The nightmare season came to an end for SMU last Saturday. With a win against Uconn, the Mustangs were able to avoid a winless season and now have some motivation to carry into 2015.
With the hiring of Chad Morris, the emergence of quarterback Matt Davis, and the number of returning players who would love to put this past season behind them, expect a big turnaround with the Mustangs next season. Get your shoes ready and rack ’em up, the Ponies are going bowling!
Morris has experience as a winner, winning three Texas state championships during his 16 years as a high school coach, along with contributing to the success of Clemson during his four-year stint as offensive coordinator. In his first year as coordinator in 2011, he was able to help the Tigers win the ACC championship with the Clemson offense finishing the season ranked 12th overall in total offense.
As previously stated, the hiring of Morris will result in immediate results on the field for SMU, and with the success that June Jones found early in his stint in Dallas, it goes to show that the right coach is key to SMU to return to the bowling alley in the 2015 season.
But after the 2014 campaign, SMU fans have a right to feel pessimistic in regards to the future of the program. However, this down year comes after four years of appearing in bowl games in which SMU accumulated a record of 3-1. Every program has a down, or “rebuilding” year. This season, the starting lineup was composed mostly of underclassmen and juniors – many first-year starters. Even though this season was a major embarrassment, the game experience will pay off in the future success of the program.
I am reminded of my alma mater, Wilson High School and the growing pains it went through during the four years I was a student. Current Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons had recently graduated along with a number of starting seniors, leaving us with a team comprised of freshmen and sophomores; Wilson finished the season 2-8, starting the season with a crushing defeat at the hands of our cross town rivals South Florence.
The next season, we advanced to the second round of the class 3A playoffs before getting shut out by the eventual lower state champs, Dillon High School 48-0 at home. My junior year, we made it to the state semifinals, needing to win only one game in order to play in the State championship, but we fell to Timberland High 14-0 in Charleston. In 2007, we were able to get over the hump and win the class 3A State Championship against Chester High, 14-12. This goes to show that tough times can lead to great result in the end.
As with my high school in 2005, a majority of the players that will be returning to the sidelines for SMU are currently underclassmen. The Mustangs will lose wide receiver Der’ikk Thompson and middle linebackers Stephen Sanders and Kevin Pope as stars on their respective sides of the ball.
The player that will have the most impact is quarterback Matt Davis. Presumably, 2015 will be his first year as a starter, and his play at the end of this season along with Morris’ influence offensively, we can expect a vast improvement in the Ponies’ performance next season.
As always, recruiting will play a big deal in the Mustangs’ success in the future. Currently, SMU is ranked 93th overall in 247sport.com’s recruiting rankings; fifth highest in the AAC trailing behind conference juggernauts Memphis and East Carolina. Four-star guard Josh Wariboko is the main focus of SMU’s recruiting efforts. The 6-foot-3, 314-pound Oklahoma City native was visited by Morris this past week and has stated an interest in attending SMU due to its high academic standards. Being competitive in the recruiting race with the conference elite will be key to the Mustangs’ revival in 2015 and beyond.
All is not lost. One bad year does not make a program as we have seen throughout college football. SMU has the resources and the ability to not only improve upon its 1-11 season in a major way, but also continue to build for the future.
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