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SMU now more of a running team

by Schuyler Dixon
| September 18, 2010 9:00 PM

DALLAS - June Jones' run-and-shoot offense is more run than shoot all of a sudden.

The SMU coach expects the natural order of passing to return soon, but maybe not against Washington State today when the Mustangs try to avenge last year's 30-27 overtime loss after they led the Cougars by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

While he waits for sophomore quarterback Kyle Padron to come along, Jones is happy handing off to linebacker-turned-running back Zach Line, a bowling-ball type who had a career-high 122 yards and two touchdowns in last week's 28-7 win over UAB.

"I think what happens to me is that I forget that (Padron) has only started 12 games in his life, and six of the seven at a Division I school when he was 18 or 19 years old," Jones said. "I'm not worried about it."

Jones was disappointed after Padron threw three interceptions in a season-opening loss at Texas Tech, the first game after he had 460 passing yards to lead the Mustangs to a win in their first bowl game in 25 years. Padron protected the ball better against UAB, but completed just 18 of 33 passes for 145 yards.

The Mustangs (1-1) actually ran three more times than they threw the ball against the Blazers, which made sense considering Line averaged 7.6 yards per carry. Even Padron got into the act, finishing with 66 yards on nine carries while SMU had 247 rushing yards as a team.

"Pulling down the ball and running gives us a whole different dimension that we don't have," Jones said of Padron. "I'm not real excited about him doing that, but it does create some problems for the defense."

Jones likes bulky, squatty running backs in his version of the spread, saying a bruising runner is the perfect complement for an otherwise finesse-oriented offense. He coached the late Craig "Ironhead" Heyward to his only 1,000-yard season with the Atlanta Falcons in 1995. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Line certainly fits the mold.

"He has great leverage when he runs," said Washington State coach Paul Wulff. "He's a big, strong guy that can run low to the ground. He's a heck of a threat."

The Cougars (1-1) are preparing for Take 2 against a spread offense after allowing 544 total yards in a 65-17 season-opening loss at Oklahoma State. Cowboys running back Kendall Hunter had 257 yards and four touchdowns, and former minor league pitcher Brandon Weeden threw for 218 yards and three scores.

"This is a different team that we're facing than Oklahoma State," Wulff said. "We know we've got a lot of good young kids that are going to grow, and here are some good learning experiences for them. We've got a little more depth and more talent than we did when we faced this style of team last year."

The Cougars were on their way to an 0-2 start this year when they turned a brewing upset by Montana State of the FCS into a replay of last year's win over SMU. Plagued by turnovers for the second week in a row, Washington State trailed 22-7 before scoring three times in the fourth quarter for a 23-22 win.

Set up by big plays from an aggressive defense, quarterback Jeff Tuel directed a pair of touchdown drives before Alex Hoffman-Ellis returned an interception to the Montana State 2, leading to the winning field goal.

"They improved their defensive scheme," Jones said. "They're way more aggressive and they get off the ball and rush the passer better than they did last year."