Memphis 63, SMU 0: What We Learned

[caption id="attachment_19553" align="alignright" width="278"]Photo by Jeff Goldberg Photo by Jeff Goldberg[/caption] Paging SMU’s defense? Hello? The score looks bad and the box score looks worse, but actually, seeing the defense was even more painful. Memphis had its way with the Mustangs from start to finish, even when it wasn’t trying. The Tigers scored 56 points in the first half behind Paxton Lynch’s record-tying seven touchdown passes. In total, Memphis completed just nine passes, but seven of those resulted in touchdowns, each thrown to a different receiver, and their offensive drives took just 8:30 of possession. The Mustangs couldn’t tackle anyone, got no pressure on the quarterback, and secondary coverage was busted more often than not. Memphis didn’t even bother with the passing game in the second half, completing just four passes for 66 yards, and still SMU struggled to make stops. The Mustangs looked deflated and frustrated, which is understandable but not an excuse. This offseason needs to be used to fix up the fundamentals, from tackling to reading an offense and even controlling your emotions. A full Chad Morris recruiting class should help, too. About that offense… Or, lack of offense. SMU totaled just 97 yards of offense behind all kinds of issues. Matt Davis started the game at quarterback, but after missed throws, several bad handoffs and an inability to run the ball, he was benched for Darrel Colbert, Jr. halfway through the second quarter. Davis came back to start the second half, but again was replaced with Colbert. Between the two, SMU finished 5-of-22 with 64 yards and an interception. Don’t put it all on the quarterbacks, though. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton, who’s usually a very solid player, failed to haul in even the balls that were thrown right at him and finished with just 45 yards and two receptions. The Mustangs tallied 47 rushing yards due to an abundance of negative plays and four lost fumbles. The weather conditions played a part, but not enough to excuse SMU’s poor offensive performance. Find the will to fight. SMU finished this season 2-10, and though it was ugly a lot can be learned from it. Morris has already improved this program, helping the Mustangs pull off a big win over Tulane and reach two wins on the year. But the belief on the field is going to take some time. The players looked like they weren't playing to the final whistle, and that will have to change as they try to get through these dark times for the program.