Saturday’s triumph over the South Florida Bulls earned Southern Methodist University (SMU) college bowl eligibility for the season.
Under first-year head coach Rhett Lashlee, the Mustangs have earned a 6-4 record after starting 2022 at 2-3 over the first five games. SMU’s return to a college bowl game marks the first time the team has appeared since 2019, a 52-28 beatdown by Florida Athletic in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Mustangs qualified for bowl games in both 2020 and 2021, but both contests were canceled after COVID-19 outbreaks.
Not only is Lashlee in his first year as the head coach of SMU, but it is also his first year as the head coach of a college team. Lashlee began his career as an offensive coordinator at Samford, with prior stops at Arkansas and Auburn as a graduate assistant. His experience as an OC led him to Arkansas State and the University of Connecticut, bookending a year as OC at Auburn.
In 2018, Lashlee joined SMU as offensive coordinator, helping guide the team to consecutive bowl appearances, both of which the Mustangs lost. He then took his talents to the University of Miami.
When news came down the pipeline that SMU was losing head coach Sonny Dykes to cross-town rival TCU, Lashlee was one of the top names in consideration. The Arkansas native saw Dallas as an ideal opportunity to begin his head coaching career and as a great fit for his growing family.
“Dallas is the place we want to live and raise our family,” Lashlee said to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football shortly after taking the head coaching gig. “I’m from Arkansas, so I’m five hours from home. My parents aren’t getting any younger, so it checked a lot of boxes. But knowing that we had been here and the familiarity with the program and the players was the real selling point.”
From the outside looking in, the departure of Dykes to TCU had the appearance of a messy made-for-TV divorce scandal, but Lashlee has said that the transition was more amicable. The two coaches were familiar with one another, with Lashlee having worked for Dykes as the OC at SMU in 2018 and 2019.
“I wouldn’t have this opportunity if he didn’t hire me because he brought me here,” Lashlee said. “It is hard because he went to a rival. The timing because of transfers and the early signing period makes it look messy, but he and I have a great relationship. He poured four years into this program, and he wants to see us do well.”
Now at TCU, Dykes has the Horned Frogs undefeated and in competition for a College Playoffs berth. The two coaches met this season for the 101st Battle for the Iron Skillet, a long-standing and historic rivalry that TCU won handily.
Much of what has gotten SMU into position for a bowl game has been the change in culture that Lashlee has brought to the team, as well as smart decisions in the transfer portal and recruiting efforts to build on the backbone of a team that went 8-4 overall in 2021 in Dykes’ last season.
A key part of that success was the presence of quarterback Tanner Mordecai, who jumped ship from Oklahoma after serving as the backup QB to Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, and Spencer Rattler.
At SMU, Mordecai has thrived. His top receiver, Rashee Rice, was just recently announced as an invitee to the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. The All-Star-style game is widely regarded as the first step toward the NFL Draft.
SMU still must face No.17 Tulane before wrapping up the regular season with a home game against the Memphis Tigers.
The American Athletic Conference will feature three guaranteed bowl games that include the Military Bowl, the Armed Forces Bowl, and the newest contest, the Fenway Bowl. SMU was selected for the Fenway Bowl in 2021, but the contest was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the University of Virginia players.
Having now come full circle from offensive coordinator to head coach and leading one of College Football’s most prolific scoring offenses, Lashlee has the Mustangs primed for a college bowl game. A win could cement the new head coach as a fixture in Dallas for years to come and erase the sting of back-to-back bowl losses and the departure of a much-loved coach.