When we booked our flight in August for this past weekend in North Texas, we were looking forward to going to check off two more stadiums in our dwindling list of places not visited: North Texas and SMU.
We also had major hopes of an early Saturday game at Oklahoma or Texas. Accordingly, we booked a Saturday night return. After seeing an exciting game at North Texas on Thursday night, we looked forward to a pivotal game at SMU on Friday night. Southern Methodist, which has won pretty much nothing since its return from the death penalty 30 years ago,was actually in control to win the American West title with a good Memphis team coming to town. Certainly, this was one of the biggest games at the Hilltop since the on-site stadium debuted in 2000.
My heart sank when I took my seat. Stadium capacity is 32,200. My first reaction: what a beautiful stadium. Second reaction: Where were the fans? I should have had a clue when I parked for free on a residential street 3 blocks from the stadium.
The Odyssey has often talked of the difficulty of maintaining high interest in a program when there is a proximate NFL team. In no case does more oxygen get sucked out of a college football team than what the iconic Dallas Cowboys annually do to the reborn Mustangs. I had another clue to the general disinterest when I picked up a latte at Starbucks, 3 miles from Gerald Ford Stadium (By the way, not to be confused with President Gerald Ford. The Presidential Ford did play Center at the Big House where many enthusiastic fans actually bothered to show up). When I told a teen that I was en route to the game, he immediately thought I was going to a high school playoff game (admittedly, a religion in the Lone Star state).
Driving up to Gerald Ford was unlike any other 100+ stadiums the Odyssey has visited. We were in the midst of a very posh neighborhood with tony stores that loudly spoke to the affluence of Dallas. This is where we rank SMU football in the local pecking order of general interest.:
- Dallas Cowboy football
- Local high school football
- Upscale shopping
- Local house tours
- SMU football
For SMU, the game proved as dispiriting as the crowd. The first half was totally disjointed as neither team got any traction. SMU coach Sonny Dykes was coaching like a desperado instead of as a mere 9-point underdog. With the score 0-0, he gave up a chip shot field goal and went for it on 4th and a long one from the 7. Fail. Later in the first half, he called a fake punt from SMU’s side of the field. Another fail. Even worse, SMU could not run the ball or efficiently pass protect as Memphis’ defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage.
The game was not just disjointed but also bizarre. The over/under skied to 75 yet the halftime score was amazingly 7-5 in favor of Memphis. Sonny Dykes is known for high-powered offenses and no-show defenses, making the first half became even more confounding. The SMU defense played well, controlling Memphis’ phenomenal running back, Darrell Henderson. Ben Hicks was so-so at QB and was not helped by any receiver not named James Proche. After a Hicks interception, I was informed by a nearby fan, that’s why we call him “Pick-6 Hicks.” The SMU fan informed me that there were 4 consecutive games where Hicks lived up to his nickname. The Odyssey was not surprised as we were in Ann Arbor when Hicks was benched after a game-changing Pick 6 in the Big House. Just like in Ann Arbor, James Proche continued to impress as he again went well over 100 yards in reception yardage with another game of double-digit catches. Memphis continued to impose its will on the lines in the 2nd half and wound up with a deserved 28-18 victory.
I left the game in a funk, Assuredly, the game’s late 8pm start and the evening cold contributed. The Odyssey loves the unique passion associated with college football. The SMU players, the American Athletic conference and college football deserved better. Friday night games are a specious form of the TV devil, especially when up against high school football playoffs in a state crazed for high school football. Would it have been asking too much for SMU not to have a Friday night under such circumstances? I know TV rules but there should be scope for a touch of common sense. Where was SMU’s athletic director when this date was made?
I left the stadium wondering if SMU made a wise decision, post-death penalty, to return to Division 1-A football. It is as if the Mustangs have a “zombie program.” Yes, the football team has come back from the dead, but in very different form. Even their night’s promotion spoke of a time that cannot ever be recaptured. Doak Walker bobbleheads were being given away. Doak Walker was a fantastic player – 70 years ago.
The announced times of the Texas and Oklahoma games were both in evening slots. Disappointing! The change fee from a Saturday return flight to a Sunday return flight were prohibitive so I thought I would just watch Saturday’s games from a fun, New York City-styled loft hotel room. No tripleheader for the Odyssey. Or so I thought.
When I woke up Saturday morning, I still had not gotten rid of the bad taste from Friday night. I realized that TCU was playing at Baylor in the early game but I had already seen TCU play at Baylor in the 2011 opener in an absolute thriller that announced RG3’s momentous Heisman Trophy season. The morning looked beautiful and the slate of early games did not look immensely compelling. At the very last minute (9:15AM for an 11 o’clock game), I decided to hightail it 110 miles South to Waco. Quickly.
About 15 minutes into my 12th-hour gallop toward the 114th installment of the “Revivalry” between the two private schools (TCU now leads by a narrow margin of 55-52-7). I knew I had made the right decision as my mood was brightening by the mile. A frustrating traffic accident on I35, 5 miles north of Waco, made me later than hoped. I parked roughly half a mile from McLane Stadium and was amply rewarded with a beautiful riverwalk ( I was late, so it was actually a riverrun even at my advanced age) on the South side of the Brazos River, highlighted by the changing fall colors. The stadium was perched on the North bank. I was happily reminded of the charm associated in going to Washington and Tennessee games as both stadiums were adjacent to rivers.
Walking into the stadium, I was jazzed by massive cheering as Baylor scored a 1st quarter touchdown. Perhaps 1,000 times more enthusiasm than on any play Friday night. Thank God! McLane Stadium turned out to be breathtakingly beautiful, easily one of the country’s best venues to watch a game. The architects got everything right, including an open South end zone which offers stellar views of the river and the expansive campus. It also added to the spirit to see the Baylor students, filling the lower rows of one side of the field, sporting their yellow, “Baylor Line” tee shirts.
Baylor should have won the game but did not. Injuries forced TCU to use a 3rd string QB and a third-string running back. This was on top of a zillion Horned Frog injuries on the defensive side. TCU had zero sustained TD drives during the game. Both Horned Frog touchdowns were byproducts of creative play calling. Jalen Reagor first scored on a 65-yard jailbreak screen pass. With the score knotted 9-9, in the third quarter, TCU had 4th and 1 at the Baylor 37. Offensive coordinator, Sonny Cumbie, called a reverse that totally fooled the Bears. Reagor strolled into the end zone with what proved to be the game-winning TD.
Equally surprising was TCU’s stellar defense that limited Baylor team to 9 points and 303 yards. A week prior, Baylor’s offense tallied 505 yards against a quality Iowa State D. In spite of Gary Patterson’s brilliance as a defensive guru, holding Baylor to 9 points was one of the day’s stunning developments. In the Odyssey’s opinion, Patterson is one of the few coaches who could have triumphed Saturday given the hand dealt. In ESPN’s playoff-centric coverage, not much will be made of TCU’s victory or excellent coaching. What a shame!