What was he Thinking?: Sept. 24
I had a topic of discussion ready for this weekend’s edition. However, I’m going to hold that for another week. Given the fallout of SMU-TCU, it’s not urgent.
Billy has given you a ton of great perspective on the game. However, I’m going to use this week’s platform for the fallout.
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Win or lose, every football team adheres to the 24-hour rule to celebrate or live through the frustration of the just completed game. While fans of the winning or losing team don’t have to follow the same rule because of their emotional investment, it might be a good idea to look into that.
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During the course of our weekly visits, you’re going to see me quote one of my favorite movies, the 1987 Oscar Nominated Broadcast News, when I think it fits. It was smartly written. It was funny as each scene captured the moment for every high and low.
I pondered TCU 34, SMU 17 and it hit me during Sunday as I was doing some grocery shopping for Mrs. Razorback along with listening to my Minnesota Vikings blow another one to the Los Angele Chargers.
A few weeks ago, I brought up the scene of the reporter doing the weekend news and talking to his bureau chief. Well, the rest of the story was reporter Aaron Altman completely crumpling under that opportunity.
His friend and executive producer Jane Craig, who was at a media cocktail party, came over to Altman’s house afterwards. It went like this:
Jane: How’d it go?
Aaron: You didn’t see or talk to anybody?
Jane: No.
Aaron: Well, then it went very well.
Jane: Do you feel good about it?
Aaron: No.
Jane: Do others think you did well?
Aaron: No.
Jane: Then what was good about it?
Aaron: I lost 12 pounds.
I think if you were an SMU fan who either attended or watched this game on Saturday at Amon Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, it would sound something like that.
If you were SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee and for whatever reason your wife was frantically dealing with the two sets of twins and just could not watch the game, then greeted him at the door late Saturday afternoon, the exchange could have gone something like that.
This game was a mess. From the end of SMU’s opening offensive possession to about the early part of the fourth quarter when it was still worth watching, you could see where SMU had the opportunity to give itself a chance to stay in it, but refused to accept those opportunities.
Decisions and execution told the story of why SMU lost this game to the Horned Frogs for the ninth time in the last 13 meetings. This SMU coaching staff was too cautious, too timid and gave the vibe – whether they want to acknowledge it or not – they weren’t confident they could win this game. The decisions reflected that.
To start, when SMU burned its first timeout before settling for the Collin Rogers chip shot 24-yard field goal, that was unacceptable. I understand the defensive formation that TCU was in caused Lashlee to hesitate. However, you’re on the road in this National Finalist’s building.
You need to go for it.
If you make it, you send a message to TCU you’re here to play. You have Sonny Dykes’ team attention. A field goal is a win for the defense, and TCU is pretty much, “Ok, we’re fine.’’ If you don’t convert, TCU starts its opening possession at it’s 7-yard line. Should it go 93 yards and score, then so be it.
SMU’s management of its second possession wasn’t sharp either when it was about to get out of a hole starting at its 2-yard line and then called a horrendous play on 3rd-and-1 after that. Get your first down and then take your shot.
Finally, the final possession of the first half was egregious. I get it that SMU wanted to play it safe when it started at its 29, especially with no timeouts. But when Jaylan Knighton ripped off the 13-yard run to the 42, the whole approach should have changed.
SMU had 58 yards or least 30 yards to put itself in position to score a touchdown or attempt a field goal. The Mustangs could be aggressive coupled with using the sideline as their ally along with the NCAA clock rule that it stops on first downs inside two minutes of each half. Time was not the problem.
The next two plays offered none of that. It was total mismanagement. SMU gave away a chance. You always have to allow for something bad to happen including a turnover. But as my dad used to say, “If you don’t try, you won’t know.’’
This game was over at 20-10 when the Mustangs responded to TCU’s second third quarter field goal by turning it over on downs at the Horned Frog 36. The fourth down call to tight end RJ Maryland on the TCU sideline was really poor because there was no space for Preston Stone to throw and it was in a window where Maryland had to be Houdini to come up with that ball. A low percentage play. Then TCU immediately scores to make it 27-10. Nail in the coffin.
I predicted TCU would win this game, 38-30, simply because its roster was better and just believed that over time, that would be the difference. While it was, SMU’s decisions did not give it the opportunity to push the Horned Frogs and have a chance.
The cruel lesson for Lashlee is that he cannot be hesitant. He must be decisive. I trust that is a quality of his that will show as he continues to wear the No. 1 headset.
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Now, the angst delivered against SMU quarterback Preston Stone following his 16-35-2 258 and no touchdown performance against the Horned Frogs has started to become louder and stronger.
In fact, judging by what I read, I go back to something that Billy and I talked about when he and I discussed my coming on board.
The excitement about Stone was met with a commonly used line: “Let’s get Stoned.’’
Now, it appears that many of you would rather say: “Let’s stone, Preston.’’
Well, when you’re a starting quarterback at the Division I level, all eyes are on you and every snap you receive. You are judged on every play and then dissected to the point of overkill following each game. A QB learns to live with it.
Every quarterback’s development to the moment of when the light comes on is not the same. Sure, we’d like it to be. That’s not reality.
With Stone, encouragement against Louisiana Tech (23-37-0 248 3TD) was followed by not too bad at Oklahoma (26-45-1 250 1TD) to whatever after PVAM (15-20-1 300 5TD) to “he’s not the guy” after TCU (16-35-2 258 0TD).
If you want to pick Stone’s performance apart from every game, then consider this: of his four interceptions, three have come when SMU was trailing by two scores and two were at the end of the game when outcome had been decided. Now, you can debate if Stone doesn’t throw the first one at TCU, maybe that helps SMU chances.
Managing your quarterback room is similar to a baseball manager handling his pitching staff. The legendary Whitey Herzog said of that topic: “These guys will get you fired every time.’’
If you’re Lashlee, you saw your young QB have a ton of reps in the offseason and is in his first year to start. No matter what, you have to back him, and you have to ride whatever wave that is.
Like it or not, Stone needs to fail. If Stone doesn’t fail, then he doesn’t learn to be better for it. Jalen Milroe failed for Alabama. Quinn Ewers failed for Texas. Caleb Williams failed at USC. They’re still the starters for those teams.
In his postgame presser. Stone said EXACTLY what I needed to hear. It was something that I pointed out in the Friday Five prior to the PVAM game. You’ll recall in that section about Stone, I wrote, “A proactive approach shows that if the offense misfires “it’s my fault”…even if it may not be his fault. I know he has said, “team this and team that”, but he needs to start switching it over to “I need to do this and this better.” It’s not a selfish thing. It’s a leadership thing. After all, he is a captain.
Rewind to Stone’s opening comments from Saturday. One of the first things Stone said was something like, “I’m disappointed in myself.’’
No excuses. It was on him.
Stone took accountability. You gain more from your locker room when you fail and own it rather than falling all over yourself publicly with endless excuses.
Time will tell what this means when SMU starts playing for keeps Saturday against Charlotte. No, none of these AAC teams will match the talent level that SMU just saw Sept. 9 in Norman, OK or Saturday in Fort Worth. But a QB has to accept both success and failure and treat them equally. He must always be humbled.
Now, if Stone starts to spiral along with SMU’s season, then we have a problem. SMU doesn’t have a problem until Stone keeps regressing, doesn’t have cohesion with his receivers and this offense continues to get in its own way.
What all of us have to understand is when these receivers and running backs arrived in the spring, I think several of us convinced ourselves that it was going to purr like a cat from the opening snap Sept. 2.
In the history of football, it doesn’t work like that, and it never has. When you have so many new faces, they have to play with each other when it matters. Then they learn who can do what as the stakes climb.
Coaches always tell us that they want to see their teams playing at their best level in November when it’s on the line. Well, when the calendar turns to November and should SMU be fighting for the AAC title, that’s when you’re going to learn what this team is and what the QB is all about.
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Now, a look at other SMU sports…
> The (RV) SMU volleyball team picked up a 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 30-28) road sweep of UTSA on Sunday afternoon in the Convocation Center.
SMU (9-5; 3-0 American Athletic Conference) picked up its fifth sweep of the season and sixth straight victory. Three SMU players registered 10 plus kills, and four Mustangs turned in at least five kills in a balanced offensive effort. SMU held the Roadrunners to .137 hitting on the afternoon. They return to play at 7:00 pm Friday against Wichita State.
> No. 6 SMU improved to 2-0 in American Athletic Conference play with a 2-1 victory at USF in Corbett Stadium on Friday. Two-time reigning AAC Goalkeeper of the Week Cole Johnson recorded six saves, including a first-half-penalty kick, as the Mustangs earned the road win.
Jelldrik Dalllmann had both goals for the Mustangs, recording the first in the 18th minute. The Hermann Trophy candidate found the bottom right corner of the goal off of just his second touch.
Johnson was challenged just two minutes later when USF was awarded a penalty kick. Johnson saved the shot by Ajmeer Spengler to keep the Mustangs’ (7-1, 2-0 AAC) up 1-0, which was the SMU advantage at halftime. Johnson would go on to post two more saves in the first half.
The Mustangs return to Washburne on Wednesday to host Grand Canyon at 7p.m. The Mustangs are 6-0 at Washburne Stadium this season and 14-1-1 since the start of last season.
>The SMU women’s soccer team (5-2-2, 1-0-1 AAC) forced its second shutout of the season in its 0-0 draw against Tulsa at Washburne Stadium on Thursday.
Tatum Sutherland clocked a 90-minute performance in her first start of the season, tallying four saves to secure a clean sheet for the Mustangs. SMU returns to action on Thursday, Sept. 28 at the Billy J. Murphy Athletic Complex to take on Memphis in a rematch of last season’s AAC Conference Tournament Championship. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and can be livestream on ESPN+.
> The top-ranked Mustangs fell to No. 3 TCU 12-6 on Friday at Bear Creek Farms.
The Mustangs’ five meet win-steak – dating back to last season’s national championship run – came to an end against the No. 3 Horned Frogs. SMU is back in action for its home opener versus No. 5 Oklahoma State on Saturday, Oct. 14.
> The SMU men’s tennis team wrapped up competition at the ITA Milwaukee Tennis Classic on Saturday at the Milwaukee Country Club.
Jerry Barton advanced all the way to Saturday’s singles quarterfinals, defeating Wisconsin’s Collin Beduhn (6-3, 6-1) and Mississippi State’s Benito Sanchez Martinez (6-4, 6-4) on the way.
>Taylor Johnson and Drew Morris advanced to the doubles semifinals, with Johnson also advancing to the singles semifinal at the ITA Milwaukee Tennis Classic on Saturday at the Milwaukee Country Club.
Let’s make it a great week! Pony Up!
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