Press "Enter" to skip to content

2016 Football Schedule Series: SMU

Better Know SMU

There is a lot of time before football comes back to blind us to reality. In the mean time we could be doing postive things like hanging out with our children, being better husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, citizens, podcasters and what-have-you. If you don’t want to do those things you could get to know your opponents a little better.

For the others click here.

Date Opp
Sep 3 at SMU
Sep 10 Bethune-Cookman
Sep 17 at Florida
Sep 24 at Rice
Oct 1 MTSU
Oct 8 Marshall
Oct 15 Bye!
Oct 22 at Army
Oct 29 at UTSA
Nov 5 LaTech
Nov 12 at WKU
Nov 19 SoMiss
Nov 26 at UTEP
Dec 3 CUSA Championship Game

MGN Page – SMU

I’ll restate here what the MGN page says:

SMU is famous program in college football but not all for good reasons. There were championships in the 30s and 40s, and Doak Walker may or may not have built the Cotton Bowl, but people alive today most remember that SMU was banhammered with Death in the late 80s for cheatin’. They haven’t fully recovered since.

The ‘rivalry’ between our great school and that one in University/Highlands Park is more of the public/private, middle class/upper class variety than anything else. While the average UNT alumnus was commuting to Denton in a hand-me-down car, the SMU folks were driving a new BMW and well on their way to an internship at daddy’s law firm. Or at least that’s how the jokes go.

I don’t know if you hate them right now. Bill Connelly says they’ll be crazy and fun.

Last Year:

Opp Score
Baylor L 21-56
NT W 31-13
at TCU L 37-56
James Madison (FCS) 45-48!
ECU L 23-49
at UH L 28-49
at USF L 14-38
Tulsa L 31-40
Temple L 40-60
at Navy L 14-55
at Memphis L 0-63

SMU was awful, in the way that rebuilding teams often are. Though they managed just one more win that the year previous, the feeling around the program is one of excitement and better days. Interestingly, SMU and UNT now boast the former offensive coordinators of the ACC’s best offenses the last few years. Chad Morris laid the foundation for the Clemson beast that won the ACC and lost the NC title game. Seth Littrell’s credentials are also shiny and awesome.

Logic tells us that we should expect something similar to Chad Morris’ first year in Littrell’s 2016 season. Our bottoming out came the year after theirs did and that sure looked similar. Unfortunately, that means we are a year behind in this rivalry, which is one thing cynical portions of our fan base feared when Chad Morris was hired.

The good news is that this matchup is in Denton — #NewDenton? — where NT has had something like a clear advantage over opposition. The bad news is a big stage (relatively speaking) and the matchup just winnable enough that there could be some consequences in recruiting. A Chad Morris win on the field would help bolster his year-long advantage.

The mysteries of recruiting aside, this is one of two games that do a lot for my personal morale. The other being the UTSA game, of course. I’ve yet to walk out of Ford Field with the smugness that only the away team’s fans can have, but I have gotten the pleasure of gloating near visiting Smoo folks. I look forward to the opportunity in September. At the very least, a good showing in this game — lots of scoring, maybe some competence, potential — would hearten the students and the folks in Denton who have been beaten down by the last two awful football seasons.

If you made it out to Dallas to see UNT at SMU to begin last season, you probably were angry that Matt Davis tore through the defense time and again as he scampered for gobs of yardage. He is as SR this year, and the Morris offense should mean a more controlled, efficient Matt Davis to deal with come September. Whether or not the newly tooled North Texas can stop that onslaught enough for Alec Morris and company to keep pace will be the storyline. There are months to go before we get into breaking down further details, and that means lots of time for injuries and surprises. So we will stop with the football stuff here.

Be First to Comment

Mission News Theme by Compete Themes.