DMN Loss has to rank among SMU's worst

[OldTimer]

Loss has to rank among SMU's worst

11:42 PM CDT on Saturday, September 9, 2006

DENTON – Identifying the worst loss in SMU football history is a difficult task.

The alumni wanted coach Ray Morrison's head after the Mustangs lost the first game in school history – at TCU in 1915. That 146-3 loss to Rice a year later went over badly.

North Texas 24, SMU 6

UNT shuts down SMU

Fraley: Loss has to rank among SMU's worst

Injury limits Ponies

UNT QB strong in relief

Summary

More: SMU | UNT

About as badly as SMU's flat performance Saturday night at Fouts Field.

If a 24-6 loss to North Texas wasn't the lowest on-the-field moment in SMU football history, it ranks among the darkest of days. Dark enough to put coach Phil Bennett's job in jeopardy.

A team that seemed to be on the verge of progressing took a huge step backward and is 0-2 by a score of 59-9 while making mistakes by the score.

Time to table the bowl talk.

"With the way we finished last year and the way our two-a-days went ...," said wide receiver Reynaldo Pellerin, still in shock well after the game. "I can't imagine any loss."

SMU had no imagination on offense and made mistakes on special teams. The defense hung together until UNT quarterback Woody Wilson scored in the third quarter on a 33-yard run when flushed from the pocket.

These are the type of losses that snowball.

"We've got to get it back on track," said Bennett, undaunted in the face of a numbing defeat. "Do I think our season is over? Absolutely not."

It cannot be, if Bennett wants to return.

His new boss, Steve Orsini, wants to see success in a hurry. Orsini did not hire Bennett and would have little difficulty dispatching him if the bottom falls out.

Orsini showed no emotion as he walked away from the wreck.

This was the first must-win game for Bennett at SMU.

UNT was the most reasonable nonconference opponent for SMU since Bennett debuted against Navy in 2002. There was a realistic chance of SMU getting through the first month in good shape. In Bennett's four previous seasons, SMU went 2-15 against a mostly brutal nonconference schedule in the opening month.

Bennett, a likable man of high integrity and energy, has brought in better players. They are bigger, faster and stronger. None has been picked up in a careening car with a gun on his lap.

This was an opportunity game in that it gave SMU a stage to demonstrate its progress. The Mustangs responded so poorly that Sam Houston State is no sure-thing in next Saturday's home opener.

"Absolutely, it's a step backward," Bennett said. "It has to be."

His team was wanting in every area.

SMU showed no poise.

As UNT took control of the game in the second half, the Mustangs went to pieces. SMU took four major penalties, including two personal fouls, in the second half. The Mustangs had eight penalties in each of the first two games. That speaks to a lack of discipline.

The coaching must share the blame.

Bennett does not have a special-teams coach. He prefers to spread the kicking-game responsibilities around the staff.

The Towel of Babel way is never a good idea.

UNT scored 90 seconds into the game on a blocked punt by Evan Robertson. SMU also had two penalties on returns and a bad snap on its missed conversion.

SMU has allowed five blocked punts in its last 13 games. That is not good.

The offense is a bigger problem.

The Mustangs have scored nine points in 23 possessions this season. At this pace, SMU would finish with 54 points. In the last eight years, the lowest points total in Division I is 87, by South Carolina in 1999.

SMU lost a big piece of its attack when running back DeMyron Martin went out in the first half because of a foot injury. The passing game designed by offensive coordinator Rusty Burns is a mishmash of slowly developing plays and high-risk, low-reward throws.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Willis completed 15 of 19 throws for 112 yards. It's hardly worth throwing when a completion has an average gain of fewer than eight yards.

Bennett said he believes this team can be fixed. He also said, "I might be crazy." In this situation, that can only help.

E-mail gfraley@dallasnews.com

[NT91]

DMN.. all SMU nothing much about NT!

[TIgreen01]

I was pretty disappointed with the DMN coverage today. Two days after putting this game on the cover of Sports Day in an article that hyped this game as a rivalry game....they hit us with this crap about the loss being almost as bad as a 146-3 loss to Rice in the 1910's-20's? WTF! SMU was a 5 point favorite!....all indications were that this game could go either way....stupid DMN.....

Is the DRC any better?

[ADLER]

It may be SMU's worst loss in history.

Maybe North Texas can change that for them next season.

[CalallenStang]

It may be SMU's worst loss in history.

Maybe North Texas can change that for them next season.

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When we have a new coach, hopefully.

[GreenBat]

Gerry Fraley is just a FAT PIECE OF CRAP in a Hawaiian shirt. He knows nothing about football or COLLEGE SPORTS in general. He has some HSO's on baseball, but most of those suck as well.

Forget Fraley!

[untwillrise]

i dont think smu's coach is bad, UNT just made the palys while smu dint't. dropped passes bad blocking and an injury.

[Tramp96]

Don't take anything Fraley writes seriously. He's a no-talent hack who is a big SMU fan.

The DMN is sending him packing soon anyway. Good riddance.

[Mean'n'Green07]

When we have a new coach, hopefully.

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I'd like to introduce SMU to the word irony.

I remember they made fun of us on ponyfans.com because we stated how huge this game was for us. They said we weren't even close to being rivals with them and this game meant nothing to them. Low and behold, after we win this is the WORST LOSS IN SMU HISTORY.

Poor SMU, this was supposed to be just another trivial OOC game.

[firethecoachpony]

i dont think smu's coach is bad, UNT just made the palys while smu dint't. dropped passes bad blocking and an injury.

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No. Every game SMU doesn't make the plays. We have a blocked punt damn near every game, yet Bennett does not keep a special teams coach on staff. He needs to go. Thankfully we are rid of AD Copeland who was worthless and now have an AD concerned with winning: Orsini.

[SouthernMustang]

UNT flat-out wanted it more. The talent levels at these schools are pretty even if you're going to look at through recruiting rankings. There's really not a whole lot of objective ways to look at talent, but it's not like either school has a huge advantage over the other.

Bennett has shown this type of preparation over and over. See Tulane last year. See UTEP 2 years ago when they had lost to a D-1AA team the week before. See Navy his first year. It's horrible. The special teams were MISERABLE but he still doesn't feel that it's necessary to hire a Special Teams coach.

Bennett won't last. SMU will lose to SHSU next week, and lose to Arkansas State the week after that. Graham has Rice looking like a decent team as they scared the hell out of UH and hung tight with UCLA yesterday. Tulane killed SMU last year in one of the worst seasons ever for them under awful circumstances. We are their first game back in the Superdome. They will probably hang 50 on us.

SMU scored 3 points on a Tech Team team that UTEP lit up... Tech's defense was exposed, and our offense was exposed.

SMU sucks... if SMU lost this game 24-20 or 24-17 even, you would not see this kind of reaction. SMU didn't compete. SMU didn't want it. And the SMU coaching staff's complete lack of preparation was obvious.

I honestly hope SMU drops these next 2 games so that Orsini can actually start looking at potential hires before all the other schools looking to make changes grab up coaches.

[Mean'n'Green07]

There's really not a whole lot of objective ways to look at talent, but it's not like either school has a huge advantage over the other.

Bennett won't last. SMU will lose to SHSU next week, and lose to Arkansas State the week after that.

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In my opinion SMU has a huge recruiting advantage. A private, top tier university with a better stadium and much larger endowment.

Fans on both message boards are over critical because they are so passionate about their school. Seems like Bennet has been slowly making SMU a better program. Hell, we've had a coach who's taken us to 4 bowl games and up until 2 days ago the majority of posters on here wanted him fired. One loss/win won't make or break any teams long term success. Take a deep breath and enjoy the rest of your season, there's still alot of football left to play.

Edited September 10, 2006 by Mean'n'Green07

[SouthernMustang]

Hell, we've had a coach who's taken us to 4 bowl games and up until 2 days ago the majority of posters on here wanted him fired. One loss/win won't make or break any teams long term success. Take a deep breath and enjoy the rest of your season, there's still alot of football left to play.

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Bennett has taken SMU to 0 bowls. 3-9, 0-12, 3-8, 5-6. 0-2 to start out 2006. The year before Bennett was here, the team was competitive against NCSU, UNC, and lost in OT to Hawaii and went 4-7.

Different verse, same song. If UNT lost to SMU 24-6, you would realize that your team would not compete against the rest of the teams on your slate. If SMU can't keep it close with UNT, they will not beat UAB, UH, Tulsa, UTEP, or Marshall. And considering ECU, Rice, and Tulane are on the road -- I'm willing to wager those are droppable games.

Time to start over and hire a splash like Orsini did with Matt Doherty. Maybe give Rick Neuheisel a call and see if he wants to start over, or Butch Davis even.

I really am not that concerned with how SMU does. I'll support them and go to some games, but I'm not stupid to believe the hype that comes out of Bennett's mouth. Genuinely believing in SMU each year to perform like a well-prepared football team is like never expecting to get burnt when you keep putting your hands on the stove.

[DeepGreen]

SMU sucks... if SMU lost this game 24-20 or 24-17 even, you would not see this kind of reaction. SMU didn't compete. SMU didn't want it. And the SMU coaching staff's complete lack of preparation was obvious.

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I'm not taking up for SMU or Coach Bennett, but exactly how does a staff prepare a team (SMU) to take on NT, who the week before were outplayed, outclassed, outscored the week before? I mean, with the exception of one scoring drive, nothing stood out against Texas.

NT won last night. Good crowd, good college football atmosphere, and not riots. I just hope SMU keeps an open mind in scheduling NT more often and not use this loss as a means of killing future games. Both schools need attendance and a local rivalty game. Tcu need to be in the mix too.

[meangreenfreak]

I just hope SMU keeps an open mind in scheduling NT more often and not use this loss as a means of killing future games. Both schools need attendance and a local rivalty game. Tcu need to be in the mix too.

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