Any hope of a Championship appearance vanished on November 17 for Southern Methodist University as Tulane shut down the Mustangs offense and scored prolifically to take the 59-24 win. SMU was out of sync throughout the game with uncharacteristic dropped passes, untimely penalties, and a total of five turnovers that doomed any chance at victory early in New Orleans.
Quarterback Tanner Mordecai opened the game with a 20-yard pass to Dylan Goffney, and it looked like the Mustangs’ high-powered offense would be off to another shootout, but an untimely false start penalty on fourth-and-four forced a punt on the opening drive.
A facemask penalty against SMU on the ensuing Green Wave drive gave Tulane a first down on a play that would have resulted in a fourth-and-long. Quarterback Michael Pratt finished the drive eight plays later with a six-yard touchdown run, the first of three Pratt would score.
SMU struggled against the run, with Tyjae Spears racking up a total of 121 yards, Shaadie Clayton-Johnson recording 75 yards on only eight carries, and Pratt earning 70 yards total on 10 runs. The SMU defense brought Pratt down behind the line only once.
Forced to turn to the passing game early, the biggest threat on the SMU offense in Rashee Rice was a non-factor. Rice finished the day with six receptions for 51 yards. Rice had several drops, including one in the first quarter that would have kept the score close early in the game. Rice currently leads all receivers in yards in the nation and was invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl this week.
Special teams also struggled for SMU. In the first quarter, after the defense made a critical stop with the score 14-0, Roderick Daniels Jr. had a punt bounce off his shoulder that Tulane recovered. Pratt connected with Spears on a seven-yard pass following the fumble to take a 21-0 lead.
The Mustangs finally got on the board on a special teams miscue by Tulane. On a rolling punt, Jha’Quan Jackson errored in trying to corral the ball, only to have it roll past and be recovered by SMU. Mordecai hit RJ Maryland on a tipped pass for a touchdown to get the score to 21-7.
The Mustangs’ mistakes continued in the first half. Mordecai tossed an interception on a deep ball that was underthrown, special teams gave up a 63-yard kick return, and usually-steady Tyler Lavine fumbled on a fourth-and-two run. The Mustangs Collin Rogers missed a 49-yard field goal attempt just before the half. Tulane went to the locker room with a 28-7 advantage.
When Tulane opened the second half with a 55-yard kick return, the writing was on the wall for SMU. Tulane jumped out to a 35-7 lead only 1:28 seconds into the second half, and there was little that SMU could do to get back into the game.
The first three drives of the second half for SMU all ended in turnovers -one on downs after an 11-play drive, one on another interception by Mordecai, and another fumble on a strip-sack of Mordecai by Tulane’s Darius Hodges.
Maryland caught his second touchdown pass of the day for SMU late in the third quarter to get the score to 48-14, but Tulane would add another touchdown in the third quarter to extend the lead to 56-14. SMU kept fighting, particularly in the run game with Lavine, who fought for extra yardage on every opportunity through the end of the game, but the mistakes piled up and made victory impossible for SMU.
The Mustangs face Memphis in Dallas to close out the 2022 season. They are 6-5 and 4-3 in the American Athletic Conference.
