Armed Forces Bowl: SMU vs. Army
By Ty Duffy
Disappointed: Mustang players are grateful for the bowl game experience, but wanted to travel for it. Nothing deadens the festive spirit like attending structured fun activities and staying in a hotel, in your hometown.
Ticket Sales: SMU and Army each resold their 10,000 ticket allotments, proving that fans will fill one third of their home stadium to watch their own team play a crappy bowl game. There were still $10 standing room only tickets available, and you won’t want to be sitting for this one.
Pony Excess: Fort Worth will be doing the toasting, but, because of renovations to TCU’s abode, the game will be played in SMU’s Gerald J. Ford stadium. The stadium is named after a Texas banking billionaire who provided the funding for the venue, not Gerald R. Ford the president.
Speculation: June Jones has been a rumored candidate for the Maryland job, among others, but says he’s staying at SMU. Given the glut of offensive guru types who could be on the market, that’s probably a good bet.
Seen This Before: SMU faced the Triple Option against Navy and lost narrowly 28-21 on a late interception. Army faced Hawaii’s Run N’ Shoot, stopped the run portion and lost 31-28 at home. Though, both faced better versions of the attack they will face in this game.
For Army to Win: Effective blitzing. SMU’s sophomore quarterback Kyle Padron feasted on weak defenses, but can be confused by better ones and forced into mistakes. Army doesn’t have the athleticism to cover SMU’s receivers in the slot and must force the issue up front.
For SMU to Win: Handle the Option. Mustang linebackers have experience with a similar system against Navy. They have had a month to prepare. They should keep Army from having sustained drives and get their offense back on the field.
Prediction: SMU, by an ample margin.
[Photo via Getty]