When the SMU Mustangs hired June Jones as their head coach following the 2007 season, he brought with him the run-and-shoot offense that he had learned from Mouse Davis while playing for him at Portland State.
With a heavy emphasis on the passing game, Jones had coached his fair share of quarterbacks who put up prolific numbers. Perhaps the most notable was Timmy Chang, who set numerous career passing records while playing under Jones at Hawaii, including the mark for most career passing yards.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the Mustangs’ offense has been mostly passing-oriented during Jones’ tenure in Dallas. In his six seasons, SMU has had one of the most statistically successful passing attacks in the country, ranking 17th in 2008 with 272.9 passing yards per game, 15th in 2009 (282), 21st in 2010 (275.8), 24th in 2011 (274.8), 62nd in 2012 (235.3), and 9th in 2013 (341.4).
However, one of the biggest criticisms of the run-and-shoot system becomes much less effective in the red zone, where the offense can’t spread the defense to the degree it can elsewhere on the field. This has proved to be a reoccurring problem for Jones and his team, as the Mustangs ranked 90th in the nation in red zone efficiency in 2008 at 76.67%, 100th in 2011 (75.47%), 89th in 2012 (78.43%), and 98th in 2013 (78%).
The only two years where red zone efficiency wasn’t a major area of concern for SMU were 2009 and 2010, when they ranked 12th (90.70%) and 58th (82.22%), respectively. While the Mustangs may have been able to find the end zone on a consistent basis during these two years, they have become one of the worst teams in the country in red zone efficiency over the past several seasons.
If you’re expecting Jones to maybe try incorporate running the ball into his offense to created a more balanced attack and potentially improve the team’s red zone efficiency, don’t hold your breath.
It is certainly possible for SMU to convert more of its scoring opportunities while still employing the run and shoot philosophy; it proved that in 2009 and 2010. But, the Mustangs still need to establish some sort of rushing attack if they wish to avoid becoming entirely one-dimensional and be able to improve their red zone efficiency.
After struggling mightily on the ground in 2013, SMU will have greater depth at running back this season, with freshman Daniel Gresham joining sophomore Prescott Line and junior K.C. Niemchi in the backfield.
In any event, it is vital for the Mustangs to capitalize on their scoring opportunities in 2014. Averaging just 4.0 points per trip inside the opponent’s 40-yard line, as SMU did in 2013, simply won’t win you many football games.
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