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From SportsDay...
SMU opened conference play with a 45-20 loss to Temple. Here are five thoughts on the game.
1. What it means -- This was a push game for SMU, and the Mustangs came out and laid an egg to open conference play, falling to Temple, 45-20. SMU once again struggled offense, had no protection up front, turned the football over and just played a bad brand of football. The offense was expected to take a step back without starting quarterback Matt Davis. But the unit has been absolutely horrendous. Whether it's new signal-caller Ben Hicks, the offensive line, the play calling or a mixture of all of it, something has to change in order for SMU to be competitive in the American Athletic Conference.
2. Offensive Line -- SMU used more tight end sets than it would have liked to because the line just couldn't keep Hicks upright. Temple controlled the line of scrimmage, laid a number of hits on Hicks and forced a couple of key turnovers. The unit has been plagued by injuries and hasn't really meshed together. But there needs to be drastic improvement up front in order for SMU's offense to get going. Guys like senior Chauncey Briggs, who was beaten constantly today, need to bring some leadership to the table. Right now, this group looks lost.
3. Running Game -- SMU head coach Chad Morris is committed to running the football. But the Mustangs didn't find much success against Temple's tough front seven. Overall, SMU gained just 83 yards on the ground and averaged a mere 2.7 yards per carry. Starting running back Xavier Jones made his return to the field after missing three games due to injury. Jones, however, was bottled up and failed to make an impact. He finished the game with 25 yards. Braeden West, who filled in admirably for Jones, didn't find much success either as he compiled just 22 yards.
4. QB play -- It was another rough outing for Hicks. The redshirt freshman was beaten and battered by Temple's defense -- he even came out of the game in the first half after taking some nasty shots. And that's definitely not helping with his confidence. Hicks looks uncomfortable in the pocket, is hesitant to take chances and is still making terrible decisions. Overall, Hicks finished the game, going 22-for-42 for 199 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. If there is one area Hicks needs to improve on, it's protecting the football. Hicks has thrown nine interceptions in four starts.
5. Defense -- Yes, SMU gave up 45 points, but the unit had a decent game overall and played extremely well in the second half. The Mustangs actually lead the FBS in interceptions and recorded two today. One of those was a pick-six by Jordan Wyatt, who Morris praised as one of the biggest surprises of the season so far. With that said, the defense just isn't getting enough help from the offense. The defense is on the field way too often and has to deal with being placed in bad situations. SMU defensive coordinator Van Malone deserves plenty of credit even though the scoreboard may not always reflect the actual performance.
From SportsDay...
SMU opened conference play with a 45-20 loss to Temple. Here are five thoughts on the game.
1. What it means -- This was a push game for SMU, and the Mustangs came out and laid an egg to open conference play, falling to Temple, 45-20. SMU once again struggled offense, had no protection up front, turned the football over and just played a bad brand of football. The offense was expected to take a step back without starting quarterback Matt Davis. But the unit has been absolutely horrendous. Whether it's new signal-caller Ben Hicks, the offensive line, the play calling or a mixture of all of it, something has to change in order for SMU to be competitive in the American Athletic Conference.
2. Offensive Line -- SMU used more tight end sets than it would have liked to because the line just couldn't keep Hicks upright. Temple controlled the line of scrimmage, laid a number of hits on Hicks and forced a couple of key turnovers. The unit has been plagued by injuries and hasn't really meshed together. But there needs to be drastic improvement up front in order for SMU's offense to get going. Guys like senior Chauncey Briggs, who was beaten constantly today, need to bring some leadership to the table. Right now, this group looks lost.
3. Running Game -- SMU head coach Chad Morris is committed to running the football. But the Mustangs didn't find much success against Temple's tough front seven. Overall, SMU gained just 83 yards on the ground and averaged a mere 2.7 yards per carry. Starting running back Xavier Jones made his return to the field after missing three games due to injury. Jones, however, was bottled up and failed to make an impact. He finished the game with 25 yards. Braeden West, who filled in admirably for Jones, didn't find much success either as he compiled just 22 yards.
4. QB play -- It was another rough outing for Hicks. The redshirt freshman was beaten and battered by Temple's defense -- he even came out of the game in the first half after taking some nasty shots. And that's definitely not helping with his confidence. Hicks looks uncomfortable in the pocket, is hesitant to take chances and is still making terrible decisions. Overall, Hicks finished the game, going 22-for-42 for 199 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. If there is one area Hicks needs to improve on, it's protecting the football. Hicks has thrown nine interceptions in four starts.
5. Defense -- Yes, SMU gave up 45 points, but the unit had a decent game overall and played extremely well in the second half. The Mustangs actually lead the FBS in interceptions and recorded two today. One of those was a pick-six by Jordan Wyatt, who Morris praised as one of the biggest surprises of the season so far. With that said, the defense just isn't getting enough help from the offense. The defense is on the field way too often and has to deal with being placed in bad situations. SMU defensive coordinator Van Malone deserves plenty of credit even though the scoreboard may not always reflect the actual performance.
