|
PRINT
THIS PAGE | E-MAIL THIS PAGE
Saturday, September 26, 1998
Mustangs may be balanced, but they're winless
By JAIME ARON AP Sports Writer
DALLAS (AP) - Southern Methodist coach Mike Cavan wanted a
more balanced offense this year, and he's got it. The results,
though, aren't what he expected.
The Mustangs have gained 528 yards on the ground and 478 through
the air in three games, but they go into Saturday's game against
Mississippi still seeking their first victory.
Ole Miss (2-1) is the second straight Southeastern Conference
foe for SMU (0-3). The Rebels beat the Mustangs 23-15 in last
year's opener.
That loss began a 1-4 start for SMU before a five-game winning
streak salvaged the school's first winning season since 1986.
Cavan is hoping this game can start another turnaround.
"You don't know where the low point will be until it's
all said and done," the second-year coach said. "We're
pretty low right now because we haven't won a football game.
"But I think the good thing is our guys have a good attitude.
As long as we keep that and keep working we're going to improve
and win some ballgames. I don't have any doubts about that."
Ole Miss opened the year with a 30-10 victory over Memphis,
then was shut out at home by Auburn. The Rebels bounced back with
a 30-6 victory at Vanderbilt last weekend that left coach Tommy
Tuberville wondering how good his team can be.
"We're a better team right now than we were against Memphis,
but we're not as far along as I would have liked," Tuberville
said. "We're hit by the injury bug - not major injuries to
a certain extent, but we haven't been able to get any continuity
defensively because of those injuries."
On offense, the Rebels must replace sophomore lineman Terrence
Metcalf, who fractured and dislocated an ankle against Vanderbilt.
He will be out the rest of the year.
Ole Miss also is breaking in a young quarterback in sophomore
Romaro Miller. The Commodores kept him off balance with blitzes,
limiting him to 9-of-19 for 139 yards. However, the Rebels countered
with big performances from Joe Gunn (21 carries, 146 yards) and
Deuce McAllister (73 yards, two touchdowns).
"It was fun to watch us finally be able to run the ball
between the tackles and also on the outside," Tuberville
said.
Cavan felt like the Mustangs relied too much on the run last
year as only 36 percent of the offense came through the air.
While the gap has been narrowed, it hasn't happened very smoothly.
Sophomore quarterback Chris Sanders struggled so much in the first
two games that true freshman Josh McCown started the third game
against Arkansas.
McCown wasn't much better, completing 9-of-17 passes for just
96 yards and a touchdown before being relieved by Sanders in last
Saturday's 44-17 loss to Arkansas.
"It was an awful spot to put a freshman in, but he'll
learn from that and certainly improve from that," Cavan said,
adding that both will likely play Saturday.
Cavan said he's trying hard not to let the winless start get
to him, or his players. They've also lost at Rice and at home
against Tulane.
"Nobody wants to hear about problems like injuries and
schedules, but that has come to fruition for us this year,"
Cavan said. "It happens to you in certain years and this
happens to be our year. But we're going to fight through it, improve
as a football team and win some games."
Send a Letter to the Editor about This
Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
Send the URL (Address)
of This Story to A Friend:
|
