Since SMU head coach June Jones came on the scene, he has brought a new brand of football to a small team mostly forgotten by the football fans in the Dallas and Fort Worth metroplex.
But, since the emergence of second year starting quarterback Kyle Padron, things seem to be looking up for the Mustangs.
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| Ronald Martinez/Getty Images |
After throwing for almost 2,000 yards (1,922) and 10 touchdowns as a freshman, Padron came in as a sophomore ready to better those numbers especially with the experience he had gained.
He did exactly that, throwing for 3,828 yards and an astounding 31 touchdowns to just 14 interceptions. Not bad for a young quarterback in his first full season as a starter. The young quarterback ended up leading the SMU Mustangs to the 2010 Armed Forces Bowl against the Army Black Knights.
He finished the 2011 season with seven 300-yard passing games, his best coming against Tulsa in SMU's sixth game of the season.
Padron completed 27 of his 40 pass attempts (67.5%) for 381 yards and three touchdowns in a 21-18 win over the Golden Hurricane.
During the season he showed both experience and youth. He would throw passes he had no business throwing yet be able to come back and throw an absolute strike to his receivers. He doesn't have the best speed for a quarterback but he has enough to get him outside the pocket and either get his offense a few yards further or find an open receiver down the sideline.
He needs to build a little more strength in his arms to deliver a better deep ball, under throwing more than a few passes during SMU's bowl loss against Army.
With the 2011 season coming up and Padron coming off a strong season for a sophomore quarterback, there is no doubt he could be fun to watch and one of the more underrated players in Conference USA.
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