Four kickers and two quarterbacks

Yesterday, I was reading the new College Sports Blog on the DMN website and immediately became disturbed by what I knew would be in today's DMN.

Redshirt freshman Justin Willis will start at quarterback in SMU's season opener against Texas Tech, but coach Phil Bennett said backup Corey Slater could see time in the first half.

Bennett is not planning a rotation of quarterbacks, but he wants Slater, a junior college transfer who has never taken a Division I-A snap, to receive some repetitions.

"It's going to be in the flow of the game," Bennett said.

I don't know what the heck that means and can't reconcile "not planning a rotation of quarterbacks" with "It's going to be in the flow of the game." I guess it means when Bennett's gut says Slater should go out there, Slater will go out there. That is the optimistic view (or maybe that is the pessimistic view, I can't tell). Another possibility is that when SMU is down by 24 in the 4th quarter, Bennett is going to give Slater some time. That is the pessimistic view (or maybe that is the optimistic view, I really can't tell anymore). Who am I kidding, SMU will be up by 24 and Slater will go in for mop up duty! Yeah!!!! "Rainbows, lollipops and ..."

Also, SMU is taking FOUR kickers to Lubbock. Moorstead (punts and fiendgoals); Cunningham (kickoffs);Galloway (backup punter); and Brayden Harris (backup kickoffs). Ryan Wolcott may even kick on short field goals. Look, I get being unsure about your kickers, none of whom have kicked against a live rush, but isn't there something to be said for having confidence in the guys you gave the job to? When people second-guess Phil Bennett, it seems to happen when he is second-guessing himself. Maybe Bennett is right to do this, but this concerns me. I was already concerned about the QB situation and the kicking game, but now I am concerned about the coach.

DeMyron Martin did not practice yesterday because of an abcessed tooth. Or is it the knees, which have been keeping him out of practice before? Level of concern-rising.

Oh, and Texas Tech is gameplanning for Justin Willis.

"We know that he's mobile," linebacker Fletcher Session said. "We're going to scheme him real well and try to keep him in the pocket."

Strangely, this makes me feel better. I don't know why, but my first thought was "Good."