A Tale of Two Teams

SMU Pounded By Tulsa, 38-7; Promising October Ends Badly

DALLAS – It was the best of months, it was the worst of months …

October 2011, that is, for head coach June Jones and his SMU Mustangs. After knocking off 20 th-ranked TCU and defending conference champion Central Florida, SMU (5-3, 3-2) tailed off with two resounding road defeats before Halloween: Southern Miss, 27-3; Tulsa, 38-7.

If that feels like a particularly bad couple of weeks for the Mustangs, it was. Not since 2004 has SMU lost back-to-back conference games by that many combined points, (55.)

It’s really new for Jones. In nine seasons at Hawaii, he never lost two consecutive league games by a combined 55 points or more.

To top it off, with two conference losses, SMU’s hopes of a league title are now all but lost.

“It just seems like we were out of synch [at Tulsa],” Jones said after Tuesday’s practice. “Hopefully, we’ll be sharp this week and get back on top.”

“When you get in these situations, teams are fragile,” he said. “It seems like, defensively, we don’t play at a high level if the offense isn’t clicking. That’s not how a team needs to be. The defense needs to carry you and win. If the defense is not having a good day, the offense needs to carry you and win.”

“It’s tough,” said wide receiver Darius Johnson of SMU’s recent high-low ride. “But as a team we’ve got to pull each other together, find out what we had in those first two games of this month, and try to continue, try not to take these losses too hard.”

Johnson, who averaged eight catches for 112 yards against TCU and UCF, was held to three catches for two yards at Tulsa. He was open at times, but quarterback J.J. McDermott was having another tough day, (17-of-37, 180 yards, four picks).

Said cornerback Richard Crawford, “It’s been kind of a mental rollercoaster. But what I tell the guys is, ‘You’ve got to just come back, bounce back, and make a play. You’re not going to be perfect.’ I can even say that for myself from last game. I made a mistake or two, but I came back and made a play.”

Crawford muffed a punt in the second quarter at Tulsa with SMU trailing, 17-0. The Golden Hurricane recovered it at the Mustangs’ 24 yard-line, but was unable to score. Crawford rebounded before halftime with his first career interception.

“That’s what this game’s about – responding,” he said. “We’ve just got to respond the next game.”

Not Yet

Asked what the Mustangs have learned of late, Crawford said, “That we haven’t arrived yet as a team. We still need to come and play, not that we just show up and be SMU because we beat UCF and TCU.”

“I feel that last game, we weren’t ready to play, as a team. I give Tulsa credit though. … They played a good game. But we weren’t ready to play, and we need to be ready to play at all times.”

What will the team’s mood be on Saturday against Tulane?

“Pissed-off,” Crawford said. “A real pissed-off team. You’re going to see a lot of angry people out there, not happy about what happened. Our Conference USA [title] hopes are kind of lost, almost. A lot of crazy stuff has to happen. We can’t really depend on that.”

“We’re just going to play these last four games and try to go 4-0 in them. That’s what the goal is.”

Said Johnson, “We’ve got to come out here [on Saturday] and really just have high energy. It’s our homecoming, so we’re already going to be amped up. That should bring a little more of a crowd out here. I think we’ll be ready to put up a good fight.”

Reed’s Back

Suspended SMU linebacker Taylor Reed has rejoined the team and will start Saturday against Tulane. Reed was suspended last week for “conduct detrimental to the team” and did not play at Tulsa.

The suspension stemmed from an incident during the Southern Miss game.

Reed, SMU’s leading tackler with 57 stops, said on Tuesday he’s learned from the experience.

“Pride makes a fool of us all, man,” he said after team sprints. “I wear my heart on my sleeve in the games, which helps sometimes and hurts sometimes. I paid a not too big of a price, but big enough that it showed me I need to change what I’m doing.”

“It’s great to have emotion out there on the field but you’ve got to be able to control it. The Southern Miss game, I can basically say I lost control. I isolated myself from my teammates, which is never good.”

“This week, I’ve learned that it’s not about me,” Reed said. “It’s about the team and I’ve got to be a team guy. I’m a leader whether I like to be or not, so I can’t be like that ever again.”

Said Jones, “I expect him to play like he played before he left last week on that vacation.”

Wave Rolls In

Tulane (2-7, 1-4) is coming off a 34-13 setback at East Carolina, its sixth loss in a row. The Green Wave trailed 14-13 late in the first half before receding as the Pirates’ defense took over.

Tulane is led by interim head coach Mark Hutson, who’s had the job since Bob Toledo resigned on October 18.

Orleans Darkwa (6-0, 214) leads the Green Wave rushing attack, ranked seventh in C-USA at 120 yards per game. Against ECU, Darkwa tallied 89 yards on 15 carries, with a long of 21.

Tulane linebacker Trent Mackey (5-11, 227) is the league’s leading tackler, with 115 stops, 74 solo.

Junior quarterback Ryan Griffin (6-5, 218) has thrown for 209 yards per game, sixth in C-USA, and has 10 touchdowns and seven picks on the year.

Tulane’s scoring offense, ranked ninth in the conference, puts up 22. 6 points per game, to SMU’s 26.5. The Green Wave’s scoring defense is tenth, allowing 35 points per game. The Mustangs allow 23 points per game, third in C-USA.

Ominously, SMU has fallen to C-USA’s turnover-margin cellar, checking in at a chilly minus-12 on the year. Tulane is minus-3.

Coach Jones provides the bottom line: “In Conference USA, anybody can beat anybody. If we’re not ready to play this week, they’re going to beat us. That’s just how it is.”

Prediction : OK, I’ll bite - again. (But this is it!) SMU 30, Tulane 12; missed badly again last week: picked SMU, 31-27.

Notes

*The last time SMU lost two straight conference games by a combined 55 points or more was in 2004 when the Mustangs fell to Louisiana Tech, 41-10, and Fresno State, 42-0, (73-points). That was also the last time SMU managed just 10 combined points in two consecutive league games. Going back one more week that year, SMU lost to Rice, 44-10, and Louisiana Tech, 41-10, (65 points).

*SMU’s Zach Line still leads C-USA in rushing (118.5 ypg) and scoring (10.5 ppg). He recorded 22 carries for 118 yards at Tulsa.

*Cole Beasley led all Mustang receivers last week with 79 yards on four catches.

*SMU plays three of its last four games at home.

*June Jones said injured back-up quarterback Kyle Padron will return next week. Padron has had back problems.