Report: SMU has interest in June Jones

DALLAS — Southern Methodist is interested in Hawaii's June Jones as its new coach, according to a source with knowledge of the school's search.

The interest might help explain why SMU is still looking for a coach despite firing Phil Bennett on Oct. 28.

Jones has led Hawaii to a 12-0 record and the Sugar Bowl — one of five Bowl Championship Series games — against Georgia on Tuesday at the Superdome in New Orleans.

A Hawaii spokesman could not be reached, though as recently as last week, SMU had not asked Hawaii for permission to speak with Jones.

SMU officials have declined to comment on candidates while the search is ongoing.

Jones, 54, is known for his prolific run-and-shoot offense that helped quarterback Colt Brennan become a Heisman Trophy finalist this season. Jones is 76-40 in nine seasons at Hawaii.

Before revamping the Warriors in 1999, Jones spent 11 seasons in the NFL; he was coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 1994 to 1996 and interim coach of the San Diego Chargers in 1998.

Jones' five-year, $4 million contract with Hawaii reportedly ends in July, and no new deal has been reached.

SMU athletic director Steve Orsini has raised about $10 million for the new coach and staff.

SMU, which has not had a record better than 6-5 since 1984, has also reportedly interviewed former Miami coach Larry Coker and had contact with ex-Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione.

Former Navy coach Paul Johnson interviewed in Dallas days before accepting the Georgia Tech job.

Purdue, C. Michigan match offenses

DETROIT — When coach Joe Tiller came to Purdue in 1997, he was told his high-octane offense would never work in the Big Ten Conference.

Not only would the spread attack be frowned upon in a conference that still believed in Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler and 3 yards and a cloud of dust, but a pass-based system would be grounded by the wind and cold of a Midwest autumn.

Tiller didn't pay attention to skeptics. Nor did his opponents in the Motor City Bowl. Tonight at Ford Field, Purdue (7-5) will play its 10th bowl game in 11 seasons, facing the back-to-back Mid-American Conference champion Central Michigan Chippewas (8-5).

Central Michigan also uses the spread offense.

"When I got to Purdue, they told me that there was no way the spread would work here because of the weather," Tiller said. "That never made much sense to me, because I had just been having great success with it in Wyoming. Maybe they didn't know what November is like in Wyoming."

While Tiller was one of the coaches to bring the spread offense — a system using four or five receivers on many plays, and a quarterback in the shotgun formation on most snaps — to a wider audience, it has become the latest trendy scheme. Tiller, though, doesn't consider it some kind of unstoppable attack.

"It's one of those cyclical things. Right now, the spread is the hot offense," he said. "In a few years, the pendulum might change again and everyone will be playing the wishbone again."

Butch Jones, first-year Central Michigan coach, is another spread-offense believer, and he inherited a program that already ran Brian Kelly's version of the system.

Jones made changes, adding concepts he had learned in his two seasons as an assistant at West Virginia under new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, and made slightly more use of quarterback Dan LeFevour as a runner.

LeFevour has rushed for 1,008 yards and passed for 3,360 yards this season.