Once again, TCU won and UNT and SMU did not. You can read my write ups at Pegasus News here and here.
TCU
TCU played a Thursday night game against BYU on national TV (sort of, it was on Versus) and really drummed eighth/ninth ranked BYU 32-7. TCU had not done so well on Thursday nights lately, but this time, they got the job done and looked good doing it. They showed the nation that they have a very good defense. For some people, the BYU/TCU game was more compelling than the Florida State/NC State game on ESPN. Kudos to the guys from the Northeast (or the “mouse ears” as Randy Galloway calls them) for picking the best game ahead of time. I suppose they thought this was the year that Florida State would be good again. Of course, those are teams from the ACC, a BCS conference. At least that game was closer. TCU gets a couple extra days to rest, and then they get a hapless Wyoming team at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
SMU
SMU is playing competitively. They have been close to getting wins the last three weeks including a near upset of Tulsa. I really do believe that a team has to be able to run the ball and stop the run to be a championship level team. There defense doesn’t seem to be getting the job done. They can’t hold the leads that their offense gets for them, and the Pony offense is still too young to complete the come-from-behind victory. By young, I mean young in the system and at QB. They have some mature, older players such as Emmanuel Sanders along with the emergence of Aldrick Robinson. SMU’s offfensive line has had injury problems too. I think that Mustang coach June Jones is about a year away from a significant turn around. He will need to get help on both sides of the line as it seems he has been able to find guys to step in to the skill positions and make plays.
UNT
The students have approved a referendum which will allow a Athletic fee to be charged so that the Mean Green Athletic programs can experience improvement. One of the areas of improvement needed is a new football stadium. Fouts Field, the UNT home, is old and deteriorating. The facility was not kept up very well, and the Mean Green stadium and its facilities are among the worst in the Sun Belt. Just imagine that your a young man being recruited by UNT and you visit their facilities. Every where you turn you see outdated facilties that are falling apart. Then, you get a phone call from SMU or TCU with their nice facilities. Is there any doubt where you would rather go play? I have been in the TCU’s Justin Athletic Complex. It is brand new, and it is awesome. The first step is to get the stadium up to par and then build athletic facilities for tutoring, meetings, etc. You can check out the concept drawing at GoMeanGreen.com. Unfortunately, the Mean Green football could not match the referendum’s success on the football field.
What are they saying?
TCU
Matt Zemek–BigPurpleNation.com
SMU
UNT
