SMU’s head football coach remains positive after two losses. Coach Sonny Dykes was interviewed for his radio show “It’s Always Sonny on the Hilltop” about this fall’s football season at Ozona Grill & Bar Monday night. The show was also broadcast live on KAAM 770 AM.
Despite losing to SMU rival TCU on Friday after a two hour rain delay, Coach Dykes said, “I thought our guys did a good job on ignoring the conditions.”
He described the light to heavy on and off rain that the teams endured throughout the entirety of the game.
“That’s just part of the game, and you just have to adjust,” said Dykes.
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The long delay allowed the players to relax, hone in, and even take naps before the rivalry game. Dykes believed the players’ abilities to use the break to their advantage allowed them to start off the game strong. Not only did the change in weather give the team an advantage on the field, but cooler temperatures allowed players to go harder in practice as well.
SMU’s adjustments to the conditions helped them put up the first nine points of the game in the first quarter. This lead did not last long, however, as TCU ended up the victor of the Battle for the Iron Skillet with a final score of 42-12. Coach Dykes attributed SMU’s defeat in the second half to “dropping a couple balls that could have been significant” along with “some penalties that got them in 1st and 20 situations.”
Host of Pony Up TV and SMU football fan Emma Kate Few agreed.
“I’m excited about the growth we are already seeing in this program from week one to week two, but like coach has mentioned several times, we have got to get rid of these petty penalties,” said Few.
This is Coach Dykes’ first season as head football coach at SMU, and he is still working on communicating effectively and conveying his expectations to the team.
“The players have to be on the same page as the coaches are,” said Coach Dykes.
This Saturday, SMU plays another top 25 ranked team, University of Michigan. Dykes expressed excitement on behalf of the team and staff about the opportunity to compete in a stadium with an audience of over 100,000. While he recognized this team as a tough competitor, Coach Dykes said, “We aren’t worried about our opponent. We are worried about playing as well as we can play.”
Overall, Coach Dykes noticed improvements from SMU’s first game against the University of North Texas to the second game of the season. From week one to week two, “our guys played harder,” said Dykes.
Director of Marketing for SMU football, Daniel Veale, also attended the event.
“As my first full year working at my alma mater, I am excited to see the amount of passion and time we’ve taken come into fruition based on our involvement with the outlying DFW community, campus initiatives, and alumni involvement,” said Veale.
The talkshow will air weekly every Monday at 7 p.m.
