SMU 54, Kansas State 21
Game Report Posted: June 06, 2010 21:21
Key player: Ricky Miles (again). He's third in the Heisman poll after hitting 45 of 58 for 589 yards with seven TDs and three INTs against what may be the worst secondary in college football. He also runs 14 times for 121 yards and a score.
The skinny: Coach Nibble gets power hungry and runs it up against a helples opponent. ... Marcus West catches 14 for a school-record 218 yards and two TDs; Marcus James catches 12 for 143 and two; Terry Gray hits career highs with nine for 172 and two. ... MLB Thomas Gates keeps feeding the Mustangs the ball by getting three interceptions. ... DT Anthony Carr has three sacks. ... SMU outgains K-State 762-271.
Orange Bowl -- big finish
Game Report Posted: June 15, 2010 12:14
SMU 42, Clemson 17
Ricky Miles wraps up his career with 271 passing yards and four TDs, David Miller rushes for 174 yards on 34 carries.
Mustangs finish 12-1, have a Lombardi Award winner in freshman DE Wilie Jones and have All-Americans in Jones, Miles, DT Anthony Carr and CB Victor Smith. MLB Thomas Gates is a second-teamer.
Recruiting bagged Nos. 1 and 2 CBs, Brad Johnson ands Gabe Townsend, No. 1 OLB Ryan Medlock and No. 1 DT Eric Riley.
Passing
Miles 293 of 476 for 3,988 yards 48 TD, 16 INT
Rushing
Miller 197 867 4,4 6 TD
Willie Gold 155 815 5.2 4
Miles 154 730 4.7 4
Receiving
Brandon Ward 80 1158 12 TD
Marcus West 60 752 7
Marcus James 47 742 8
Miller, Tyler Workman Terry Gray each 5 TDs
Defense
Jones 81 tackles, 7 sacks
Gates 74, 6 INT
Carr 10 sacks
Shane Wright 7 sacks
V. Smith 4 INT
Trouble ahead
Season Report Posted: June 03, 2010 00:45
It was less than two weeks before the start of preseason camp when word came to Coach Nibble's staff that Chance Bright, the Mustangs' flaky senior quarterback, was leaving the program to pursue fame and fortune in mixed martial arts. For Bright, who had served several penalties for hijinks such as hosting nude Olympics in the aquatics center, this latest episode was unusual but hardly unbelievable.
Nibble: "Terry, is this true? MMA?"
Quarterbacks coach Rob Terry rolled his eyes: "Yeah, coach, from what I'm hearing it seems to be true."
Nibble: "Is he kidding? You've got to be tough for that shit. Really tough. Like ... Marines-tough. Hell, he reads blitz at the line and he practically vomits on his shoes."
Terry: "Apparently he's running with some guys who fancy themselves as fighters and talked him into it. He is a strong kid and pretty big ..."
Nibble: "Big pain in the ass. I don't need this, Terry, not right before camp. I don't need this ever. I redshirted half the defense because I thought we were going to have an experienced offense to carry us, and now our quarterback's gone off to join the damn circus.
"All right, get into it, Terry. Find this idiot and get him back here. I don't care how, just get him back here."
Terry: "On it, coach."
Nibble: "Terry, don't screw this up. You do and you'll be coaching women's pistol."
SMU 17, Baylor 16
Game Report Posted: June 05, 2010 16:21
Key player: Ricky Miles leads a 64-yard drive in the final minute, hitting 4 of 6 passes and capping it by scrambling away from the rush to the left on the final play, trucking the CB at the 1-yard line and falling into the end zone for the winning touchdown.
The skinny: Mustangs overcome four turnovers and the usual injury to tailback David Miller (wuss). ... CB Brian Johnson commits.
SMU 36, Nebraska 19
Game Report Posted: June 05, 2010 21:26
Key player: Ricky Miles throws the shit out of the short passes, hitting 41 of 61 for 402 yards and four touchdowns.
The skinny: Nebraska comes out in zone and SMU wears out the underneath routes. Five receivers catch at least five balls, led by Marcus West with a career-high 11. ... Nebraska led 9-7 at halftime. SMU led 21-12 before a fumbled punt led to the Huskers getting a cheap TD and cutting it to 21-19 with five minutes left.
Recruiting: Jackpot -- Six players commit after watching the fun against Nebraska, including a tackle, guard, center, two receivers and a corner.
Quarterback change
Season Report Posted: June 03, 2010 00:53
DALLAS (AP) -- SMU quarterback Chance Bright has left the program to seek a career in mixed martial arts, Mustangs Coach Nibble announced.
Bright, a senior who started the past two seasons, passed for 1,800 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.
The starting job now likely passes to senior Ricky Miles, who made three starts for Bright last season.
Nibble said in a statement: "Chance has been a fine member of the Mustangs family and we wish him well in the future."
Nibble also said that quarterbacks coach Rob Terry is leaving the program to become coach of the new women's pistol team.
This should be interesting
Season Report Posted: June 01, 2010 22:03
Last year: 11-3 (7-2, Big 12 champs)
Key returnees: DE Shane Wright; MLB Thomas Gates; CB Victor Smith; OLB Keith Wright; T Mike Cutler; QB Ricky Miles; TB David Miller; WR Marcus James; WR Brandon Ward.
Key losses: DT David Baker; G Derrick Johnson; QB Chance Bright; TB Nathan King; TE Brandon Mills.
Why they'll win: There's a big talent dropoff for this year only (more on that in a minute), but the cupboard ain't bare. Shane Wright is a developing pass rushing terror at left end and Thomas Gates should be good for 100 tackles at MLB. QB Ricky Miles isn't quite the passer that departed QB Chance Bright was, but he's a much faster runner.
Why they'll lose: Coach Nibble is rolling the dice by redshirting his mega-talented classes of defensive studs from the past two seasons, including All-America CB Ricky Paul, OLB Paul Winstrom, CB Walter Thomas and safeties Terry Dawkins and Quincy Thomas. The idea is to load up for a national title push in 2029. With games against top-20 teams like Iowa, West Virginia, Oregon, Nebraska and Oklahoma ahead, the Mustangs could take their lumps in 2028.
Notable: The plum of this year's recruiting class is DE Willie Jones, a 6-5, 249-pounder with running back speed. He'll start right away. ... With the mass redshirts, junior CB Victor Smith moves up as the leader of the secondary along with senior SS Ray Foster. ... David Miller is a 94 sprinter with great strength, but he hasn't been healthy for two years. So the Mustangs are going to more spread this season in case he breaks down again. WRs Brandon Ward, Marcus West and Marcus James are too good to waste in a run offense anyway.
SMU 52, No. 3 Iowa 29
Game Report Posted: June 02, 2010 00:37
Key player: Why didn't Coach Nibble play this guy years ago? Senior Ricky Miles finally has the QB job to himself (others suck) and goes off, hitting 22 of 35 for 367 yards and six TDs, and rushing 18 times for 205 yards.
The skinny: Definitely gotta use more spread this season. Miles breaks contain twice for long, long runs as well as several nice gains on option keepers. Keeping him healthy will be a challenge; he's been brittle in two seasons as primary backup. ... Brandon Ward is his primary receiver, catch seven for 157 yards and two scores. ... True freshman DE Willie Jones announces himself to America with three sacks.
SMU 38, No. 5 West Virginia
Game Report Posted: June 02, 2010 00:51
Key player: MLB Thomas Gates picks off two passes and otherwise helps clog the middle zones as the Mustangs hold the Mountaineers to 227 total yards.
The skinny: This might not be a throwaway season after all. After getting lit up for 400 yards in offense by Iowa, SMU clamps down this week and allows WVU past midfield just twice. ... CB Will Jones, in his second career start, returns an INT 40 yards for the game's first score. ... Ricky Miles has another good start, passing for 212 yards and rushing for 40.
SMU 30, No. 18 Oregon 27, OT
Game Report Posted: June 02, 2010 21:00
Key player: Terry Gray makes his first catch of the season a good one -- 25 yards in OT to win it.
The skinny: Mustangs fall behind 10-7 and 24-17 but battle back. Pedro Thompson's 40-yard field goal at the end of regulation forces OT. Ducks boot a 35-yard field goal for a 27-24 lead, then the Mustangs throw into the end zone on their first play to win it.
SMU 49, Oklahoma State 21
Game Report Posted: June 03, 2010 21:09
Key player: Ricky Miles passes for 260 yards and three scores, and runs for 117 yards and a TD in the rain at Stillwater.
The skinny: Marcus James catches seven passes for 123 yards and two scores. ... Willie Gold provides the inside running threat after replacing starter David Miller, going for 130 yards and a TD. Miller hurts his foot, he's out for two weeks. ... MLB Thomas Gates gets his fifth INT of the season. Could be a school record coming.
Recruiting: Mustangs get No. 1 players at two positions -- DT Eric Riley and OLB Ryan Medlock.
Colorado 28, SMU 21
Game Report Posted: June 04, 2010 21:50
Key player: Chase Davis shreds the Mustangs with 436 yards passing, including a 38-yard catch and run by WR Trey Holloway with 4 minutes left for the go-ahead score that knocks SMU out of the nation's No. 1 spot.
The skinny: Yep, definitely a drop-off by the defense this season. It's the second big passing day by an opponent, following Iowa's in the opener. ... Ricky Miles passes for 300 yards and three TDs, but after guiding the Mustangs to the 38-yard line in the final two minutes he's hurt on a sack and the drive dies with redshirt Jonathan Holt making his weak-armed tosses. ... Brandon Ward has five catches, including a TD, and freshman TB Ray Hale makes four receptions for 92 yards and a score.