Third Quarter Dooms SMU's Hopes of Taking Skillet

TCU uses both sides of the ball to quickly put close game out of reach in Fort Worth

FORT WORTH – No one has to attend a quality educational institution like SMU or TCU to know if a team out-gains the other 191-39 through the first 13 minutes of a single quarter, things aren't going well.

While capturing the Iron Skillet Saturday, 34-17, it was a dominant third quarter by the Horned Frogs where the TCU defense held the Mustangs without a single yard until six minutes left that guaranteed a close game would be a blowout heading into the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the ball, Horned Frogs offensive coordinator Kendall Briles found his rhythm with a mix of calls that took advantage of short SMU possessions that had the Mustang defense dragging.

The game started well for the Ponies as dominant offensive line play allowed SMU to move down the field rather easily while chewing up clock on the opening drive. Five-star Alabama transfer Camar Wheatley, in for an injured LJ Johnson, found his groove against the Horned Frogs' three-man front as head coach Rhett Lashlee opted to go against the grain by attacking TCU with the running game.

The game plan worked initially as the Mustangs went on a 14-play, 69-yard drive in 6;17. Eight of those plays were on the ground, setting up for what appeared would be a dominant day offensively. By the time TCU quarterback Chandler Morris touched a snap for the first time, there was only 8:37 left in the first quarter.

After being shut down on their first drive, the Horned Frogs ripped off a pair of quick touchdowns to go up 14-3. A 9-yard pass by Morris to tight end Jared Wiley in the right side of the end zone made it 7-3 before a second Wiley touchdown early in the second quarter made it 14 unanswered.

"We just never did anything to give ourselves momentum early in the game," Lashlee said. "... We got behind and were always fighting back. It was too little too late. We moved the ball up and down the field and we're not getting touchdowns and that's got to change."

SMU managed to seize the momentum one last time heading into the half before the bottom fell out. Immediately following the TCU touchdown, Mustangs quarterback Preston Stone found Roderick Daniels, Jr. for a 43-yard reception over the middle to the TCU 32-yard line. From there, the Mustangs ran the rest of the way, capping the drive with a touchdown by Wheaton from a yard out to make it 14-10 at the half.

The disaster the third quarter turned out to be wasn't entirely hinted at first. The Horned Frogs marched down the field on the opening drive, but were stopped on consecutive plays at the SMU 17 to force a 35-yard field goal that kept it a one-score game at 17-10. However, back-to-back-to-back short drives wore out the defense, allowing TCU to slowly inch away with the lead.

The Horned Frogs' offense racked up yards on another long drive that came up just short as Griffin Kell hit his second field goal of the quarter with 6:14 left in the third to make it 24-10. The Mustangs finally answered at least a little as they gained their first yards of the half with six minutes left in the quarter. However, the drive stalled at the TCU 32 after Stone's pass along the right sideline on 4th & 2 was knocked away.

Frogs' running back Emani Bailey wasted little time in making SMU pay as he broke free off right tackle for a 24-yard touchdown that completed a five-play, 64-yard drive that put TCU up 31-10, essentially ending the game. If there was any hope left for the Mustangs, it ended with an interception by cornerback Josh Newton who nearly took it to the house before being tackled at the 10-yard line.

Stone finished the game 16-of-35 for 258 yards and two interceptions. Wheaton finished with 73 yards on 16 attempts. As for TCU, Morris had a solid day, completing 23-of-32 for 261 yards and three touchdowns. Bailey led the Horned Frogs in rushing with 126 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.

The loss brings Lashlee's SMU team to .500 at 2-2 and fully shifts attention to conference play. The Mustangs' AAC opener is next Saturday at 6:30 p.m. against Charlotte in Ford Stadium.