Young Mustangs struggle to move up
Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 128 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country entering the 2016 season. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 128 to our projected No. 1 team.
Today at No. 122: Southern Methodist University
Coach: Chad Morris (2-10, entering second season; 2-10 overall)
2015 record: 2-10 overall, 1-7 Sun American Athletic Conference; tied for fifth in Western Division
Look back: Former Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris was hired to revamp the SMU program. Morris brought a positive jolt of energy, but he wasn’t able to immediately translate that fire to wins.
He steered SMU to wins over relatively weak North Texas and Tulane teams, but the rest of the season was brutal. The lowest point arguably was a 48-45
loss to FCS team James Madison.
Offensive starters returning: 9
Offensive starters lost: 2
Defensive starters returning: 7
Defensive starters lost: 4
Key losses: WR Darius Joseph, C Taylor Lasecki, DL Cameron Smith, RT Kris Weeks, DE Andrew McCleneghen, DT Zach Wood, LB Jonathan Yenga, LB Caleb Tuiasosopo, CB David Johnson, S Shakiel Randolph Top returnees: WR Alex
Honey, WR James Proche, QB Matt Davis, WR Courtland Sutton, OL Chad Pursley, OL Evan Brown, CB Cedric Lancaster, DE Justin Lawler
Strengths: The Mustangs tied for 16th nationally in most number of freshmen played last season. The lessons learned the hard way last season should pave the way for a much stronger and more experienced effort this year.
Weaknesses: SMU’s offensive line, defensive line and linebackers unit all lost key players from last season, leaving the important
areas in flux this offseason.
Quarterback Matt Davis missed the end of spring football practice due to a foot injury and that hindered the team’s ability to make strides on offense. It’s a tough blow for a team that desperately needed the practice to improve on offense.
Outlook: Morris seems to have SMU moving in the right direction, but it’s hard to see how the team can dramatically increase its win total in 2016 unless a slew of players improve quickly.