Niumatalolo: SMU is better than record indicates

after North Texas routed Arkansas of the Southeastern Conference, 44-17, this past Saturday.

SMU opens American Athletic Conference play at home this Saturday against Navy (2-1). Coach Ken Niumatalolo said the Midshipmen should not put much stock in the statistics.

“The record is not indicative of how good this team is. They’ve had to play a really brutal schedule to start the season,” Niumatalolo said. “We’ve been playing SMUevery year and we know the type of athletes they have. We know it’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

SMU underwent a coaching change during the offseason with Chad Morris leaving after three years for Arkansas. The Mustangs did Saturday, noon TV: ESPNews Radio: 1090 AM Line: Navy by 7

On the surface, it would seem Southern Methodist is really struggling early in this football season. After all, the Mustangs are 0-3 and have been outscored 133-55.

When you look at the quality of opponents, the record and scoring margin is not so unexpected.

SMU is coming off consecutive losses to TCU and Michigan, which are ranked No. 17 and No. 19 in the latest Associated Press poll. A 46-23 season-opening loss to North Texas was discouraging for the Mustangs.

However, that defeat does not look so bad surges of up to 8 feet on the caused $820 million in damage not wait long to find a replacement, hiring Sonny Dykes on Dec. 11, 2017.

Due largely to the caliber of competition and self-inflicted wounds, the SMU offense has not impressed so far. The Mustangs are averaging just over 18 points and 272 total yards per game.

SMU boasts one of the top returning quarterbacks within the American Athletic Conference in Ben Hicks, who threw for 3,569 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2017. However, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound junior has struggled so far — completing just 47 percent of passes (37-78) for 476 yards and three touchdowns through three games.

Speaking on the American Athletic Conference teleconference on Monday, Dykes said the competition will be open this week and he may not settle on Saturday’s starter until just before kickoff.

Dykes has one of the youngest defensive coordinators in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 34-year-old Kevin Kane, who spent two seasons in the same role at Northern Illinois. Niumatalolo, who noted during the teleconference that he had only just begun reviewing the SMU film, has been impressed by what he’s seen of the Kane-led defense.

“They’re playing really, really hard on defense. They are playing with a lot of energy. They have a young defensive coordinator, but he does a great job of coaching effort and getting the players to run to the ball,” Niumatalolo said.

By Alex Sosnowski, senior meteorologist While the worst of the rainfall from Florence has come to an end, the risk of isolated pockets of torrential rain will continue through Tuesday as the center of circulation pushes across the mid-Atlantic and southern New England through Tuesday. There is a risk of isolated flash and urban flooding in the Northeast, including in parts of northern Virginia and Maryland. The flood risk may be compounded by isolated strong to severe thunderstorms that can produce very localized damaging winds and perhaps a tornado. Meanwhile, river flooding will continue and get worse in some

areas through this week over parts of the Carolinas and southern Virginia. Some rivers just inland of the coast may not fall below flood stage until the end of the month.