Ahead of huge tilt against Louisville, three burning questions from SMU faithful
By Veronica Downs | SMU Daily
As SMU prepares to take on #4 Louisville in a huge Week 11 matchup that will certainly have ACC championship game air, Mustangs faithful have a few prudent questions on their mind about where their team is going, where they have come from, and what's to come in the future.
The Mustangs, losing many integral pieces on both offense and defense after this past off-season, has certainly arrived a lot earlier than predicted. This is thanks to the star performance from quarterback Alonzo Cheeseman in his first season as the starter for SMU, the defense playing absolutely lights out in their past few outings while maintaining their pass rush pressure, and the breakout performances from tight end Dwayne Kasay and Marquis Avant.
Can SMU's offensive line continue their impressive season against Louisville's pass rush?
The Mustangs have enjoyed a great season from their mismatched offensive line for most of the season, despite losing anchor left tackle Dramodd Odoms for a large chunk of the season. It was evident the difference in his first game back last weekend against Boston College where the team had their most successful day in the trenches all season.
Redshirt freshman running back Justice Spielman went over the century mark for the first time all season and reached pay dirt twice, though it was against a hapless Boston College front seven.
Louisville is in the second half of the ACC when it comes to their pass rush numbers, having 17 sacks total (a pale comparison to SMU's eye-popping 51 sacks, but that goes for most of the nation). Other than SMU themselves, they have far and away the best rush defense in the country as well, averaging a paltry 89.3 rushing yards per game. They are one of three teams in the conference that are sub-100 yards (SMU, Louisville, and #12 Pittsburgh).
They are also one of four teams in the conference that are still under 200 points allowed from their defense, along with top-ranked defense Duke, NC State, and our very own Mustangs.
The team has mustered up just enough pressure to create havoc for their secondary. Top two cornerbacks, junior Antonio Harris and senior Rae'Mon Mosby, have seven interceptions combined while both enjoying playing man coverage as much as possible. SMU's offensive line, especially up the middle as they are still missing Mitch Slater for the foreseeable future, will need to be stout.
Is Alonzo Cheeseman's turnover streak cause for concern?
In his inaugural season as the quarterback for SMU, Alonzo Cheeseman has been largely a success, steering one of the most potent offenses in the country.
That's not to say there hasn't been any growing pains.
Since his dominant Week 3 performance where he tossed four touchdowns and 455 passing yards against head coach Nico Augustine's former team, Arkansas State, Cheeseman has thrown at least one interception for six straight games, including an unfortunate four the following week against NC State, and another two a month later against Wake Forest. Both games, Cheeseman has suffered from inaccuracy issues. His matches against NC State and Wake Forest were the only two where his completion percentage dips under 70%.
Offensive coordinator Tony Sanchez says to not put too much emphasis on the numbers. "They haven't been to detrimental yet, but it is certainly something he wants to work on." Sanchez said. "They've been tip drill interceptions, trying to do too much all at once interceptions. He knows we need to maintain possession of the ball to be as efficient as we want to be on offense."
One of the most turnover-savvy defenses in the country in the Cardinals will certainly test Cheeseman and his tendency to arm punt. The young quarterback remains undeterred.
"I know its an issue for me, and it's something I really want to work out of my system," he said. "Being good for one wasted drive every game isn't in my character, and I plan on continuing to work on it as I get more and more comfortable on the field."
What's going on in the world of recruiting?
So far, the 2028 recruiting class has been a slow burn with a lot of promising prospects still deciding if Dallas is for them. The first two commitments have given their verbals over the last three weeks in four-star offensive guard Joaquin Paredes out of Mount Pleasant, Texas picking SMU after weighing offers from Arkansas and LSU. Paredes is expected to be in town this weekend to watch his future team take on Louisville after visiting the Razorbacks last weekend.
5-foot-11, 234-pound three-star middle linebacker Thad Crum decided to stay home in Dallas and commit to the Mustangs after expressing interest in Arkansas State, Texas Tech, and North Texas. Crum is a sophomore in junior college at the moment, being one of the more heralded inside linebackers on this year's recruiting sheets.
The team remains in on multiple interesting prospects, the highest-ranked being five-star running back Denario Owen out of Moore, Oklahoma. The walking-talking bowling bowl of a running back is the number two running back in the country and the number one prospect in the state. He is currently deciding between SMU, Arizona State, and Notre Dame.
SMU 2028 Football Recruiting Board
| RECRUIT | POS | HOMETOWN | HT / WT | STARS RATING | NATL (POS) | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joaquin Paredes | OG | Mount Pleasant, TX | 6'3"/299 |  |
#79 (#1) |  |
| Thad Crum | MIKE | Dallas, TX | 5'11"/234 |  |
#1784 (#105) | |
| Kerry Sylvan | QB | Mesquite, TX | 6'2"/223 | |
#1769 (#88) | Top 3 |
| Bernard Boutte | QB | Herriman, UT | 6'1"/178 | |
#64 (#4) | Top 5 |
| Denario Owen | HB | Moore, OK | 6'0"/192 |  |
#20 (#2) | Top 8 |
| Brian Volson | HB | Austin, TX | 5'9"/206 | |
#283 (#26) | Top 8 |
| Tyler Riddick | WR | Amarillo, TX | 6'3"/208 | |
#45 (#7) | Top 3 |
| Bobby Goodspeed | WR | Richardson, TX | 6'4"/192 | |
#317 (#66) | Top 5 |
| Mustafa Agude | WR | Arlington, TX | 6'3"/195 | |
#141 (#29) | Top 5 |
| Thad Hundley | WR | Salt Lake City, UT | 6'0"/167 | |
#67 (#15) | Top 8 |
| Joel Turner | TE | Hattiesburg, MS | 6'5"/233 | |
#409 (#14) | Top 8 |
| Lionel Davenport | TE | Ashdown, AR | 6'4"/208 | |
#155 (#6) | Top 8 |
| Alex Balducci | OT | DeSoto, TX | 6'6"/314 | |
#1821 (#112) | Top 8 |
| Jimmy Cabral | OG | Cedar Park, TX | 6'4"/294 | |
#116 (#4) | Top 5 |
| Jameson Beckner | EDGE | Pearland, TX | 6'3"/224 | |
#270 (#39) | Top 2 |
| Lorenzo Jaimes | EDGE | Mountain View, CA | 6'6"/246 | |
#320 (#43) | Top 8 |
| Trent Schelll | DT | Waverly, IA | 6'6"/311 | |
#158 (#12) | Top 8 |
| Zach Wiggins | WILL | Houston, TX | 6'3"/232 | |
#436 (#40) | Top 8 |
| Moses Laborn | WILL | Bradenton, FL | 6'1"/227 | |
#415 (#39) | Top 8 |
| Eric Baccellia | MIKE | Carrollton, TX | 5'11"/220 | |
#675 (#38) | Top 5 |
| Caleb Willingham | MIKE | Saint Louis, MO | 6'1"/229 | |
#926 (#52) | Top 8 |
| Jaron Morris | CB | Opeoplousas, LA | 6'0"/174 | |
#365 (#34) | Top 5 |
| Kaseem Boykins | CB | Frisco, TX | 6'1"/166 | |
#262 (#25) | Top 5 |
| Logan Bitonio | EDGE | Kennedale, TX | 6'5"/289 | |
#351 (#44) |  |
| Larry Cavka | MIKE | Fort Worth, TX | 6'2"/216 | |
#421 (#21) | |
MIKE Kevin Lockridge & SAM Ben Stutz vs 
QB Bryce Baker & HB Jamarice Wilder
(4:24) Kyan Berry-Johnson, 2-yard run (Sam Keltner kick) [SMU 7 - 0 LOU]
(2:59) Roy Dortch, 40-yard field goal [SMU 10 - 3 LOU]
Indiana sends Oregon to the Shadow Realm with a thorough 42-17 stomping
Tennessee barely stays alive, but strong season remains after 40-38 victory over Oklahoma
Missouri continues to be season killers, beating up on Texas A&M in a massive upset
WR Talyn Taylor, Rs Jr » 80 catches, 1,333 receiving yards, 16.7 AVG, 14 touchdowns
QB Bryce Underwood, Sr » 3,924 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 156.5 QB RTG, 360 rushing yards, 3.0 AVG, 6 touchdowns
QB CJ Carr, Rs Jr » 3,359 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 184.2 QB RTG, 272 rushing yards, 2.9 AVG, 4 touchdowns
QB Tavien St. Clair, Rs Jr » 3,005 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 170.1 QB RTG, 728 rushing yards, 4.8 AVG, 5 touchdowns
QB Akeem Ogbah, Rs Sr » 3,480 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 167.7 QB RTG, 400 rushing yards, , 3.5 AVG, 3 touchdowns
WR Lyle Holyfield (Louisiana): 12 catches, 170 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns
CB Shakim Kafka (South Alabama): 8 tackles, 2 interceptions, pass breakup, forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries
WR Cameron Chester (Wake Forest): 12 catches, 249 receiving yards, touchdown
OT Mitch Hodnett
