AAC Football: SMU Survive Shootout With Memphis

The Mustangs keep their championship homes alive at the Liberty Bowl

© Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK

With eligibility for the AAC Championship game on the line, Memphis and SMU treated fans to a brilliant contest in the Liberty Bowl on Saturday. The Mustangs ultimately grabbed a 38-34 win. 

In a game separated by so few points and just a few critical mistakes, here's what stands out in the big picture.

RELATED: #24 Tulane Blowout FAU, Pratt Breaks Program Passing Record

SMU's Physicality Wins Out

Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee postgame noted criticism of his team earlier in the week with regards to physicality. It was a non-issue for the Ponies on Saturday.

On offense, the running game played a major role as the offensive line paved the way for running back LJ Johnson Jr. to rack up 115 yards on 21 carries. That's an average of 5.5 yards per carry and Johnson's second consecutive 100-yard game. 

Defensively, the Mustangs made Memphis somewhat one-dimensional, holding them to only 62 yards on the ground. The SMU defense also forced and recovered a fumble and had four tackles for loss.

A True QB Duel

As could be expected, this game largely came down to the performance of both quarterbacks. On the losing side, Memphis' Seth Henigan completed 35 passes on 51 attempts for 402 yards with two touchdowns. It was a season high in passing yardage for the Denton, Texas native.

Meanwhile SMU's Preston Stone completed 15 passes on 23 attempts for 286 yards with two touchdown passes. It was Stone's highest passing yardage total in three weeks.

RELATED: UTSA Stay Undefeated In AAC Play, Dominate USF On Senior Day

The Championship Picture

With the loss, Memphis are officially eliminated from the AAC title race. SMU's win moves them to 7-0 in the AAC, making them one of three teams in the league with an unbeaten conference record. Tulane and UTSA, both also undefeated will pklay each other next week in the final game of the regular season. The winner will host the title game. If SMU beat Navy next week, then they will clinch the second spot in the title game.