The SMU Mustangs have reached the midway point of their season, and it hasn’t been pretty. The team has been outscored 288-39 in its six losses, and has barely looked competitive at any point in the year. So, without further adieu, here is the Mustangs’ midseason report card. Spoiler alert: very few passing grades were handed out.
Quarterbacks: D+
The quarterback position has been a revolving door for the Mustangs this year, with none of the options inspiring much confidence.
Sophomore Neal Burcham began the season as the starter, but went down for the year with a right elbow injury in SMU’s second game. With backup Matt Davis struggling, redshirt freshman Kolney Cassel assumed the starting role. However, Cassel was unable to spark the offense and was replaced with Garrett Krstich.
Krstich looked as if he’d be the solution for the Mustangs after a solid outing against ECU, but he struggled mightily in their loss to Cincinnati and was replaced by Davis late in the game.
On the season, SMU quarterbacks are averaging 194.8 passing yards per game, 97th in the country, and have thrown three touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Running Backs: D-
Though the running game has never been an integral part of a June Jones offense, SMU’s rushing attack has been essentially non-existent in 2014.
The Mustangs are second-worst in the FBS in yards per carry (1.93), third-worst in rushing yards per game (54) and have only managed to find the end zone once on the ground this year. Kevin Pope is the only player to have broken the 100-yard barrier for SMU this season. And no, I’m not talking about 100 yards in a game, I’m talking about 100 yards for the entire year.
Wide Receivers & Tight Ends: B-
If there’s any area of the team that SMU can be proud of, it’s definitely its receiving corps.
Despite the seemingly never-ending drama under center, this experienced group has still been able to show flashes of brilliance that can only make you wonder how good they’d be in a more stable offensive situation. Der’rikk Thompson leads the team with 267 yards on 22 receptions, while junior Darius Joseph leads the Mustangs with two touchdowns and 24 receptions.
Senior Stephen Nelson has 21 receptions on the year and sophomore Nate Halverson was on the receiving end of the team’s only other touchdown pass.
Offensive Line: F
While SMU’s quarterbacks have unquestionably played poorly, the dismal showing from the offensive line in 2014 certainly hasn’t helped matters.
The Mustangs have allowed 34 sacks this year, the most in the country. Keep in mind that they’ve only played six games through the first eight weeks of the college football season. No other team that has played six games has given up more than 20 sacks so far. In addition, they’ve also allowed 53 tackles for loss, which leaves them tied for 118th in the FBS.
SMU has had plenty of problems on offense this year that can’t be pinpointed to any single area, but the offensive line’s struggles are as big a reason as any.
Defensive Line: D
The Mustangs are giving up more points per game than any other team in the country, and their front seven certainly hasn’t done them any favors.
Opposing offensive lines have dominated them in the trenches, as SMU currently ranks 121st in the country in run defense, giving up nearly 242 yards per game. Junior Zach Wood has actually looked solid at times, leading the team with two sacks and three tackles for loss, but the defensive line as a whole has played very poorly through six games.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AEIj-iYfCs?list=UU_vKL25z2ipN8Jhgu7pmqWw]Linebackers: D+
SMU’s linebackers haven’t been spectacular by any means, but they still have fared a little bit better than the defensive line.
10.5 of the team’s 20 tackles for loss have come courtesy of the linebackers, with Robert Seals and Stephon Sanders combining for five of those. Sanders and Jonathan Yenga have been decent for the Mustangs, recording 34 and 30 total tackles, respectively. Still, the unit still has to share some of the blame for the fact that opposing offenses are running all over SMU, and there’s plenty of room for improvement.
Defensive Backs: D+
Much like the team’s linebackers, there have been a few bright spots in the SMU secondary, but the unit as a whole has struggled throughout the year.
Darrion Richardson and Hayden Greenbauer lead the team with 42 and 40 total tackles, respectively, and Greenbauer also has one of the Mustangs’ two interceptions on the year. Shakiel Randolph also has an interception, and has broken up a total of five passes this season.
However, none of this makes up for the fact that SMU is giving up 307.2 passing yards per game in 2014, the sixth-highest total in the FBS. Simply put, opponents are having ample success both on the ground and through the air against the Mustangs.
Special Teams: C-
SMU hasn’t been catastrophically bad on special teams this year, but it really hasn’t been all that great, either.
On kickoffs, the Mustangs rank 113th in the country in yards per return (18.35), but are also holding opponents to just 18 yards per return, the 19th-best total in the FBS. They’ve returned only seven punts this season and have gotten just eight yards on these returns. Meanwhile, SMU’s punt team is surrendering 11.63 yards per team, which ranks 100th.
Kicker Cody Rademacher hasn’t gotten a ton of field goal opportunities this season, and has been mediocre when he does. Rademacher has gone 4-for-7 on the year, with a long of 37 yards.
Overall: F-
There isn’t much to say that hasn’t already been stated. The Mustangs have had a season to forget so far, and have six games left to try and pick up a win to avoid the fourth winless campaign in school history. Luckily for them, the hardest part of their schedule is over, but a victory still may be hard to come by for Tom Mason’s team.
Edited by: Ali Balchunas
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