SMU ended their two-game losing streak on Saturday by overpowering the UCF Knights in a 55-28 victory in Dallas. The Mustangs’ offense completely outmatched the Knights, outgaining them in total offensive yards 631 to 333. They were led by Tanner Mordecai, who threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns, and Tre Siggers, who ran for 93 yards and three touchdowns.
The Knights got off to a fast start when Ryan O’Keefe caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Mikey Keene on their first drive to go up 7-0. SMU responded when Grant Calcaterra caught a 15-yard touchdown from Mordecai to tie the game briefly.
The Knights got back on top when Parker Navarro ran a touchdown in from 6 yards out to put UCF up 14-7 with 5:33 left in the first quarter, but then the Mustangs blew the game open. SMU scored 31 straight points to take a 38-14 lead into halftime.
This lead was insurmountable for UCF, who came into the game on a three-game win streak. Their record now drops to 6-4 and 2-3 in the American Athletic Conference. They were led by Mark-Antony Richards, who finished with 104 rushing yards and scored on a 58-yard run early in the third.
The Mustangs record improved to 8-2 and 4-2 in the American. Along with Mordecai and Siggers’ big plays, Ulysses Bentley IV gained 97 yards rushing and added a touchdown, and Dylan Goffney caught ten passes for 88 yards. SMU finished with an impressive 241 yards on the ground.
The Mustangs’ next game has been highly anticipated all season. SMU will travel to Cincinnati to take on the undefeated and fifth-ranked Bearcats this Saturday. If Cincinnati can win their remaining games, they would have a good case for a potential playoff berth. SMU is their most formidable opponent left in the regular season.
The Mustangs possess the most high-powered offense that Cincinnati has faced all year which makes the matchup compelling. Fans and college football experts will be tuned in to assess Cincinnati’s worthiness of being ranked in the top four and making the playoffs.
With this many eyeballs tuned in, SMU has a chance to significantly improve the reputation of their program if they can pull off an upset win.
The game will be televised on ESPN with a 2:30 PM kickoff time.