Tulane head coach Bob Toledo (left) talks with SMU head coach Phil Bennett (right) after Saturday night’s game. (John Schreiber)
Watch the Mid-Week Report for SMU at Tulsa featuring writers Jordan Hofeditz and Mark Norris.
With his job status becoming more and more uncertain with each loss, SMU football head coach Phil Bennett addressed the media at his weekly Tuesday press conference.
“It’s a non-issue at this point,” Bennett said of his job security. “We are sitting here with five games, and my first and foremost focus is to get this team to beat Tulsa. Anything that I talk about besides that is a distraction, and I’m not into distractions right now.”
More than once, Bennett mentioned how frustrated the team is right now.
The Mustangs are currently stuck in a five-game losing streak and have a 1-6 record overall and are 0-3 in Conference USA play. Compounding that is the fact SMU has lost its last two home games in overtime to C-USA rivals UTEP and Tulane.
SMU’s stated goal at the start of the season of going to a bowl game would require the team to win all of its remaining games. And the official breaking point – a seventh loss removing the team from bowl eligibility – could come as early as this Saturday.
“It’s sure not playing out the way that I had hoped,” Bennett said. “But, I will say this. I still believe in these kids. I believe in the coaches. I know that crumbling and falling into a funk isn’t going to be the answer.”
Bennett said the team needs direction, encouragement and good coaching to keep up their spirits and make sure they perform to the best of their abilities.
But that is going to be difficult because, on top of everything else, the injury bug has bitten SMU hard.
Offensive lineman Tommy Poynter is out for the remainder of the season with a broken ankle. The status of safeties David Haynes, Bryce Hudman and De’Von Bailey is still unknown at this point. Bennett said it was still early in the week, but he wasn’t sure what the starting lineup would look like for the secondary.
It’s devastating news for a unit that needs as much help as it can get.
Bennett ripped the defense after the Tulane game, calling the tackling atrocious. SMU gave up 349 rushing yards to Tulane’s Matt Forte, tying the record for most rushing yards allowed by the SMU defense and set a new Conference USA record. SMU’s defense is ranked 113th out of 119 teams nationwide in total defense.
Bennett vowed in the post-game press conference to run live tackling drills all week leading up to the Tulsa game.
He backed off that statement Tuesday, saying there was no way he could subject the unit to such practices because of the rash of injuries.
“You’ve got to find a way to get your best players to the game,” Bennett said.
It’s a game in which the Mustangs will face the No. 3 offense in the country, with the Golden Hurricane averaging 545.14 yards per game. Tulsa quarterback Paul Smith has thrown for more than 300 yards in all seven games this season and ranks fourth in the nation in passing yards per game with 361.1.
