Mustangs show lack of effort, fall to Tulane, 31-10

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, a dejected and exhausted Tulane football team came to the Hilltop looking for refuge.

The team spent some time on campus and received a standing ovation from the crowd as SMU’s guests at the Mustangs’ home opener against Baylor. After making a temporary home at Louisiana Tech, the Green Wave came back to Ford Stadium Saturday with the threat of Hurricane Rita as a backdrop. Although the game was moved to an earlier start because of concerns about the hurricane that reached land on Saturday, Tulane took the field refreshed, energized and ready to play.

The SMU Mustangs, coming off a horrific loss to Texas A&M last week, lost to Tulane, 31-10.The SMU special teams, the focal point of the Mustangs’ troubles this season, were just the tip of the iceberg this week. SMU eked out a meager 127 yards of total offense, while Tulane gained nearly three times that, with 357 yards.

Both teams relied heavily on their running games, but Tulane was consistently more effective. Sophomore Matt Forte contributed 87 rushing yards, and senior Jovon Jackson was good for 52. SMU’s leading rushers were sophomore DeMyron Martin and Reynaldo Pellerin, each running for 49 yards apiece.

“Offensively, we were inept,” said SMU head coach Phil Bennett. “I thought we would pickup on offense and we never did,” he added.

While Bennett said the defense “played hard,” it was apparent that it was exhausted by the end of the game. Tulane controlled the clock the majority of the game, having possession of the ball for 40:36 of the 60-minute game.

SMU had three legitimate chances to score during the game. During Tulane’s first drive of the second quarter, Rolando Humphrey intercepted a pass from Lester Ricard in the Green Wave end zone and ran it all the way in for a touchdown, but a illegal block from the back penalty against SMU took the score away.

Their next chance came when SMU got the ball to the Tulane 7-yard line, but stumbled and had to settle for a 24-yard field goal.

The Mustang’s only touchdown came on an 88-yard kickoff return by Jessie Henderson. Bennett said that he “had a good day,” which also included a 59-yard kickoff return in the second quarter.

Wind was also a factor throughout the game. The 22 mph winds were a side effect of Hurricane Rita and caused both teams difficulty, especially on kickoffs.

“I feel like we didn’t compete – it didn’t look like we had a presence out there,” senior Rolando Humphrey said after the game. Humphrey blamed the overall poor performance during the game to a bad week of practices.

“This week in practice wasn’t a week like we should have had – we’ve got to be held responsible. It is not the coaches. The coaches don’t do nothing but coach, it’s the players out there playing the games.”

SMU continues conference play next week with the first of a two-game road trip. The team will travel to Huntington, W.V. to take on Thundering Herd of Marshall University Saturday afternoon. After a trip to Birmingham, Ala. to take on the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Oct. 8, it will return to Ford Stadium to play East Carolina.

Mustangs show lack of effort, fall to Tulane, 31-10

Mustangs show lack of effort, fall to Tulane, 31-10