INSIDE SLANT

Even coach June Jones admits his team is playing over its heads at 6-4 and leading the Conference USA West Division.

“But that’s OK,” Jones said this week.

Just two years after taking over on the Hilltop, Jones has the Mustangs eligible for their first bowl in 25 years and two wins away from playing in the C-USA title game.

“We had set a goal for ourselves to get to six wins, and it was going to be a tough one we thought,” Jones explained. “We’re probably a year ahead of schedule from where I thought we’d be. I thought it would take us one more recruiting class to turn the corner. We’re lucky that we’re where we are right now, and hopefully we can keep playing hard and win a few more games.”

SMU now controls its fate in the league. With wins at Marshall this week and at home against Tulane on Nov. 28, the Ponies would earn the right to host the conference championship game on Dec. 5.

“The players have bought into what we’re teaching them—not just the X’s and O’s part of it, but a lot of the team concepts and how to win. They just have come together as a group and are playing very hard for each other and for the team,” Jones added. 

Jones instituted the same passing offense that re-wrote the NCAA record book at his previous coaching stop in Hawaii. Freshman Kyle Padron is 3-0 since taking over at quarterback for injured Bo Levi Mitchell.

“Lots of times when you go to a program that has lost forever, they’ve tried everything else and they’re looking for something different,” Jones said. “You don’t get anyone standing in your way; they let you do your job.”

NOTES, QUOTES

• It is only the second game for SMU in Huntington, West Virginia. The Ponies lost to the Herd 16-13 in 2005 in C-USA action.

• SMU leads the West Division with a 5-1 league mark, which is the school’s most conference wins as a member of C-USA.

Series History:   SMU 1-Marshall 1 (last meeting, 2006, 31-21 SMU).

Scouting The Offense:   Kyle Padron has been instrumental in SMU’s three-game winning streak. The freshman quarterback has compiled a 170.78 efficiency rating as a passer in his three-plus games. Just for context, the Division I leader among qualifiers is Boise State’s Kellen Moore at 172.59. No other full-time starter is above 170, but Padron does not have enough pass attempts to qualify nationally. Padron was 17-of-24 for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns in last week’s win over UTEP. He also ran for two scores. He is 3-0 as a starter. “He’s been fun to watch come along. He’s gotten better every game,” SMU coach June Jones said of Padron, who replaced the injured Bo Levi Mitchell at midseason.

  SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: It’s a good thing that Padron and the offense have meshed because the SMU defense is still having its problems. The Ponies are ranked 91st in both total defense (403 yards per game) and scoring defense (29.4 points per game). However, Marshall could be without its top two offensive weapons against SMU. Darius Marshall was ranked fifth in the nation in rushing coming into last week’s game before leaving with an ankle injury. And Marshall lost TE Cody Slate, a Mackey Award candidate, with a knee injury. Both are questionable for SMU. The Mustangs surrendered 241 yards rushing to UTEP’s Donald Buckram last week.

Quote To Note:   “When you’ve been losing forever, you don’t look past any game. It’s not like this is a three-time Super Bowl championship team. We gave up over 700 yards last week, so everyone realizes where we are and what’s at stake.”—SMU coach June Jones on how his team is handling its new-found success going into this week’s game against Marshall.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

This Week  ‘S GAME: SMU at Marshall, Nov. 21—SMU can’t rest on its laurels now. Despite being in control of their own destiny, the Mustangs are also in uncharted waters. Not since the days of the “Pony Express” with Eric Dickerson and Craig James have the Mustangs been at the top of the conference race. How the Mustangs handle their new-found success on the road at a place where none of the current players have ever played will be key. Marshall is reeling from injuries to its top two offensive threats (RB Darius Marshall and TE Cody Slate). SMU coach June Jones has warned his team this week that he expects the Herd to come out to rally around the adversity.

  KEYS TO THE GAME: If there was ever a time for the SMU defense to win a game, it’s this week. Making a depleted Marshall offense one-dimensional will be the key for a ball-hawking Mustangs defense. If RB Darius Marshall (ankle injury) is ineffective, the Ponies can tee off on QB Brian Anderson. SMU DE Taylor Thompson, who had two sacks last week, could feast on an offensive line that is ranked 71st nationally in sacks allowed. 

Players To Watch:  

WR Emmanuel Sanders—Caught seven passes for 134 yards and two scores last week against UTEP. He now has 14 career 100-yard games, one shy of the C-USA record held by three players.

RB Shawnbrey McNeal—Had 18 carries for a career-high 169 yards and a touchdown in the win over UTEP. He has 896 yards this season, almost twice as many as SMU rushed for as a team in 2008.

LB Chase Kessemer—Recorded his seventh double-figure tackle game of the season with 11 stops against UTEP, giving him 104 for the season. 

DE Margus Hunt—Set a new SMU record with his seventh blocked kick of the season against UTEP and is within one of the NCAA single-season record held by three players. 

Roster Report:  

• QB Bo Levi Mitchell is still recovering from a dislocated shoulder and is listed as the backup to Kyle Padron.

• CB Sterling Moore left the UTEP game early with a knee injury and is likely lost for the season. He is the second starting corner to go down in 2009.