SMU Mustangs’ 2014 Season Report Card

It’s over. It’s finally over.

The SMU Mustangs’ nightmarish 2014 campaign has come to an end, but brighter days may be ahead. The Mustangs avoided finishing the season winless for the fourth time in school history by defeating UConn in their season finale, plus there’s a renewed sense of excitement surrounding the program thanks to the hiring of Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris as SMU’s next coach.

But while there is certainly hope for the future of the program, that doesn’t change the fact that this season was an abysmal failure. The Mustangs were awful in just about every aspect of the game, so don’t expect many passing grades on their report card.

Offense: F

Any time a team uses four different starting quarterbacks in a single year, you know there’s a problem.

Matt Davis, Garrett Krstich, Neal Burcham and Kolney Cassel all started under center for SMU at one time or another during the 2014 season, though none of them found much success. The Mustangs ranked 114th in the FBS with 168.7 passing yards per game, and these four quarterbacks combined to throw six touchdowns and 14 interceptions on 230-of-430 passing during the course of the year.

Davis and Krstich each played in 10 games and threw for exactly 855 yards, but neither looked very impressive.

Though SMU’s passing attack wasn’t exactly stellar, its running game was even worse. The Mustangs averaged just 100.3 yards on the ground, eighth-worst in the country. Davis led the team with 613 yards, while running backs Prescott Line, K.C. Nlemchi and Kevin Pope combined to rush for a total of 510 yards on 159 carries.

At least part of the blame for the offense’s constant troubles can pinned on the offensive line, which sometimes seemed easier to break through than wet paper. On the season, SMU allowed the second-most sacks (47) in the FBS and surrendered a total of 84 tackles for loss.

If there was anything even slightly redeeming about the Mustang offense, it was the team’s talent at wide receiver. While only three receivers (Der’rikk Thompson, Darius Joseph and Stephen Nelson) finished with at least 200 receiving yards on the year, the receiving corps did have some talent but obviously couldn’t do too much given the situation at quarterback.

In total, the Mustangs ranked dead last in scoring offense (11.1 points per game) and second-to-last in total offense (269 yards per game). Yikes.

Defense: F

Though the SMU offense was dismal, its defense may have been even worse. On the season, the Mustangs allowed the second-most points (41.3) and the eighth-most yards (499.4) per game.

Opposing offenses found great success against the Mustangs through the air, as they gave up 263.7 yards per game (109th in the FBS). Sophomore defensive back Horace Richardson did have two interceptions on the season, and senior defensive back Hayden Greenbauer led the team with 79 total tackles, the secondary still was a major problem for SMU.

Not surprisingly, opponents had success against the Mustangs on the ground as well. SMU ranked 118th in rushing defense, surrendering an average of 235.8 yards. There were a few bright spots in the team’s front seven, including junior defensive lineman Zach Wood, who led the Mustangs with four sacks and had six total tackles for loss, and senior linebacker Stephon Sanders, who recorded eight tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and 70 total tackles.

Though there were a few players who showed promise this season, the collective performance of the defense was nothing short of atrocious.

Special teams: D

Though SMU’s special teams units weren’t as bad as the offense or defense, they still weren’t anything to brag about.

Kick Cody Rademacher struggled throughout the season, going just 9 for 17 on field goal attempts. Freshman punter Jackson Koonce got plenty of work throughout the season, averaging 40.77 yards on his 74 punts.

SMU’s return game was pretty weak as well, ranking 11oth in kickoff returns (18.79 yards per return) and 117th in punt returns (4.29 yards per return). Meanwhile, the Mustangs ranked 83rd in yards allowed per kickoff return (21.70) and yards allowed per punt return (9.00).

Coaching: D+

You have to give credit to interim coach Tom Mason, as he had the unenviable task of taking over for the remainder of the season after June Jones resigned following an 0-2 start. Jones left a program in a state of total disarray, and Mason did the best he could. However, a 1-11 record is still atrocious, and SMU fans are anxious to see if Chad Morris can reverse the program’s fortunes.

Overall: F-

Simply put, this season was nothing short of a train wreck for the SMU Mustangs. They weren’t even mediocre in any facet of the game, and it took them until the last week of the season to get into the win column. But with the arrival of Chad Morris at the Hilltop, there’s renewed hope for the program, and perhaps this season will become a distant memory if Morris is able to turn the Mustangs around.