When the Texas Tech Red Raiders handily defeated the Mustangslast weekend, some students concluded that our football team wasdestined for another troublesome season.
Students should not give up on their team so quickly. Despite the lopsided loss, ample reasons for optimismremain.
Tech was the second toughest game on our schedule, as evidencedby the 25-point spread (a prediction of the margin of victory usedfor gambling purposes). Only Oklahoma State, another Big XIIpowerhouse, should pose a greater challenge for SMU thisseason.
Therefore, we should not be discouraged by last week’sdefeat. Competing against highly ranked teams offers aninvaluable learning experience for the players, which is especiallybeneficial once conference play begins. A recent article onan unofficial SMU sports Web site, ponyfans.com, confirms that keyplayers learned important lessons from the loss.
SMU football is undoubtedly in a long-term development phase. For this reason, Phil Bennett is an exceptional choice ashead coach. One of his main strengths is recruiting, and heexcelled in his first full opportunity, bringing in talents such asChris Phillips (QB) and Richuel Massey (RB).
The newest recruiting class has received unanimous praise fromseveral football authorities and is undoubtedly one of SMU’sstrongest in years.
However, we cannot expect immediate results from these youngPonies, especially since many will be red-shirted to develop theirmaturity and talent.
Football fans must exercise patience. A bright lightshines at the end of the tunnel, and our team is working diligentlyto achieve success. But do not be discouraged if therebuilding phase takes several seasons.
The next game, against Baylor on Sept. 13, is an excitingopportunity for the school. We have confidence that our teamis capable of defeating the Bears, and we hope to see scores ofstudents making the short trip to Waco.
Winning against any Big XII opponent would generate positiveexposure for the program. With strong support from the fans,defeating Baylor is well within SMU’s reach.
