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1997 SMU Mustangs football team

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{{{year}}} [[{{{team}}} football]]
1997 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Mountain Division
New Mexico x   6 2     9 4  
Rice   5 3     7 4  
SMU   5 3     6 5  
Utah   5 3     6 5  
BYU   4 4     6 5  
UTEP   3 5     4 7  
Tulsa   2 6     2 9  
TCU   1 7     1 10  
Pacific Division
No. 17 Colorado State x$   7 1     11 2  
Air Force   6 2     10 3  
Fresno State   5 3     6 6  
Wyoming   4 4     7 6  
San Diego State   4 4     5 7  
San Jose State   4 4     4 7  
UNLV   2 6     3 8  
Hawaii   1 7     3 9  
Championship: Colorado State 41, New Mexico 13
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season as members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in the Mountain Division. They played their home games at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. Under first-year head coach Mike Cavan and ten years after the NCAA's 1987 "death penalty" on SMU football, SMU finished the 1997 season with a 6–5 record and completed their first winning season since the football program resumed operations in 1989.

Schedule

September 66:00 p.m.Mississippi*

L 15–23 36,521 September 137:00 p.m.vs. Arkansas*

W 31–9 23,500 September 207:00 p.m.Navy*

L 16–46 20,011 September 272:00 p.m.No. 23 BYU

  • Cotton Bowl
  • Dallas, TX

KSLL 16–19 OT23,701 October 47:05 p.m.at New Mexico

L 15–22 33,128 October 112:05 p.m.at Utah

W 20–19 26,611 October 252:00 p.m.Wyoming

  • Cotton Bowl
  • Dallas, TX

W 22–17 22,403 November 12:00 p.m.Rice

W 24–6 20,024 November 82:00 p.m.UTEPdagger

  • Cotton Bowl
  • Dallas, TX

W 28–14 21,280 November 151:30 p.m.at Tulsa

W 42–41 15,234 November 207:05 p.m.at TCU

ESPNL 18–21 19,094

Template:CFB Schedule End

Roster

1997 SMU Mustangs football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
C 70 Austin Adami Jr
RB 21 Kelsey Adams Jr
WR 5 Albert Johnson Jr
RB 28 Rodnick Phillips So
QB 12 Chris Sanders So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 42 Chris Bordano Sr
DB 25 Chris Campbell Sr
LB 97 Jon Wilson Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Personnel

Mike Cavan succeeded Tom Rossley as SMU head coach. Rossley coached SMU from 1991 to 1996 and left with a 15–48–3 record.[1] Cavan became SMU's third head coach in the post-"death penalty" era for SMU. Cavan was previously head coach at Valdosta State from 1986 to 1991 and East Tennessee State from 1992 to 1996. This is Cavan's first head coaching job at a Division I-A school.

Name Position Seasons at
SMU
Alma Mater
Mike Cavan Head coach 1 Georgia (1972)
Warren Belin Linebackers 1 Wake Forest (1990)
Darrell Dickey Offensive coordinator, quarterbacks 1 Kansas State (1984)
Derek Dooley Wide receivers 1 Virginia (1991)
Troy Douglas Running backs 1 Appalachian State (1988)
Steve Malin Defensive ends 4 East Texas State (1993)
David McKnight Tight ends 1 Georgia (1969)
Eric Schumann Defensive coordinator, defensive backs 1 Alabama (1977)
Randy Williams Offensive line 1 Valdosta State (1991)
Source:[2]

After the season

Coaching changes

Offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey left SMU to take the head coaching job at North Texas in 1998; Greg Briner, previously the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach at Georgia, succeeded Dickey as offensive coordinator.[3] Offensive line graduate assistant Paul Etheridge was promoted to tight ends and offensive tackles https://web.archive.org/web/19990507171101/http://www.smumustangs.com/football/etheridge.asp</ref> David McKnight moved to running backs coach.[4]

NFL Draft

In the 1998 NFL Draft, linebacker Chris Bordano was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round and 161st overall.[5]

References