Here’s wishing Gilbert the best
tenure. Much of the blame, fair or unfair, is heaped on Gilbert’s shoulders.
■ 2011: Gilbert starts slowly and is pulled from the second game against BYU. He later undergoes shoulder surgery, ending his season. Gilbert announces his intention to transfer in November.
That catches us up to Sunday.
It was a tough debut for Smew’s new QB before 43,514 at Floyd Casey Stadium. The Bears played lights out on both sides of the ball, concluding a perfect 9-0 opening week for Big 12 teams.
The arm strength was there, and Gilbert appeared comfortable in the pocket, though he struggled with accuracy at times.
The final numbers: 34 of 59 for 286 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The first pick would have been a touchdown had his wideout turned his head and realized he was standing in the end zone with a football touching both hands. The second one? Gilbert’s fault. He threw behind the receiver.
“It felt natural,” he said. “We’ve been competing in game situations for three weeks to a month. Going back out there was just like I remember. I don’t think there was any rust. It took our offense awhile time to get into a rhythm, but I don’t think that was due to rust or anything like that.”
On a day when his counterpart, senior Nick Florence, threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns in the first game of the post-RGIII era, the Mustangs were dominated for most of the day.
Gilbert “did some good things,’’ said SMU coach June Jones. “It was a tough first game. “A couple of the tips were unfortunate. He just has to keep learning and keep getting better. I saw enough good things in him to believe he’s the right kind of guy.”
Gilbert will enjoy some success this season. The Mustangs won’t encounter that many great offenses in the Big East, and his numbers will be better than the ones he posted at Texas.
Sure, he struggled in Austin, but to his credit, Gilbert has always been a standup guy and a sincere answerer of tough questions. He’s one of those players you want to see succeed. Join me in wishing him the best at SMU.