In his first season as head coach of the Southern Methodist University Mustangs, Rhett Lashlee has the team in position for a bowl appearance after a solid 41-23 victory over the University of South Florida Bulls. It is the fourth consecutive year that the Mustangs will compete in a bowl game.
The first half of the game saw SMU open an early lead, only for the Bulls to claw back to a 17-17 tie at halftime, but shutting down Tanner Mordecai and the SMU offense proved to be too tall of a task for South Florida, who entered the game with an interim head coach.
SMU’s first drive of the second half started at their own three-yard line after a stellar punt by Colin McCreary, The Mustangs took six plays and just over two minutes to advance the 97-yards upfield, finishing the drive with a 21-yard toss from Mordecai to Rashee Rice. After the SMU defense forced a three-and-out on the second Bulls drive of the half, Mordecai connected with a wide-open Jordan Kerley for a 70-yard score on the drive’s first play.
Mordecai finished the game with two touchdown completions. His stat line was solid with a 280-yard, 19-of-27 performance, and no interceptions. The 70-yarder to Kerley gave the receiver the top yards receiving spot on the day with 156 yards on seven catches. Rice came up one yard short of a 100-yard day on six receptions. Rice and Kerley were the recipients of both passing touchdowns.
The Mustangs dedicated themselves to the run game early, and the decision paid dividends to the tune of three total touchdowns and an accumulation of 273 yards. Both Camar Wheaton and Tyler Lavine had 112-yard days, with Wheaton scoring two touchdowns on the ground.
One week removed from surrendering a historic 63 points against Houston, the SMU defense showed great discipline against the Bulls. South Florida focused on the run game early and stuck with the game plan even as the score spiraled out of hand, but the Bulls managed to pile up only 179 yards on 42 attempts. Brian Battie took the majority of the carries, gaining 145 yards on 26 attempts.
Katravis Marsh started the game for the Bulls at quarterback but was lost late in the game with a head injury after taking a shot from SMU defenders while scrambling for yards. Marsh completed only 12 of 31 pass attempts and threw one touchdown and one interception. Marsh was carted from the field on a stretcher after the injury. He was replaced by freshman Bayrum Brown, who completed two of three attempts, including his first college career touchdown pass.
The Mustangs have two games remaining on the regular schedule beginning with a showdown against No.17 Tulane next week, then finishing the regular season with a home game against Memphis. SMU is 6-4 overall and is fourth in the American Athletic Conference. The Mustangs have won four of the last five games after starting the season 2-3. Bowl games will be announced on December 4.
