After 4 consecutive Bowl trips, the SMU Mustangs took a step back last year by going just 5-7 overall and 4-4 in the American Athletic Conference. June Jones will have his work cut out for him if he hopes of getting the Mustangs back to a Bowl game in 2014. Schedule & Prediction below.
The Offense put up 26.8 ppg last year and led the AAC in passing, but this year offense may be a bit more pedestrian. Blain Gabbert is gone and it looks as if Neal Burcham will take over. He struggles in the last 2 games of last year in this type of offense and just doesn’t have the physical abilities that Gabbert had to make the run and shoot work. The playbook will be scaled down for him. Also gone from this offense are two 1000 yard receivers, making Neals job even more difficult. The running game and OL are decent, but not spectacular. The defense gave up too many big plays a year ago, but the defense does return 27 lettermen, so improvements can be expected. The DL for the Mustangs have all 3 starters back and should be the strength of this unit. The LB corps will be solid with 2 of 4 starters back, including Stephon Sanders, who had 10 TFL and 3.5 sacks last year. The pass defense allowed 272 ypg through the air and just 1 starter returns to the secondary.
The Mustangs took a step back last year and it may be more of the same this year. Their offense will be a bit more conventional than in year’s past as Neal Burcham did not show he can handle the run and shoot offense, plus losing 2 1000 yard WR’s hurts as well. The defense will be stout up front this year, but still the secondary will yield too many big plays. The Mustangs have ECU, Tulsa and UCF on the road and Houston and Cincinnati at home, plus a non-conference slat that includes Texas A&M, TCU and Baylor. Just don’t see SMU going bowling this year. KEY TREND: June Jones is 15-2 ATS as a dog, following a season in which he failed to go bowling.
2014 SMU Mustangs Football Schedule
8/31 – At Baylor
9/6 – At North Texas
9/20 – Texas A&M
9/27 – TCU
10/4 – At East Carolina
10/18 – Cincinnati
10/25 – Memphis
11/8 – At Tulsa
11/15 – USF
11/22 – At UCF
11/28 – Houston
12/6 – At Connecticut
Info gathered From Phil Steele's CFB Preview and Athlon Sports
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