Rhett Lashlee reflects on frustrating loss, red zone struggles

SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee expresses frustration after a close 18-15 loss to BYU.

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

In a hard-fought defensive battle, the SMU Mustangs fell to the BYU Cougars 18-15 at home. Head Coach Rhett Lashlee expressed his disappointment with the outcome, acknowledging the team's missed opportunities.

Despite strong defensive play and kicker Colin Rogers' record-setting performance, offensive struggles and missed opportunities in the red zone proved costly.

Lashlee addressed to reporters following the game on quarterback decisions, praises the defense, and emphasizes the team's effort while acknowledging the need for improvement during the upcoming bye week.

"It's a good, hard-fought, defensive battle," Lashlee began. "Really disappointed to come out on the wrong side of it. We had plenty of opportunities, and I thought our kids played extremely hard."

Lashlee praised the defense for creating turnovers and lauded kicker Colin Rogers for his exceptional performance, setting two SMU records. However, offensive struggles proved costly.

"From a statistical or just a looking-at-it standpoint, you can't be two of five in the red zone and three of 16 on third down and win very often," Lashlee stated. "We had our chances."

The quarterback situation was addressed, with Lashlee explaining the decision to start Preston Stone and later bring in Kevin Jennings. While the original plan was to primarily play Stone, the offense's initial struggles led to the change.

"The first two drives were really poor, really poor offensively," Lashlee admitted. "So we went to Kevin, which was again part of the original plan."

Jennings provided a spark, moving the ball and giving the team a chance to score. However, SMU couldn't capitalize on those opportunities.

On the defensive side, Lashlee commended the team's performance, highlighting their physicality and ability to create turnovers. He credited BYU for their defensive strategy, acknowledging their use of odd fronts and loose zone coverage.

"Credit them, it's a great game plan, and they executed it, and we didn't," Lashlee said. "We didn't adjust and execute well enough. That's not on me."

Looking ahead to the bye week, Lashlee emphasized the need for evaluation and improvement.

"We're going to evaluate what we're not going to evaluate is our kids' effort," Lashlee stated. "We're going to evaluate everything like we do anytime we lose a game."

Despite the loss, Lashlee's message conveyed resilience and a determination to learn from the experience.

"The reason football's the best game in the world is because it teaches you life," Lashlee reflected. "Sometimes you give everything you got, you lose. Sometimes it's because you could have done something better. Sometimes it's because the other team played a great game too."

SMU will look to bounce back stronger after the bye week, using this loss as motivation for the remainder of the season.

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