SMU Mustangs
Conference USA
SMU has been wildly inconsistent during the 2011 campaign. And this is team that is not doing what one would normally expect from a June Jones coached squad. Yet, the bottom line is the Mustangs are winning games more often than not and that is enough to get them into the postseason. Some of the losses have been bad as the offense has struggled to do much of anything against some of the better teams in Conference USA, but there is also a win against TCU on the schedule and that is a huge win.
2011 Record: 7-5, 5-3
Last Bowl Appearance: 2010 Armed Forces Bowl vs. Army (L 14-16)
Big Wins: 10/1 at TCU (40-33), 10/15 UCF (38-17)
Bad Losses: 10/22 at Southern Miss (3-27), 11/12 Navy (17-24)
Coach: June Jones (23-28 at SMU, 99-69 overall)
Bowl Record: 1-1 at SMU, 5-3 overall
Offensive Coordinator: June Jones
Defensive Coordinator: Tom Mason
Strengths:
When one thinks of Coach Jones, defense is not the first thing that comes to mind. But it is the defense that has done enough to give the Mustangs offense an opportunity to win games. They just do not always take advantage of those opportunities. The fine play of the defense starts up front where Taylor Thompson has emerged as a fine pass rushing threat and nose tackle Marquis Frazier has done a good job getting consistent pressure up the middle. With linebacker Ja’Gared Davis, who is also very effective dropping back in coverage, occasionally joining the pass rush, SMU will spend a lot of time in the opposing backfield. Linebacker Taylor Reed is the leader of the defense and is having another fine season. The secondary will not make a lot of big plays and they rarely pick off passes, but they are a steady and experienced group that will not give up large chunks of yards very often.
Weaknesses:
The offense is not bad; they just do not live up to what we have come to expect from Coach Jones’ run and shoot offense. Quarterback Kyle Padron was pretty quickly benched in 2011 even though he passed for 3,828 yards and 31 touchdowns a year ago. J.J. McDermott has taken over under center. While he tallied some big passing numbers, McDermott has not been very efficient in the passing game. The interception numbers are way too high, and on a team that will not create too many turnovers, that is a big problem. SMU cannot afford to give the opposition extra possessions much of the time, but that is exactly what they do. The ground game looks pretty good with Zach Line rushing for over 1,200 yards for the second straight year. However, he is the only player on the team who runs with the ball. There is simply no depth behind him and a late season foot injury could force SMU to find another running back if Line struggles to return to form. That is the one place where the Mustangs cannot afford an injury and Line needs to be at 100 percent heading into the bowl game.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Zach Line, RB, 1,224 yards
Passing: J.J. McDermott, QB, 3,182 yards
Receiving: Darius Johnson, WR, 998 yards
Tackles: Taylor Reed, LB, 93
Sacks: Taylor Thompson, DE, 7.0
Interceptions: Richard Crawford, CB, 2; Ja’Gared Davis, LB, 2
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 118.17 (99th in nation, 10th in conference)
Passing Offense: 277.83 (22, 3)
Total Offense: 396.00 (53, 5)
Scoring Offense: 25.67 (70, 7)
Rushing Defense: 127.33 (33, 3)
Pass Defense: 223.92 (58, 5)
Total Defense: 351.25 (38, 3)
Scoring Defense: 24.50 (54, 4)
Turnover Margin: -1.42 (120, 12)
Sacks: 2.17 (38, 2)
Sacks Allowed: 2.25 (80, 9)
