SMU Mustangs 2018 Football Preview
Opening Statement: Just when Chad Morris was turning the corner with the SMU football program, he bolted for Arkansas, and in came Sonny Dykes, who had longed for a return to the State of Texas so much that he killed his job at California when he was constantly looking to leave. Dykes is a solid hire for the SMU offense, as his personality fills right in to what Morris was building, but the major issue with Dykes' teams are that they never play defense at all. Dykes also made a big mistake by agreeing to coach SMU in the Frisco Bowl, as he was not prepared, and his defense caved in a 51-10 loss to Louisiana Tech. With just 5 starters on offense, and 4 on defense, can Dykes keep SMU on an upward trend, or will the wheels get wobbly in his first full season?
Breakdown Offense: Dykes is in a fairly lucky situation, as he inherits a rising star in QB Ben Hicks, who will throw the ball until his arm falls off. He passed for 3569 yards and 33 TDs to just 12 INTs last fall, but can use some work on accuracy, as he completed 58.5% of his passes. Still, he should be one of the top 3 QBs in AAC football heading into the season. Austin Upshaw and DJ Gillins are in a battle for the backup job as we head to camp.
Xavier Jones also returns at RB, which is more good news, as he rushed for 1075 yards and 9 scores while averaging 5.91 yards per carry last fall. Braeden West rushed for 568 yards last season, and will return as the backup, but Ke'Mon Freeman, who rushed for 543 yards and a team leading 11 scores is also in the mix for some carries.
James Proche moves from the 3rd receiver slot to the top receiver billing after catching 40 passes for 816 yards and 6 scores. He is an excellent field stretch receiver, as he averaged over 20 yards per catch last fall. Tyler Page, who caught just one pass as a freshman, had a big spring, and could start, as could Brandon Benson, whose one catch last fall as a freshman went for a 72 yard score. Josh Shelmire and Judah Best are the backups, and West could get as much work at receiver in as he gets at RB.
Ryan Becker caught 2 passes last fall, and moves in to start at TE for the Mustangs. Corey Rau is the reserve.
Only 2 starters return on the line. Chad Pursley (LT) and Hayden Howerton (C) are those starters. Nick Dennis (LG), Jacob Todora (RG), and Levon Livingston (RT) are projected to be the new starters. Matthew Huhn and Braxton Webb are the backups at Tackle, while Kadarius Smith and Alan Ali are the backups at Guard. Beau Morris is the backup at Center.
Breakdown Defense: Pono Davis is the only returning starter slated to begin the season on the defensive line at NT. He totaled 4 TFLs last fall as a sophomore. Delontae Scott and Toby Ndukwe are the new starters at DE, while Demerick Gary is the new starter at DT. Michael Badejo and Turner Coxe are the backups at DE coming out of the spring, while Ken McLaurin and Chris Biggurs are the backups inside. There is not a ton of overall experience with this group.
There are no returning starters at LB. Richard Moore, a Texas A&M transfer, is slated in to start at the MIKE spot this fall, and he is being relied on to bring some aggression to a defense that finished 121st in total defense last season. Trevor Denbow and Shaine Hailey are both sophomores, and are the starters at the OLB spots. Myles Duke and Jordan Ward are the backups outside, while Matt McNew is the backup in the middle behind Moore.
Mikial Onu and Rodney Clemons both return at Safety. Onu led the team with 105 tackles last fall, and totaled 7 PBUs. He added 2 INTs and a forced fumble. Clemons totaled 10 PBUs, one INT, and 68 tackles. Kayce Medlock and Elijah McQueen are the backups.
Jordan Wyatt is back at CB as well, and totaled a team leading 4 INTs, 2 TDs, 8 PBUs, 3 forced fumbles, and 49 tackles, 40 of which were solo jobs. Robert Hayes, a junior, is expected to win the opposite CB job. Kevin Johnson and Ar'Mani Johnson are the backups.
Breakdown Special Teams: Josh Williams returns at PK after hitting 14/20 FG attempts last fall, but he missed 5 PATs on the year, so more consistency will be needed, or else he gets pushed.
Jamie Sackville returns after a decent season of 40.61 yards per punt.
West and Kevin Johnson are the returning primary KR men, while the PR job is open heading into camp.
Final Analysis: Now is the time that we will find out if Chad Morris was a program builder, or a guy who can get things running before the talent departs, and everything bottoms out again. This first year under Dykes will be the true test of that legacy. Dykes is a solid offensive coach, but he lands at a program where the defense was nothing short of awful last season, as they ranked 117th in scoring defense, 107th in rushing defense, 117th against the pass, and 121st in total defense. With the defense already a mess when he walked in the door, history tells me that this may not change much under Dykes, who loves to outscore people. A slide of some sort would not surprise me with all of the departed talent that SMU had after last fall, but they may have enough in the tank to get to another bowl in 2018. If not, the defense will likely be to blame.
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