SMU Mustangs – 2010 C-USA College Football Predictions: There is plenty of energy surrounding the SMU football program as they begin the second season under head coach June Jones. And for the first time in a quarter century, the Mustang program even picked up a vote in one of the major college football polls. The goal for SMU in 2010 is to win Conference USA and to play in the Liberty Bowl as a reward.
The Mustangs posted a 45-10 win over Nevada in last year’s Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl, its first bowl appearance since 1984. It was the largest margin of victory in any bowl game last season. SMU improved by a school-record seven games from the previous season, the largest improvement in the FBS in 2009. Freshman quarterback Kyle Padron threw for an SMU school-record 460 yards in the Hawai’i Bowl. In seven games, he completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,911 yards and 10 TDs.
Sophomore defensive tackle Margus Hunt had seven blocked kicks during his freshman season (3 PATs, 4 FGs). The seven blocked kicks tied for the second-highest total in NCAA history (record is eight by three different players) and his four blocked FG's tied for second in a season in NCAA history (6 by Lonnell Dewalt, Kentucky 2004).
SMU signed 25 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent in February, assembling perhaps its finest recruiting class in 25 years. The 2010 incoming class has 16 three-star Rivals.com recruits, surpassing the number of such recruits in the 2007 (4), 2008 (4) and 2009 (7) classes combined. With 13 freshman or sophomore starters, SMU had the third highest total of underclassmen starters in the FBS in 2009.
The emergence of SMU back onto the football scene should make C-USA a fun place to be in 2010. The Pony's might not be the best in the league but will certainly be a player that will be in the hunt all season long. Getting back to a bowl game is a certainty this year.
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