1st and Ten –
Cheer, Cheer for ‘ol Phil Bennett – After the hockey lockout
ended, ESPN radio host Erik Kuselias went on a crusade of sorts
to ‘adopt’ a hockey team. After long consideration, he settled
on the Anaheim Mighty Ducks for a combination of reasons. Well,
if you find yourself wanting to go on a similar trek for a
college football team/coach to latch onto, take a look at Phil
Bennett and his SMU Mustangs, a Cinderella story if there ever
was one. Bennett’s tenure at SMU hadn’t been fruitful, as it
pertained to W’s in his first three years as head coach, but his
hard work laid the foundation for the 2005 season, when the
Mustangs registered the most wins the program’s had in eight
seasons. But, it’s the way that Bennett has done it, fighting
through adversity that would’ve taken down an ordinary man,
along the way. The SMU head man has been raising his two kids
on his own (he lost his wife to a freak lightning accident when
he was at Kansas State), all the while shaping the Mustang
program the way that he felt would make SMU alums proud. He
fostered relationships with as many high school coaches that he
could, from the head man at a power like Southlake Carroll to
the assistant coach of the freshmen “B” team at a school in west
Texas. He’s gained the trust of those men throughout his time
in Dallas, and it’s starting to pay huge dividends. You don’t
get attitude or arrogance with Bennett – you get humility, heart
and courage. And, that’s how his team plays. Now that the
talent level is rising to match the technique and discipline
that Bennett has worked to instill, the Mustangs have become
extremely dangerous in CUSA. The Ponies haven’t been to a bowl
game since before the, uh, the, well, the (whisper) death
penalty, but it may happen soon with Bennett in town. And, it
couldn’t happen to a better coach, and an even better man. When
you ‘adopt’ him, he’ll make you proud.
2nd and Seven –
Settled on a QB? Uh, nope – After so much upheaval at the
quarterback position since the departure of David Page in 2001,
the Mustangs finally found a relatively consistent role player
in Jerad Romo. He wasn’t fabulous, but he won games, unlike his
predecessors. The former, yes former, so you know where this is
going, former Mustang QB helped lead SMU to five wins, including
an upset over TCU, who finished the season with only one loss.
But, Romo’s departure leaves the position wide open to
interpretation, and a potential step backwards, which isn’t
saying much considering how little the offense produced last
season. Justin Willis, Eric Johnson and Corey Slater haven’t
played one down at the QB position and Chris Phillips hasn’t
been healthy enough to play more downs, so he could change
positions. Willis has a tenuous hold on the position and came
to SMU with some serious hype, but putting it on the field is a
different story altogether.
3rd and Three –
Not your every day Joe – For as much that has changed
with the SMU secondary, the one constant is safety Joe
Sturdivant. The second team All-CUSA honoree led the Mustangs
with 112 tackles and is all over the field. All the time. It
might be cliché, in a sense, when talking about Sturdivant, but
he’s a football player - tough, gritty, watches film
incessantly, the proverbial coach on the field. Bennett prides
himself on having a strong defense, and with Sturdivant in the
lineup, he can feel good about the product
he’s putting on the field.
4th and One –
DeMyron is DeRunning – SMU has had its share of good running
backs, wouldn’t you say? Well, it shouldn’t surprise you that
they’ve got another one who’s on his way to being an All-CUSA
star very soon. DeMyron Martin got everyone’s attention last
season with four hundred yard games that led to freshman
All-American honors. With a year under his belt and some
talented youngsters behind him, don’t be surprised to see Martin
used in different ways this year. Martin is a good blend of
power, speed and vision and can pick ‘em up and lay ‘em down in
the open field. Dickerson and James he may not be just yet, but
Reggie Dupard better look out.