. Unable to stop the rush and ineffective in nickel coverage, the linebacking corps had an undistinguished year.
Only the secondary, anchored by Derrius Bell and Bryan McCann at the corners with Rock Dennis and true freshman Chris Banjo at the safety positions, was oustanding as a unit. All four will be returning in 2009, though Bell is suspended per Conference USA rules for the first half of the first game next year for getting in a fight during the season finale against Southern Miss. Bell, McCann, Dennis, and Banjo will provide in 2009 the core of a powerful secondary which will include recent juco signee (and 4 star Rivals recruit) Ryan Clark and other promising prospects like Houston Strake Jesuit's James Scott. Derrick Odum has quite the stable of young players to form the Ponies' secondary into a force over the next couple of seasons.
What it all comes down to is the defense could not stop opponents in third down situations, could not pressure the quarterback, and could not read the run. The futility of this defense was best demonstrated against Houston when the Mustangs, with less than 90 seconds left and the Cougars with no timeouts, could not prevent Houston's offense from marching 60 yards down the field and scoring the game winning touchdown. If SMU is to return to bowl eligibility, that will have to change.
The offense, which had embarassing sputters at the beginning of the season, seemed to finally coalesce around Bo Levi Mitchell, Emmanuel Sanders, and Aldrick Robinson in the second half (the Navy game aside...I mean come on, that weather was ridiculous).
Lacking among the names I mentioned above was a running back. The Mustangs had an absolutely pathetic ground game in 2008 with only 490 yards gained on the entire season! Senior DeMyron Martin never found the magic that he had as a redshirt sophomore while B.J. Lee and Chris Butler struggled through injuries. Bryce Lunday showed streaks of greatness and he will be relied on next season along with Chris Butler if Miami transfer Shawnbrey McNeal does not receive his NCAA waiver to play in '09 and since B.J. Lee will likely become a full time kick returner (replacing the redoubtable Jessie Henderson, the all time NCAA leader in kickoff return yardage, who is graduating).
Bo Levi Mitchell showed fantastic growth in the second half the 2008 season. Starting in the Tulane game, fans could sense an attitude change in him. Bo Levi became crisper in his decisions, learned to scramble when no receivers were open (though not to stiff arm), and did not force passes. Injuring his throwing shoulder against Memphis effectively ended his season with two games left. It seems that June Jones and Mustang Nation both expect Bo Levi to benefit greatly with a year of the Run N Shoot under his belt and with most of his receiving corps still intact from 2008 and he should. There has never been any doubt of Bo Levi's arm, rather the question has been about his head: can he fully grasp June Jones's complex offense with it's multiple reads in a two step drop? June has a reputation as an excellent talent evaluator and if he believes that Bo has the ability to succeed in this offense, then I trust that judgment.
Emmanuel Sanders and Aldrick Robinson return for their senior and junior years respectively to be the focal point of June Jone's offensive attack. Both had career years in their first season in the Run N Shoot and with even more targets for Bo Levi Mitchell to be throwing to in 2009, the receiving corps is looking primed for another record setting campagin.
One of the surprises of the Mustangs 2008 season was the offensive line. Cobbled together by coach Dennis McKnight from a returning center (Mitch Enright) and Guard (Sean Lobo), combined with freshmen at guard and tackle (Beachum and Tennyson) and a converted tight end (Vincent Chase) at right tackle, the situation looked ripe for disaster. As events turned out, the line turned into one of the more consistently good units for the Mustangs. Enright was injured and replaced by true freshman Blake McJunkin who performed as well as could be expected in his situation and red shirt freshman Josh LeRibeus proved that he belongs as a starter. Beachum and Tennyson performed admirably and senior Tommy Poynter was a jack of all trades, filling in all over the line wherever needed. With the accumulation of talent and prospects, a pool of greyshirts will be built up that will join LeRibeus, Beachum, Tennyson, and promising recent signees Joey Fontana and Chris Atchison in a couple of years to form a powerful front line for Bo Levi Mitchell and the running backs.
So what does the future hold? Yesterday, 9 football players found out that that future did not include them. The players--CB De'Von Bailey, LB Taylor Bon, RB Ben Goldthorpe, LB Julian Herron, DE Jordan Johnson, CB Deyon McElroy, LB Alex Odiari, OL Andrew Robiskie, and previously mentioned DE Anthony Sowe--were all informed that their scholarships were not being renewed for 2009 due to academic and disciplinary reasons. Anyone who doubts that June Jones does not want to clear out anyone who he sees as not being a positive impact on this program should reread that list of players. Bailey and McElroy were highly prized recruits out of high school as was LB Herron. Alex Odiari was a high profile transfer from Oklahoma State--symbolizing the type of player that SMU was open to enrolling for the first time since the Death Penalty--and who was expected to provide a physical presence at linebacker. But Odiari never found his footing with the defensive coaches and saw very limited time in 2008.
There has been much said since the end of last season about the culture within the football program. In a widely circulated quote, June Jones remarked that he had never seen a weight room as empty during off hours as that in Ford Stadium. This statement openly questioned the commitment of some upperclassmen who it has been felt have become accustomed to and even okay with losing. Around the same time, another widely publicized quote by Bo Levi Mitchell indicated the he, as the team's starting quarterback, was not ok with the contented attitude of some upperclassmen. Such comments, and the subsequent actions by Coach Jones mentioned above, belie a new sentiment for SMU football. Mitchell was the starting quarterback for the 4A State Champion Katy Tigers in 2007-08 and has made it clear that he has brought that winning attitude with him to the Hilltop. It is thrilling, as a fan of SMU football, to see a salient figure make his voice heard so loudly in regards to the team's discipline and attitude towards success. One can only hope that it bodes well for the future.
Well, with that I will call it a post friends. Very soon (perhaps Friday) I will post about the Mustangs newest class of signees and how they could impact the team in 2009 and beyond. More frequent updates will begin again, I promise. So please return for more SMU football, baseball, beer, and perhaps even some politics!
Until next time, Pony Up!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Still Waiting for that Second Win
Does anyone find it odd that every single final score for the Mustangs this year has ended in 7? 27, 47, 7, 7, and 27 against Rice, Texas State, Texas Tech, TCU, and Tulane respectively. I was not really going anywhere with that, just thought it was interesting.
Other thing interesting things: the Mustangs were 2-12 on third down against Tulane last Thursday, but 2-2 on fourth down. Green Wave QB Kevin Moore had 2 fewer passing yards than Bo Levi Mitchell on 2 fewer completions with 20 fewer attempts.
The Run N Shoot is designed for short quick passes where the receiver makes plays after the catch (the unfortunately named statistic of YAC-Yards After Catch) and Mitchell's numbers seem to show what we have presumed all along and that commenters on Ponyfans need to remember: that June Jones is still installing his offense one game at a time. Mitchell seems to be getting into a rhythm. Remember that Hawaii QB Timmy Chang said that he did not fully get a grip on the offense until the end of his first season. Mitchell made strides in the second half against Tulane, leading the Mustangs on four scoring drives (2 FG in the 3rd quarter and 2 TD in the 4th quarter) to bring them to within one score while the defense finally showed flashes of brilliance and held the Green Wave offense to a single second half field goal.
Expect more from Mitchell this Saturday as the Mustangs travel to Orlando to play a seriously depleted (mostly by graduation) Central Florida team that gave up 58 points and 284 passing yards to a UTEP offense that has had problems getting off the ground and has lost to such luminaries as Buffalo and New Mexico State so far this season. If Mitchell and the receivers are finally on the same page, this could finally be the game where the offense breaks through and takes the pressure off of the defense.
June Jones teams are designed to rely on the offense to make quick scores throughout the game which allows the defense to play from ahead and be aggressive. When the offense is sputtering, the defense is on the field more and has to fall back to a cushion coverage defense instead of the aggressive, blitzing unit that Tom Mason has in mind. In other words, other than Texas State, the Mustangs have not been able to stick to their game plan this season. All rests on the offense performing well and if it fails to, this defense is simply not good enough to hold back the tide. We have seen this in the losses to Rice, Tech, and TCU.
But against a UCF offense that has not figured out its identity yet this season (24 points in an OT loss to South Florida is the high mark to this point), I would expect Tom Mason to finally unroll more blitz packages as the secondary should be able to defend against George O'Leary's offense. As has been the case almost every week so far, the Mustang linebackers will need to step up and help defend against the run this week or the quality of our secondary's defense will not be worth a Beta jersey at McCartney's (it's a greek joke...because Beta was, you know, kicked off campus...*cough*).
I do not usually do predictions (how's that 8-4 season prediction working out for you Ty?) because trying to foretell how this team will continue to develop is both frustrating and ultimately pointless since the first year of a rebuilding job is usually the diciest one. That being said, I'm going to predict that the Mustangs pull out win number 2 on the season: 38-21 over UCF.
Other thing interesting things: the Mustangs were 2-12 on third down against Tulane last Thursday, but 2-2 on fourth down. Green Wave QB Kevin Moore had 2 fewer passing yards than Bo Levi Mitchell on 2 fewer completions with 20 fewer attempts.
The Run N Shoot is designed for short quick passes where the receiver makes plays after the catch (the unfortunately named statistic of YAC-Yards After Catch) and Mitchell's numbers seem to show what we have presumed all along and that commenters on Ponyfans need to remember: that June Jones is still installing his offense one game at a time. Mitchell seems to be getting into a rhythm. Remember that Hawaii QB Timmy Chang said that he did not fully get a grip on the offense until the end of his first season. Mitchell made strides in the second half against Tulane, leading the Mustangs on four scoring drives (2 FG in the 3rd quarter and 2 TD in the 4th quarter) to bring them to within one score while the defense finally showed flashes of brilliance and held the Green Wave offense to a single second half field goal.
Expect more from Mitchell this Saturday as the Mustangs travel to Orlando to play a seriously depleted (mostly by graduation) Central Florida team that gave up 58 points and 284 passing yards to a UTEP offense that has had problems getting off the ground and has lost to such luminaries as Buffalo and New Mexico State so far this season. If Mitchell and the receivers are finally on the same page, this could finally be the game where the offense breaks through and takes the pressure off of the defense.
June Jones teams are designed to rely on the offense to make quick scores throughout the game which allows the defense to play from ahead and be aggressive. When the offense is sputtering, the defense is on the field more and has to fall back to a cushion coverage defense instead of the aggressive, blitzing unit that Tom Mason has in mind. In other words, other than Texas State, the Mustangs have not been able to stick to their game plan this season. All rests on the offense performing well and if it fails to, this defense is simply not good enough to hold back the tide. We have seen this in the losses to Rice, Tech, and TCU.
But against a UCF offense that has not figured out its identity yet this season (24 points in an OT loss to South Florida is the high mark to this point), I would expect Tom Mason to finally unroll more blitz packages as the secondary should be able to defend against George O'Leary's offense. As has been the case almost every week so far, the Mustang linebackers will need to step up and help defend against the run this week or the quality of our secondary's defense will not be worth a Beta jersey at McCartney's (it's a greek joke...because Beta was, you know, kicked off campus...*cough*).
I do not usually do predictions (how's that 8-4 season prediction working out for you Ty?) because trying to foretell how this team will continue to develop is both frustrating and ultimately pointless since the first year of a rebuilding job is usually the diciest one. That being said, I'm going to predict that the Mustangs pull out win number 2 on the season: 38-21 over UCF.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Texas State Recap and Other Notes
See? All we had to do is be patient and June Jones would reward us with a win. Granted the win was over FCS team Texas State and the Mustang defense still allowed 36 points and 465 yards of offense, but a win is a win and I'll take it.
Bo Levi Mitchell passed for 370 yards, had no interceptions and 5 (yes five) TD passes. Emanuel Sanders and Aldrick Robinson both had over 100 yards receiving and 3 and 2 TD catches respectively. As Sanders said after the game "It's going to be scary when we get better". So as in sync as the offense looked on Saturday, there is still room for improvement. Bo is still overthrowing a little and his timing with some receivers (like Wilkerson) is a bit off, but that will come with time. Sanders and Robinson also made him look good on some catches that were thrown down by the hip or short, but I also noticed that Bo Levi was throwing it away from the defenders: either a Mustang was going to catch it or no one was for the most part. This is markedly different from the second half against Rice when Bo floated too many passes and allowed himself to get careless in his decision making. Let's hope he shows further improvement next week becuase Texas Tech's backs are on a different level than those of Texas State.
Another interesting development, was the use of Justin Willis as an option-running QB on a couple short yardage situations in the first half. Are the Mustangs going to do the vogue thing and start instituting a direct snap formation too? Time will tell. I certainly support the idea as Justin was always a better runner than passer.
All in all, a good performance by the Mustangs. The defense still has a long way to go, but we in Pony Nation should keep in mind that this defense was never meant to shut down the other team's offense. Tom Mason's defense is designed to make aggressive plays and either force turnovers or allow big plays. While turnovers are of course preferred, the general concept is that any play that gets the offense back on the field that much faster is acceptable. This is a different style of defense than what we as fans were used to under Phil Bennett, where the idea was to stop the other team in its tracks (with varying degrees of success as Bennett's 18-52 record demonstrates). This type of defense takes an adjustment of expectations by us the fans. Big plays will happen, but we have to have faith in our offense, and so by extension June Jones, to keep us in the game.
In other news, the Astros took 2 of 3 from the Rockies over the weekend and are only 6 back in the Wild Card race. Hunter Pence continued his torrid pace, hitting his 21st home run on Saturday and Roy Oswalt threw a one hitter the same night. The bad news: Brandon Backe and Wandy Rodriguez both injured themselves. Better to have this happen after September callups when the roster is at 40 players I suppose, but it is still a rough break.
I also tried with Ty a beer I'd never had before call Steam Engine Amber. It proudly boasts on the can that it is the best American Style Amber Lager in the world. It had notes of fruit and an excellent nose to it. Very solid beer, but more research is necessary.
We'll have more entries this week as we face the spectre that is Texas Tech this weekend. Until then, go Mustangs and go Astros (and the Rangers too I guess).
Bo Levi Mitchell passed for 370 yards, had no interceptions and 5 (yes five) TD passes. Emanuel Sanders and Aldrick Robinson both had over 100 yards receiving and 3 and 2 TD catches respectively. As Sanders said after the game "It's going to be scary when we get better". So as in sync as the offense looked on Saturday, there is still room for improvement. Bo is still overthrowing a little and his timing with some receivers (like Wilkerson) is a bit off, but that will come with time. Sanders and Robinson also made him look good on some catches that were thrown down by the hip or short, but I also noticed that Bo Levi was throwing it away from the defenders: either a Mustang was going to catch it or no one was for the most part. This is markedly different from the second half against Rice when Bo floated too many passes and allowed himself to get careless in his decision making. Let's hope he shows further improvement next week becuase Texas Tech's backs are on a different level than those of Texas State.
Another interesting development, was the use of Justin Willis as an option-running QB on a couple short yardage situations in the first half. Are the Mustangs going to do the vogue thing and start instituting a direct snap formation too? Time will tell. I certainly support the idea as Justin was always a better runner than passer.
All in all, a good performance by the Mustangs. The defense still has a long way to go, but we in Pony Nation should keep in mind that this defense was never meant to shut down the other team's offense. Tom Mason's defense is designed to make aggressive plays and either force turnovers or allow big plays. While turnovers are of course preferred, the general concept is that any play that gets the offense back on the field that much faster is acceptable. This is a different style of defense than what we as fans were used to under Phil Bennett, where the idea was to stop the other team in its tracks (with varying degrees of success as Bennett's 18-52 record demonstrates). This type of defense takes an adjustment of expectations by us the fans. Big plays will happen, but we have to have faith in our offense, and so by extension June Jones, to keep us in the game.
In other news, the Astros took 2 of 3 from the Rockies over the weekend and are only 6 back in the Wild Card race. Hunter Pence continued his torrid pace, hitting his 21st home run on Saturday and Roy Oswalt threw a one hitter the same night. The bad news: Brandon Backe and Wandy Rodriguez both injured themselves. Better to have this happen after September callups when the roster is at 40 players I suppose, but it is still a rough break.
I also tried with Ty a beer I'd never had before call Steam Engine Amber. It proudly boasts on the can that it is the best American Style Amber Lager in the world. It had notes of fruit and an excellent nose to it. Very solid beer, but more research is necessary.
We'll have more entries this week as we face the spectre that is Texas Tech this weekend. Until then, go Mustangs and go Astros (and the Rangers too I guess).
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Only hours away...
Genuine giddiness and excitement have taken over. I'll barely be paying attention at work tomorrow. I'll likely be on ponyfans most of the day. The June Jones era begins Friday night on ESPN at 7pm.
I'll be watching with some friends on a big screen. Ty--because he's married to an Aggie--will be heading to College Station and will likely miss most of the first half. The poor bastard.
Anyway, we'll both have a recap of the game on either Sunday or Monday.
In unrelated news, the Astros beat the Reds Thursday and Roy Oswalt got the win. Now wins for pitchers is one of the most absurdly overrated stats in baseball (WHIP and K/9 innings are much better indicators of a pitcher's worth to his team), but Oswalt is 22-1 against the Reds in his career. Try and digest that for a moment: his record is not filled with no decisions...he's 22-1! That's utter domination.
Food for thought as we try not to watch the clock and count the minutes until kickoff.
I'll be watching with some friends on a big screen. Ty--because he's married to an Aggie--will be heading to College Station and will likely miss most of the first half. The poor bastard.
Anyway, we'll both have a recap of the game on either Sunday or Monday.
In unrelated news, the Astros beat the Reds Thursday and Roy Oswalt got the win. Now wins for pitchers is one of the most absurdly overrated stats in baseball (WHIP and K/9 innings are much better indicators of a pitcher's worth to his team), but Oswalt is 22-1 against the Reds in his career. Try and digest that for a moment: his record is not filled with no decisions...he's 22-1! That's utter domination.
Food for thought as we try not to watch the clock and count the minutes until kickoff.
Monday, August 25, 2008
The Ballad of June Jones
New York City comedy group and SMU alumni The Knuckleheads have a new song for the 2008 Ponies. Check them out at www.theknuckleheads.net 4 days...
Friday, August 22, 2008
Ty's Extra Special Season Preview
First of all let me commend my friend Irwin on the excellent and in depth post below mine, he dug deep looking at the ponies strength and weaknesses this year, but what he failed to to do....what he was too scared to do was give you a game by game prediction. Now Irwin, anybody can throw out random numbers that sound about right but that doesn't give us any fodder for the season when I can bash you for thinking Navy will be a loss. So without further adue Ty Webb's 2008 SMU Football prediction.
@ Rice- W now the ponies haven't beat the owls in many a year in H-Town but I feel it this year, even with an inexperienced Freshman QB and new system the Ponies take this one. It also helps that the entire owl team has decided to grow mustaches...while I commend them on this feat, all ponyfans know what this mean simple math will help me explain Owls = Mustache = Phil Bennett = Loss.
Tex St- W It's texas state, if i remember correctly they too were once handed the death penalty and were only brought back to life by Sinbad and the guy from Quantum Leap...they did have a nice Kicker though
@ Tech - L This will be the longest game in NCAA History, I think we'll be able to hang a little while but those 7ft 400 lb lineman Leach has been growing out there will prevent our D from really disrupting their O. I also predict that during this game due to the sheer volume of passes being thrown Mike Leach is hit in the eye by a ball but is not mad because he finally gets to wear an eyepatch for real
TCU-- W this might be my loyalty getting the best of me but i just can't pick the toads to beat us in Dallas. 3 years ago was one of the greatest games I've ever witnessed. 4 games into the new system I hope we are hitting on all cylinders
Tulane- W As long as June and the boys don't have too much fun the night before I see this is a win, why is this game on a weeknight, a perfectly good road trip wasted
@ UCF L we had to stumble some time and orlando is where it happens. The team is Bored into a loss here, yes they have disney but why go to florida if there is now beach
Tulsa -L we'll lose one at home and Tulsa is the team that will do it, they gotten better the past few years, we always play them well, but they take it this year.
Houston W --- I also hate Houston, everything about it the school, the football team, the city, the weather, the lack of any zoning, it doesn't help that I was once accosted at a Stop N Go there but I used my Superior intellect to both confuse and distract my accoster...anyways i don't know why everyone is fearing Houston this year, Close game but we take it.\
@ Navy W Wish I could go to this game, it will be a good game but the run and Shoot will be clicking at this point and we will tear up there secondary...they can run all day but the pass wins out today. Plus they lost Paul Johnson
Memphis W Its homecoming, It's Memphis that spell WIN. Love the music, Love the BBQ but today memphis will sing the blues
UTEP L I also dislike UTEP for some unknown reason, I don't think i've ever been to el paso and you know what....i'm fine with that, however the ponies have to go and it just won't be our day.
So Miss W Back at home a few days after thanksgiving and ponyfans finally have something to be thankful for our first Bowl invitation in 20 odd years.
So my regular season optimistic pure homer prediction is 8- 4
I will say though a lot of these games could go any way, but thats how it always goes for the ponies a play here or a play there, we're just not use to getting those plays here, it happens this year finally.
Pony Up
@ Rice- W now the ponies haven't beat the owls in many a year in H-Town but I feel it this year, even with an inexperienced Freshman QB and new system the Ponies take this one. It also helps that the entire owl team has decided to grow mustaches...while I commend them on this feat, all ponyfans know what this mean simple math will help me explain Owls = Mustache = Phil Bennett = Loss.
Tex St- W It's texas state, if i remember correctly they too were once handed the death penalty and were only brought back to life by Sinbad and the guy from Quantum Leap...they did have a nice Kicker though
@ Tech - L This will be the longest game in NCAA History, I think we'll be able to hang a little while but those 7ft 400 lb lineman Leach has been growing out there will prevent our D from really disrupting their O. I also predict that during this game due to the sheer volume of passes being thrown Mike Leach is hit in the eye by a ball but is not mad because he finally gets to wear an eyepatch for real
TCU-- W this might be my loyalty getting the best of me but i just can't pick the toads to beat us in Dallas. 3 years ago was one of the greatest games I've ever witnessed. 4 games into the new system I hope we are hitting on all cylinders
Tulane- W As long as June and the boys don't have too much fun the night before I see this is a win, why is this game on a weeknight, a perfectly good road trip wasted
@ UCF L we had to stumble some time and orlando is where it happens. The team is Bored into a loss here, yes they have disney but why go to florida if there is now beach
Tulsa -L we'll lose one at home and Tulsa is the team that will do it, they gotten better the past few years, we always play them well, but they take it this year.
Houston W --- I also hate Houston, everything about it the school, the football team, the city, the weather, the lack of any zoning, it doesn't help that I was once accosted at a Stop N Go there but I used my Superior intellect to both confuse and distract my accoster...anyways i don't know why everyone is fearing Houston this year, Close game but we take it.\
@ Navy W Wish I could go to this game, it will be a good game but the run and Shoot will be clicking at this point and we will tear up there secondary...they can run all day but the pass wins out today. Plus they lost Paul Johnson
Memphis W Its homecoming, It's Memphis that spell WIN. Love the music, Love the BBQ but today memphis will sing the blues
UTEP L I also dislike UTEP for some unknown reason, I don't think i've ever been to el paso and you know what....i'm fine with that, however the ponies have to go and it just won't be our day.
So Miss W Back at home a few days after thanksgiving and ponyfans finally have something to be thankful for our first Bowl invitation in 20 odd years.
So my regular season optimistic pure homer prediction is 8- 4
I will say though a lot of these games could go any way, but thats how it always goes for the ponies a play here or a play there, we're just not use to getting those plays here, it happens this year finally.
Pony Up
Thursday, August 21, 2008
2008 Season Preview
Yesterday was the Annual Kickoff Luncheon at the massive Hilton Anatole, south of downtown. I did not get to attend because of work and because I do not have the same connections and know how that Ty does. But that certainly will not prevent me from talking up the luncheon, analyzing the depth chart and previewing the upcoming season.
There was a feeling of genuine excitement for the upcoming season (this I gleaned from listening to the audio) and with new uniforms (available here: http://smumustangs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/070208aaa.html, though I hear they look better in person), new personnel, new schemes on both sides of the ball, and a new coach it is not hard to understand why things are looking up in Pony nation. June Jones has mentioned several times that this year is a stepping stone. It would be, in my opinion, unreasonable for us Pony fans to expect a 9-3 team to emerge this coming year. The schedule features difficult road games (Navy in Annapolis in October? ouch) and matchups against teams that we haven't quite figured out how to play against (e.g. Tech).
There is also going to be lots of freshmen getting regular playing time; not the least of whom is Bo Levi Mitchell at QB.
Just prior to the luncheon yesterday, Jones and his coaching staff released his first depth chart (available here: http://www.ponyfans.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=33874). Notable as much for the names not on it as for those that are, this first glance at the rotations on both sides of the ball give us insight into what kind of player JJ and his staff favor and who is making the most progress in position development. June Jones is definitely a coach who believes in the players he brings in. This combined, with the Mustangs lack of depth at some positions (ahem, O-line) means that lots of true freshmen and players coming off of red shirt years will be thrust into starting roles.
DeMyron Martin and Andrew McKinney are both large for tailbacks and will be good blockers out of the backfield for Mitchell. They will both be an asset for an offensive line that faces a steep learning curve (I'll get to that in a minute). DeMyron has good enough hands and speed to move into the slot receiver position on occasion too.
Sean Lobo and Mitch Enright will be returning at LG and Center respectively. They should provide a steady, experienced influence on the other three positions. Josh LeRibeus should get good time behind Lobo and freshmen Zach Boyd should get lots of time backing up the inexperienced Bryce Tennison at RG in what may turn into a platoon situation as the season progresses. The tackles are intriguing in that Tommy Poynter barely beat out Kelvin Beachum Jr. for the LT position while converted TE Vincent Chase (who has hopefully bulked up in the off season) will try to anchor the right side of the line. Both ends of the line will have to capitalize on the experience they get early in the season from lesser opponents Rice and Texas State before meetings with physically more gifted defensive teams in Texas Tech, TCU, UCF and UH.
The receiving corps is not surprising. Emmanuel Sanders should continue his ascent to greatness in June Jones's pass happy Run N' Shoot offense. Aldrick Robinson will get his first serious playing time this year and should develop into a nice target for Bo Levi Mitchell. Personally, I would like to see E.J. Drewery (all 6-6, 210 lbs. of him) get some time in at receiver. His height gives him a built in advantage over half of the defensive backs in Conference USA. He is not listed on the depth chart currently, and this could be that the coaching staff believes that he needs some seasoning. But I would love to see him get playing time during the season to see what he can do.
On defense, the line was weakened by the graduation of Corey Muse. The starters on each end this year--Anthony Sowe and Adrian Dizer--will have a tall order against teams like Tech whose offensive linemen average 300 lbs. and provide a nearly impenetrable wall for Graham Harrell. Serge Elizee, who was a beast already, according to reports has made even more of his 300 lb. frame into muscle. Elizee, who will be lining up next to Patrick Handy at DT, gained lots of experience last year and I expect him to be the anchor on defense. Youri Yenga, who I think is better fit at LB due to his size, will be switching out with Dizer on one end while freshman Taylor Thompson will back up Sowe. Thompson was a TE in high school and his position on the depth chart speaks once again to the Ponies' lack of depth up front.
Will Bonilla will lead the linebackers from the strong side. Bonilla is slightly undersize for a LB, but his speed, instincts, and ability to finish tackles put him on the watch list for the Butkus Award this season. Justin Smart, who filled in at DE during the injury filled season last year, has moved back to his natural position of MLB. Jason Jackson mans the weakside on the first team. Julian Herron, Pete Fleps, and OSU transfer Alex Odiari should get into lots of games too at LB.
For the first time in years, the secondary has a chance to be a strength for SMU. Brian McCann looks to continue his development as a great coverage corner while Derrius Bell will be the other starting DB. McCann has been mentioned as one of the players with NFL quality talent on this team and his natural ability (the fumbled pick 6 last year not withstanding) has never been in doubt. McCann does need to improve his tackling though as far too many receivers were able to slip out of his grasp last year. Rock Dennis, who missed last year due to injury, will be able to provide coverage help to McCann and Bell that was missing last year. True freshman Chris Banjo should get into games at Free Safety behind starter Tyler Jones. Banjo was one of JJ's prime recruiting pickups in February.
Finally special teams (yes I am going for longest post ever). Thomas Morstead, who is already being looked at by NFL scouts, will handle punting and placekicking duties again this year. With June Jones's habitual dislike of punting, he may not amass as many attempts as last season (and who really wants him to?), but hopefully he will make up for this by increasing the amount of extra points he has to kick. Kellis Cunningham will handle kickoffs again while Jesse Henderson will be the prime kick returner. Punt returns, which were handled occasionally by Emmanuel "I don't know how to call a fair catch" Sanders last season, will be taken by Cole Beasely and Bryan McCann. Coach Frank Gansz has emphasized improved blocking and coverage on punts and kickoffs in spring and fall practice. I think our special teams will be improved based purely upon the fact that we finally have a coach who is devoted to special teams play. That also means no swinging gate for you Phil Bennett fans out there.
So the schedule: Rice and Texas State are both very beatable. Texas Tech has always given the Mustangs problems. It's been joked about several times how that game may be 7 hours long due to all the passing. TCU is winnable, but the Ponies will have to play mistake free football, which is something they could not do in Ft. Worth last year. Tulane is also a winnable game with the same caveat as TCU. UCF, Tulsa, UH, and Navy will prove to be a very rough stretch. Houston has lost most of their starters and will have a weaker offense than last year, but the Cougars remain dangerous defensively. The Mustangs face Memphis in Dallas this year and I expect revenge for last year's OT let down. UTEP has taken backwards steps in consecutive seasons under Mike Price, but remain dangerous on both sides of the ball against a young team such as the Mustangs. Southern Miss is a similar situation to UTEP: talented players that can maul an inexperienced opponent, but also a team coming off of a disappointing season and, in this case, with a new coach.
I predict a 5-7 season and a solid first year for Coach June Jones.
There was a feeling of genuine excitement for the upcoming season (this I gleaned from listening to the audio) and with new uniforms (available here: http://smumustangs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/070208aaa.html, though I hear they look better in person), new personnel, new schemes on both sides of the ball, and a new coach it is not hard to understand why things are looking up in Pony nation. June Jones has mentioned several times that this year is a stepping stone. It would be, in my opinion, unreasonable for us Pony fans to expect a 9-3 team to emerge this coming year. The schedule features difficult road games (Navy in Annapolis in October? ouch) and matchups against teams that we haven't quite figured out how to play against (e.g. Tech).
There is also going to be lots of freshmen getting regular playing time; not the least of whom is Bo Levi Mitchell at QB.
Just prior to the luncheon yesterday, Jones and his coaching staff released his first depth chart (available here: http://www.ponyfans.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=33874). Notable as much for the names not on it as for those that are, this first glance at the rotations on both sides of the ball give us insight into what kind of player JJ and his staff favor and who is making the most progress in position development. June Jones is definitely a coach who believes in the players he brings in. This combined, with the Mustangs lack of depth at some positions (ahem, O-line) means that lots of true freshmen and players coming off of red shirt years will be thrust into starting roles.
DeMyron Martin and Andrew McKinney are both large for tailbacks and will be good blockers out of the backfield for Mitchell. They will both be an asset for an offensive line that faces a steep learning curve (I'll get to that in a minute). DeMyron has good enough hands and speed to move into the slot receiver position on occasion too.
Sean Lobo and Mitch Enright will be returning at LG and Center respectively. They should provide a steady, experienced influence on the other three positions. Josh LeRibeus should get good time behind Lobo and freshmen Zach Boyd should get lots of time backing up the inexperienced Bryce Tennison at RG in what may turn into a platoon situation as the season progresses. The tackles are intriguing in that Tommy Poynter barely beat out Kelvin Beachum Jr. for the LT position while converted TE Vincent Chase (who has hopefully bulked up in the off season) will try to anchor the right side of the line. Both ends of the line will have to capitalize on the experience they get early in the season from lesser opponents Rice and Texas State before meetings with physically more gifted defensive teams in Texas Tech, TCU, UCF and UH.
The receiving corps is not surprising. Emmanuel Sanders should continue his ascent to greatness in June Jones's pass happy Run N' Shoot offense. Aldrick Robinson will get his first serious playing time this year and should develop into a nice target for Bo Levi Mitchell. Personally, I would like to see E.J. Drewery (all 6-6, 210 lbs. of him) get some time in at receiver. His height gives him a built in advantage over half of the defensive backs in Conference USA. He is not listed on the depth chart currently, and this could be that the coaching staff believes that he needs some seasoning. But I would love to see him get playing time during the season to see what he can do.
On defense, the line was weakened by the graduation of Corey Muse. The starters on each end this year--Anthony Sowe and Adrian Dizer--will have a tall order against teams like Tech whose offensive linemen average 300 lbs. and provide a nearly impenetrable wall for Graham Harrell. Serge Elizee, who was a beast already, according to reports has made even more of his 300 lb. frame into muscle. Elizee, who will be lining up next to Patrick Handy at DT, gained lots of experience last year and I expect him to be the anchor on defense. Youri Yenga, who I think is better fit at LB due to his size, will be switching out with Dizer on one end while freshman Taylor Thompson will back up Sowe. Thompson was a TE in high school and his position on the depth chart speaks once again to the Ponies' lack of depth up front.
Will Bonilla will lead the linebackers from the strong side. Bonilla is slightly undersize for a LB, but his speed, instincts, and ability to finish tackles put him on the watch list for the Butkus Award this season. Justin Smart, who filled in at DE during the injury filled season last year, has moved back to his natural position of MLB. Jason Jackson mans the weakside on the first team. Julian Herron, Pete Fleps, and OSU transfer Alex Odiari should get into lots of games too at LB.
For the first time in years, the secondary has a chance to be a strength for SMU. Brian McCann looks to continue his development as a great coverage corner while Derrius Bell will be the other starting DB. McCann has been mentioned as one of the players with NFL quality talent on this team and his natural ability (the fumbled pick 6 last year not withstanding) has never been in doubt. McCann does need to improve his tackling though as far too many receivers were able to slip out of his grasp last year. Rock Dennis, who missed last year due to injury, will be able to provide coverage help to McCann and Bell that was missing last year. True freshman Chris Banjo should get into games at Free Safety behind starter Tyler Jones. Banjo was one of JJ's prime recruiting pickups in February.
Finally special teams (yes I am going for longest post ever). Thomas Morstead, who is already being looked at by NFL scouts, will handle punting and placekicking duties again this year. With June Jones's habitual dislike of punting, he may not amass as many attempts as last season (and who really wants him to?), but hopefully he will make up for this by increasing the amount of extra points he has to kick. Kellis Cunningham will handle kickoffs again while Jesse Henderson will be the prime kick returner. Punt returns, which were handled occasionally by Emmanuel "I don't know how to call a fair catch" Sanders last season, will be taken by Cole Beasely and Bryan McCann. Coach Frank Gansz has emphasized improved blocking and coverage on punts and kickoffs in spring and fall practice. I think our special teams will be improved based purely upon the fact that we finally have a coach who is devoted to special teams play. That also means no swinging gate for you Phil Bennett fans out there.
So the schedule: Rice and Texas State are both very beatable. Texas Tech has always given the Mustangs problems. It's been joked about several times how that game may be 7 hours long due to all the passing. TCU is winnable, but the Ponies will have to play mistake free football, which is something they could not do in Ft. Worth last year. Tulane is also a winnable game with the same caveat as TCU. UCF, Tulsa, UH, and Navy will prove to be a very rough stretch. Houston has lost most of their starters and will have a weaker offense than last year, but the Cougars remain dangerous defensively. The Mustangs face Memphis in Dallas this year and I expect revenge for last year's OT let down. UTEP has taken backwards steps in consecutive seasons under Mike Price, but remain dangerous on both sides of the ball against a young team such as the Mustangs. Southern Miss is a similar situation to UTEP: talented players that can maul an inexperienced opponent, but also a team coming off of a disappointing season and, in this case, with a new coach.
I predict a 5-7 season and a solid first year for Coach June Jones.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Bo Levi to start against Rice?
It's not exactly set in stone yet--though Quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison went as far as saying that Bo was #1 and Braden Smith was #2--but June Jones announced today that Bo Levi Mitchell will be competing against Smith for the starting QB position. Which one of them will be lining up under center on August 29 against Rice? More than likely Bo Levi, given the amount of repetitions he's been getting in practice the past few days and the fact that he is JJ's 'guy' (he decommitted from Hawaii and followed JJ to SMU in January).
I think this has been in the back of most pony fans minds since July, but to actually see Justin Willis--he of a 7-15 record as a starter but also with 51 TD passes--relegated to third on the depth chart behind two true freshmen is still quite shocking. I think most of Mustang Nation expected Bo Levi to get his looks but that the orthodoxy of a returning and successful starter in JW to get the final nod. This clears up any misconceptions that there may have been that June Jones would sacrifice his judgment for that of the previous regime's.
We'll have more posts on this and the upcoming season soon; including a much delayed post about the new uniforms, which Ty will tackle after the annual football kickoff luncheon on August 20.
I think this has been in the back of most pony fans minds since July, but to actually see Justin Willis--he of a 7-15 record as a starter but also with 51 TD passes--relegated to third on the depth chart behind two true freshmen is still quite shocking. I think most of Mustang Nation expected Bo Levi to get his looks but that the orthodoxy of a returning and successful starter in JW to get the final nod. This clears up any misconceptions that there may have been that June Jones would sacrifice his judgment for that of the previous regime's.
We'll have more posts on this and the upcoming season soon; including a much delayed post about the new uniforms, which Ty will tackle after the annual football kickoff luncheon on August 20.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
T- Minus 17 days
So football season is getting closer and closer, and I'll be honest my man parts are tingly....but not in a gay way. SMU football Kicks off the kickoff of the June Jones era on a Friday Night in Houston in front of a national audience on ESPN. This makes me nervous, while I have no doubt that June is the man to turn the good ship Mustang around; introducing a new system that is very different with either a never played a down of college football QB or one that throws his helmet and missed spring practice is a little nerve racking. This is sort of like the ponies coming out party (think China's opening ceremony not a the difficult conversation between a horned frog and his parents) there hasn't been this much press about the ponies since the death penalty, and this time it's good! So with all the positive talk I'm a little nervous that we fall on our face, don't get me wrong I'm hopeful but in the pit of my stomach I worry, call it pony syndrome but I've been a fan for too long and I know what it feels like to get the rug yanked out from under me year after year. We haven't beaten rice in Houston since '84, we haven't won an opener since KU in 2000, but of course that was before the Age of June. So I can't wait to see how this all unfolds, new coach, new uni's (all hail the white helmet), new year...I believe....June Cometh!
go ponies
go ponies
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Can I see the future?
Probably not. But I did have a dream last night about the upcoming football season (Ponies kickoff against Rice in Houston on ESPN August 29).
In my dream, the Mustangs were playing some faceless, nameless team that was probably Texas Tech. The team was on the field in the now old red uniforms of the the last few years and Justin Willis was at QB.....but without a helmet. I was in the stands yelling "Justin, where's your helmet?"
Willis completed a couple of passes and Emmanuel Sanders fumbled one of the catches out of bounds as he was getting tackled near the goal line. Some small running back had a great break up the middle (Chris Butler perhaps?) Meanwhile, June Jones was lying down on the sideline on a bed while sleepily reading the plays out to the assistant coaches to send in.
It was a bizarre, frustrating dream. And we lost 37-6 (which also made me think it was Tech that we were playing).
For the sake of our sanity and the upcoming season, let's hope my dream stemmed less from any insight I may have in the future and more from the Grolsch I was drinking last night.
In my dream, the Mustangs were playing some faceless, nameless team that was probably Texas Tech. The team was on the field in the now old red uniforms of the the last few years and Justin Willis was at QB.....but without a helmet. I was in the stands yelling "Justin, where's your helmet?"
Willis completed a couple of passes and Emmanuel Sanders fumbled one of the catches out of bounds as he was getting tackled near the goal line. Some small running back had a great break up the middle (Chris Butler perhaps?) Meanwhile, June Jones was lying down on the sideline on a bed while sleepily reading the plays out to the assistant coaches to send in.
It was a bizarre, frustrating dream. And we lost 37-6 (which also made me think it was Tech that we were playing).
For the sake of our sanity and the upcoming season, let's hope my dream stemmed less from any insight I may have in the future and more from the Grolsch I was drinking last night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
