SMU Finally Reveals Hint Season Could Be Special

In game that may have frustrated fans, Mustangs provide real hope at possible championship season

DALLAS – Sometimes its easier to recognize special when things really don't look that special. 

The Mustangs almost made second-year head coach Rhett Lashlee look like a prophet wise beyond his years on their recent visit to the Carolinas. The final 31-10 score doesn't come close to telling the story of the game, but it does shed light on a more important one behind it. 

For an entire week he opined about how his players had better keep their minds right for a much tougher game than East Carolina's record would suggest. Repeatedly he harkened back to the last time an even more successful SMU team rolled into the Dowdy only to find the game well out of reach before halftime.

When the SMU offense got off to a quick 14-0 start after scoring back-to-back touchdowns midway through the first quarter, it looked like there wouldn't be much to see. However, the Mustangs punted on their next six possessions, five or which were three-and-out, and missed a 38-yard field goal on a seventh drive. 

However, while the high-powered offense that has defined SMU football for the past several years sputtered, a bit of magic happened that hints at a certain level of greatness within Lashlee's Mustangs. Even the best of teams, including those with national championships lining their walls, had a potent offense lose its way for a little bit only to have the defense knuckle down and put everything on its back.

The defense held ECU to a 49-yard field goal before tiring a little late in the second half, giving up a long, slow drive that resulted in the Pirates' lone touchdown to make it 14-10. However, after a bit of rest at halftime, the defense came out and not only shut everything down, there was a mental demeanor about the players on that side of the ball that took the Pirates completely out of the game. 

Even at 14-10 it was over, but there was a need to make up for the touchdown given up earlier. That's when safety Jonathan McGill picked off an Alex Flinn pass and ran it back 34 yards for a touchdown with just over seven minutes left to play to make it 24-10. There has been an urgency because two possessions earlier, linebacker Kobe Wilson recovered a Flinn fumble and the offense responded by netting -1 yard. Fortunately for SMU, the fumble took place deep enough in ECU territory to salvage a Collin Rogers 50-yard field goal. 

The offense finally put together a drive that was capped off with a touchdown with just over two minutes left to play to make the game look like a blowout, but it clearly wasn't. It was an old school street fight and the defense had been up to the task. 

It was a show of completeness by the Mustangs. SMU goes forward with a much more favorable schedule knowing if one area of the team is struggling, the rest of the team is there to pick up the slack. It also hints at a bond that has formed behind the scenes and a mental approach that is becoming increasingly uncommon in college football. Quarterback Preston Stone hinted at it in the days leading up to the game.

"There’s so much that goes on off the field and behind these cameras," Stone said. "So many people have no idea what’s going on in the lives of some of these guys. The way they people show up here every single day, put that all aside, and focus on winning a championship, and bringing the school the first championship in 40 years is really impressive. That gives me a ton of confidence in my guys, the coaching staff and this whole team."

If the Mustangs are to achieve that goal, it will need to continue bringing its defense on the road. SMU travels to Philadelphia for a rare Friday night game against the Temple Owls at 6 p.m. on ESPN2 and FuboTV.

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