SMU's Morris knows Mustangs have work to do after 1-11 season

SMU football coach Chad Morris said the Mustangs have a great opportunity when they open up the 2015 season against Baylor.

But he also admits there’s a lot of work to do for a team that went 1-11 last season and has a brutal first few weeks ahead.

SMU will play two of its first three games against old Southwest Conference foes that have turned into national powers – Baylor and TCU, who are No. 4 and No. 2 respectively in the preseason Coaches Poll.

“You worry about SMU, that’s the No. 1 thing you worry about. You worry about yourself,” Morris told reporters on Tuesday at the SMU Football season kickoff luncheon. “That’s the only thing we can control is how we play, how we prepare and how we get ready for the season itself.”

Morris said he’s been happy with the way the SMU players have responded to the culture change he has underway on the Hilltop. Morris was hired in Dec. 2014 and has been working furiously since then to mold the team into his preferred up-tempo style of play.

“Nobody’s giving these guys a lot of credit, nobody’s giving these guys a chance and that’s okay. We’re right where we want to be,” Morris said.

SMU was picked to finish fifth out of six teams in the newly-formed western division of the American Athletic Conference.

SMU hosts Baylor on Fri. Sept 4 at 6 p.m. at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.