Moore, Beasley sad to see Jones leave SMU

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Cole Beasley and cornerback Sterling Moore were part of the turnaround June Jones engineered at SMU and were disappointed to see their former coach resign after just two games.

“I don’t know the full story, but I think what he’s done there has been great: Four bowls in six years from being 25 years of losing seasons,” Moore said. “I think he’s done a helluva job putting us back on the map and I think it’ll be an attractive job for whoever comes in and takes it.”

SMU is off to an 0-2 start after blowout losses to Baylor and North Texas. Jones resigned, citing personal reasons. Jones had 36-43 record at SMU. Defensive coordinator Tom Mason has been named the interim coach.

“I was kind of surprised he didn’t finish the year out, but I don’t know,” Beasley said. “I have no idea what it could be, but hopefully it was something important.”

Jones took the Mustangs to four straight bowls but went 5-7 last season. He was given a three-year contract extension after the season through 2017. Moore and Beasley said SMU’s strict academics made it difficult for the school to compete with other FBS programs.

“You never want to see a guy leave at the start of the season, but I would probably say if anything I’m glad he left on his own terms,” Moore said. “Then again it was a guy that I could go see and talk to whenever I needed to. A guy I’m still close with and coaches I’m still close with on that coaching staff. Hopefully we retain some guys next year that are familiar with that and I can still see familiar faces.”