Wrap It up: June Jones Pleased with SMU’s Spring Football Finale

DALLAS - Who won Saturday’s annual Red-Blue scrimmage at Ford Stadium? Who cares? Nobody got hurt, Coach June Jones was pleased and the players seemed pumped.

“We got better this spring,” Jones said. “We’re learning how to play as a team. We’ve got some offensive skill players and we’ve got some defensive players that are going to make a name for themselves too.”

Though fans can’t learn all that much about a team’s fall prospects from a 40-play scrimmage in April - and keeping score is nearly impossible - it’s still fun to watch.

Former SMU quarterback Lance McIlhenny put it this way: “We have really nice weather and a lot of good-looking girls out here.”

McIlhenny added he’s ready for football season. “I’ve been thinking for 20 years we’d have a good football team, so maybe this year it might be the case. … “I’m going to be at every one of these games, so we’ll hope for the best.”

Sophomore Bradley Haynes breaks free after one of his three catches on Saturday.

Former Mustang receiver and McIlhenny teammate Bobby Leach said SMU’s receiving corps looked crisp. “There’s a lot of reading and moving on this offense,” he said. “They all seemed to be spread out and running the right routes – and [there were] some good catches.”

Some highlights from Saturday’s skirmish: none of the quarterbacks threw an interception and starter Bo Levi Mitchell completed 12 of 16 passes for 108 yards; Bradley Haynes led all receivers with 52 yards on three catches; and cornerback Bennie Thomas had the hit-of-the-day.

Can the Mustangs be more competitive in C-USA this fall? “I don’t predict anything,” Jones said, “but I know that we’re going to be better. And if we get some confidence on offense, I think we’re going to be pretty good.”

“We’re still, I think, a few recruiting classes away from being a 12-0 team.”

Other snapshots on the day:

* Jones, on Mitchell’s performance: “He made good decisions, except for one sack he took. The ball should have come out and [we] possibly had a good play. You’ve just got to trust it and throw it.”

Mitchell said he’s glad Jones points out each and every mistake. “He told me [Hawaii quarterback] Colt Brennan … didn’t get it until the end of his second year. I mean, with how great he was, that means I may not get it until the end of my third year. Colt was such a great quarterback. That’s who I look up to. I watch film on him all the time.”

“I like how [Jones] pushes me, how he challenges me to come out here and be great.”

* Offensive line coach Dennis McKnight, on the youth up front: “Right now, we’ve got five sophomores across the board. … Three of them got a lot of game experience last year, having to play as freshmen. I’m real pleased with what we’ve got.”

What does McKnight stress the most? “Attitude,” he said. “Give me an attitude. Work hard, practice hard. Come to work every day. Don’t turn the switch off at the end of the day when practice is over. Keep football on your mind.”

*Running backs Chris Butler, Bryce Lunday and Zach Line combined for 17 yards rushing. “Our defense plays against us all the time,” Jones said, “so they kind of know our three runs. But I saw some holes, I saw some good things.”

*Tyler Jones, who started six games at safety last year, said SMU’s secondary will be solid. “Right now, our knowledge is a lot higher than it has been in previous years,” he said. “We really know our stuff, especially the starters and the twos. … We don’t bust as much as we have in the past.”

Tyler attracted attention as a big hitter two years ago when injuries forced him into a starting role for the Mustangs as a redshirt freshman. “I’m from East Texas,” Tyler said. “That’s what we do over in East Texas. It’s a headhunters’ game over there.”

Bennie Thomas, right, decleats Cole Loftin - the hit of the day - after a short pass to the right flat.

*SMU All-American receiver Jerry LeVias, the first black scholarship athlete in the Southwest Conference, met with safety Chris Banjo after the scrimmage. Banjo was named this week to wear LeVias’ No. 23 in his honor, a tradition started this year.

Said LeVias of the recognition, “I can’t put it in words, I thank Coach Jones and his staff for honoring me like that. And I just hope that I can keep living up to the standards that they set for me.”

LeVias said Jones reminds him of the coach who recruited him to SMU in 1965. “He’s the second coming of Hayden Fry. He’s a uniter. … [Jones] is the reason I’m here today. … I like where he’s going. Coach Jones is a teacher. And what he’s doing is teaching his guys his philosophy of playing.”

*Receiver Justin Willis, on crutches after a leg injury, watched the scrimmage from the field, near Jones.

*SMU special teams coach Frank Gansz, 70, remains in grave condition at a Dallas hospital after complications following knee replacement surgery last Wednesday. The veteran NFL coach came out of retirement to join June Jones’ staff at SMU last year. The team gathered for prayer on the field following Saturday’s scrimmage.

Notes:
-Jerry LeVias, a three-time All-SWC pick, still holds SMU school records for single-game receptions (15), season yardage (1,131), and single-game yardage (213). LeVias and the Mustangs won the SWC in 1966.
-Lance McIlhenny quarterbacked SMU from 1980-83, earning All-SWC honors three times. Alongside tailbacks Eric Dickerson and Craig James, McIlhenny and the Mustangs won two SWC conference titles and beat Dan Marino and Pittsburgh in the 1983 Cotton Bowl. McIlhenny’s record as a starter: 34-5-1.
-Bobby Leach is best remembered for his kickoff return for a touchdown with seconds left to lift SMU past Texas Tech in 1982. On the play, Leach took a lateral pass from Blane Smith before racing 91 yards for the winning score that kept the No. 2 Mustangs’ undefeated season in tact en route to the SWC title.