The Mustangs moved a bit closer to fulfilling their goal of going to another bowl with their solid win over Southern Miss this past Saturday. It was another dominating performance by the team in all three phases. On defense they only allowed one touchdown, on offense there weren’t any turnovers and on special teams they blocked a PAT attempt. If the Mustangs can walk away with a victory this Saturday they will be bowl bound for their fourth consecutive season and will make Head Coach June Jones a very happy man.
QB Garrett Gilbert had a breakout performance in the win against the Golden Eagles by playing error free ball, passing for 249 yards with a TD and rushing for 94 yards on five carries and two touchdowns. Is it safe to say that Gilbert has mastered the offensive playbook? Not quite, but he is gaining the confidence of Coach Jones. RB Zach Line also performed well with his 92 rushing yards and also found the end zone once. Line now has 41 total touchdowns and trails Eric Dickerson (48) for the all-time record at SMU. WR Jeremy Johnson stepped up in this one with eight catches for 97 yards. The defense had two interceptions and protected the SMU lead all afternoon. The Golden Eagles only managed 178 total yards of offense for the day. The aforementioned blocked PAT gives SMU a total of five for the season.
Next up is a road game against the Rice Owls. The Owls have a 4-6 overall record and as their record indicates they aren’t a very good team. They are playing a “must win” game as well. The defense gives up a lot of points and that should bode well for SMU. The helmsman under center is QB Taylor McHargue who is a bit of a dual threat quarterback. If receivers aren’t open he’ll definitely use his legs to generate some offense. The Owls do have a potent rushing attack. Part of this is due to McHargue but also because of their running back Charles Ross. He’s a good sized back with some speed. Keep an eye out for RB Sam McGuffie who is the recipient of many outlet passes.
Game Info:
SMU vs RICE
SAT. NOV. 17 – 2:30PM / CSS
RICE STADIUM