Run offense – C-SMU turned to its passing game too early on and stayed with it the entire game. James Mapps was the leading rusher for the Mustangs with only 34 yards on the day. DeMyron Martin did get a touchdown when SMU was on the 1-yard line early in the fourth quarter. But the run game was not going to be the reason the Mustangs were going to win, at least not according to the game plan Rusty Burns put together. SMU totaled 84 yards rushing for the entire game, which put the fate of the game directly in the hands of quarterback Justin Willis.
Pass offense – B+Willis threw for a career-high 354 yards Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to give SMU the win. He threw three touchdown passes, including a 7-yard pass to Zack Sledge to tie the game in the final minute and send it to overtime. That final drive was the most impressive thing the offense has done all season. With less than two minutes on the clock, Willis methodically moved the ball down the field with no timeouts and got SMU into overtime. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders also delivered with 155 yards receiving and two touchdowns – but also had an embarrassing unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when he back-flipped into the end zone in the second quarter. But Willis’ tendency to not protect the ball when he leaves the pocket cost SMU the game when he fumbled it on the first play of the overtime period.
Run defense – FAtrocious is how head coach Phil Bennett described the tackling by the SMU defense, and that description is definitely an understatement. Tulane running back Matt Forte ran for a Conference USA record 342 yards against the Mustangs and scored four touchdowns, including the game winner in overtime. Forte averaged 9 yards per carry on 38 carries for the game. SMU was powerless to stop the run the entire game and failed to get stops when they were needed. This was made evident on a fourth quarter run from Forte in which the entire defense thought Forte had been brought down, and instead he bounced outside and ran 77 yards down the sideline before being stopped at the 2-yard line.
Pass defense – C+With the Green Wave riding its running game to a win, the passing game wasn’t a prominent part of the Tulane offense. However, the Green Wave did use the passing game effectively in short yardage situations and to give Forte a rest. The first score of the game for Tulane came on a 22-yard pass from quarterback Anthony Scelfo to wide receiver Jeremy Williams. The Mustangs did manage to break-up several long-yardage throws, but the secondary spent most of the day trying to contain the run game rather than stopping any passes.
Special Teams – AWhatever Thomas Morstead did this week, it worked. The kicker/punter was back to his usual ways and the Mustangs needed it. Morstead was a perfect two-for-two on field goals, connecting from 30 and 37 yards. The punt team perfectly executed a fake punt on the first drive of the game, allowing SMU to keep the possession going and eventually scoring a touchdown. Morstead averaged a little more than 42 yards on his four punts.
Coaches – B-Plenty of things didn’t go SMU’s way against Tulane, but the coaching wasn’t one of the problems for the Mustangs. Yes, this game was another nail in Phil Bennett’s coffin, but there were no bad coaching decisions. In fact, Bennett was pretty willing to roll the dice during parts of the game. The first drive included a fake punt and having the offense go for it on a fourth down, something that Bennett wouldn’t normally do. And when it comes down to it, the coaching staff can’t go out and do the tackling – that is something the players have to do.
Overall – C-It was another brutal loss for the Mustangs. Not even having a chance to score in overtime was a sucker-punch to the stomach. The loss is worse because this was one of two games left that SMU had a legitimate chance to win. All of the expectations for this season are long gone, and now the big question is what will this team do with the rest of its season? They aren’t going to win out to qualify for a bowl game, and the next two games are on the road against Tulsa and Houston. Will the team pack it in for the season or continue to fight?
Previous Games OverallTexas Tech – DNorth Texas – BArkansas State – FTCU – C-UTEP – DSouthern Miss – D-
