SMU Bludgeons Tulsa on Homecoming

Mustang fans still wanted more despite winning by combined 114 points the last two weeks

DALLAS — The coaches did the best they could to keep the players' attention, but it was becoming impossible.

"Put up a hundred!" a fan yelled while leaning over the rail behind the bench. 
All the linemen could do was turn and laugh while soaking in the reaction from the SMU fans behind them to the destruction taking place on the field. 
"You can do it!" another yelled. "Hang a hundred!"

Seconds later, the Mustangs' offense went back on the field so quarterback Preston Stone could throw his third touchdown of the game, this time a modest 17-yard pass to Moochie Dixon that made it 52-3 with just under five minutes left in the first half. At this point, the only person capable of stopping SMU was coach Rhett Lashlee. Stone found a seat on the bench so back-up quarterback Kevin Jennings could log a little first half Homecoming action and the Ponies cruised to a 69-10 win.

"You just felt like the way our defense was playing and we've got full faith in Kevin to go run the offense," Lashlee said. "It's good for him to go get to play at times when it's not just hand it off and hand it off. Like actually convert third downs and run around and do what he needs to do It's different every game and you feel the out, but I just felt like we were playing well and our defense was in control. [Stone] didn't need to play anymore. We needed to get Kevin in there."

Stone made his debut last year in a shootout at Tulsa by throwing a 75-yard touchdown to Rashee Rice on the first play of the game. It took him twice as long this year and it was only a 74-yard touchdown pass to Romello Brinson on the second play of the game. It was one of nine plays the stats keepers deem a big pass. By the time he left, Stone had a career high 371 yards to nine receivers, 328 of which were of the big play variety.

"Most of them were level reads, so it wasn't like we gook a shot," Lashlee said. "When you layer it like that, the defense kinda sometimes dictates it. We had seen they were susceptible on the back end. Preston did a nice job of distributing the ball where it was supposed to go and sometimes it just happens where a lot of them hit down the field."

The defense wasn't one to be left out. Tulsa tried to create an offensive spark by starting Frisco native Braylon Braxton, but the sophomore quarterback found himself under constant duress. Braxton was stuffed on 4th & 1 at the Tulsa 41 on the Golden Hurricane's first drive. Then, the defense kept up its trend of scoring touchdowns with a 25-yard interception return by Isaiah Nwokobia that made it 28-3 just seconds before the first quarter mercifully came to an end.

The junior safety realized after the game it had been a long time since he had an interception return for a touchdown, although Stone was quick to remind Nwokobia had thrown a an interception for a touchdown in high school, which his teammate corrected, admitting it was actually two before trying to recall if Saturday was his first interception return for a score ever.

"I took a couple down to the 1-yard line, but now that I think about it, that's my first pick six since middle school," Nwokobia said. "That's crazy."

The win officially makes SMU bowl eligible. It didn't go unnoticed that a representative from the Frisco Bowl was present to take in the win. However, if the Mustangs keep making a charge at bringing the school its first conference championship in 40 years, there will be a lot more looking to land the Ponies in their final hurrah before dancing off to the ACC.

That path continues next week on the road at Rice as SMU turns its attention to the final third of the season. The game will be at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU and can be heard locally on 96.7 am or 1310 am on The Ticket.

PONY EXPRESS:

MUSTANGS GET STRONG FINISH TO CLOSE OUT TULSA IN BIG WIN

SMU COORDINATOR WON'T TAKE CREDIT FOR NATIONALLY RANKED DEFENSE, WORRIED TULSA COULD LOWER THAT RANKING SATURDAY

MUSTANGS' COACH MAY BE THE ONLY LASHLEE WHO MISSED HIS VOICE

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