Mustangs in the Middle

3-3 SMU Braces for No. 17 Houston after Second OT Loss

Navy's Ricky Dobbs,left, hands off to Vince Murray in front of Marquis Frazier (99) and Chris Parham (93).

DALLAS – And just like that, the season’s half over.

But things definitely aren’t downhill from here – not if the Mustangs want to reach a bowl. After Saturday’s deflating 38-35 overtime loss to Navy - a game SMU led, 21-7 – uphill road games at Houston and Tulsa loom back-to-back, with a trip to Marshall later.

Wideout Darius Johnson, who saw limited action Saturday in his first game back from a shoulder injury, said the task is clear. “We know we’ve got to steal one of these games on the road.”

Wideout Cole Beasley, with three catches against Navy, said the message from the coaches is also clear: “They’re telling us to do what we’re supposed to do and we’ll get to a bowl game.”

After another wild one at Gerald J. Ford Stadium - there were four ties - the game cruelly came down to Matt Szymanski’s 43-yard wide-right field goal attempt for SMU in OT and Joe Buckley’s 24-yarder for Navy that was true.

“The kids played hard,” said SMU coach June Jones. “We all battled.”

Jones noted the Mustangs had other chances to take charge way before OT. Like the three times SMU got the ball at midfield after Navy punts and failed to score. The Mustangs forced five punts overall.

“If you’d asked me before the game if we made them punt five times,” Jones said, “I’d have said we’re going to win the game, because nobody does that to them.”

No Bo Picks

SMU’s Bo Levi Mitchell threw no interceptions for the second week in a row and drove the team 84 yards in 15 plays for the tying touchdown in the final minutes of regulation.

“I was really proud of him, how he battled in the fourth quarter,” Jones said. “He took it and made some big throws in some tough situations. … I’ve not seen him in that situation, competing at the end of the game to tie it or win it.”

Mitchell finished 19-41 for 200 yards.

The Mustangs converted just 2 of 11 third-down chances. “That’s where we’re hurting ourselves,” Jones said. “You’ve got convert and keep drives going.”

“We just aren’t hitting on all cylinders in the passing game,” Jones said, “and we’ve got to do that if we’re going to make our goal of getting to that bowl.”

After trailing SMU in rushing yards at halftime, Navy overcame the Mustangs, 331 to 176, by the finish. Vince Murray led the Middies with 141 yards on 25 carries. Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs was held to 89 yards after ripping SMU for 224 last year.

SMU’s defense wore down in the second half. Losing linebacker Pete Fleps to a mild concussion didn’t help. Fellow linebacker Chase Kennemer and Fleps combined for 21 tackles, 11 and 10, respectively.

Shawnbrey McNeal, who missed practice late last week with back problems, roamed for 131 yards on 15 carries, his second 100-yard performance of the season. “I’ve learned a lot about Shawnbrey since I got here,” Jones said. “He’s a gamer and a tough kid. I knew that he would be ready for the game.”

Terrance Wilkerson’s two receptions for SMU were both clutch. His laid-out catch of Mitchell’s 6-yard strike to the back of the end zone gave SMU a 28-21 lead as the third quarter ended.

Wilkerson’s 15-yarder on 3 rd-and-8 from midfield kept the frantic final touchdown drive alive. Emmanuel Sanders, who set SMU’s all-time mark for career catches (240) earlier, saved the drive again with a catch on fourth-and-three. Beasley followed with a 12-yard catch-and-run for a first down to Navy’s 10-yard-line.

Aldrick Robinson sent the game to overtime with a 10-yard catch with 1:35 left to play. Robinson led the team with 62 receiving yards on four catches.

Jones said there was never any thought of going for two points after the touchdown. “My philosophy is when you’re at home you play for the tie. But on the road I would go for two.”

After Navy won the OT coin toss and chose defense, SMU netted minus-1 yard before Szymanski’s kick. McNeal was stopped on first down, and passes to Wilkerson and Beasley in the end zone fell incomplete.

Torlan Pittman signals "SMU ball" after the Mustangs stopped Navy on 4th-and-1 from SMU's 27-yard-line late in the first quarter.

‘Pageantry’ Aplenty

SMU Director of Athletics Steve Orsini accepted philanthropist Madeleine Pickens’ gift of two mustangs on behalf of the school at halftime. “I thought it went very well,” Orsini said, immediately after the presentation.

There had been concern in recent weeks by some who thought the gift meant the end of Peruna, SMU’s traditional Shetland pony mascot. Orsini emphasized that’s not the case. “It’s a new thing, he said. “Obviously, we love Peruna. This is not a statement about Peruna. This is a statement about, ‘We’re the SMU Mustangs,’ our namesake, and to have mustangs added to the pageantry.”

“That’s what college football’s all about. So the more pageantry we can present, like tonight - every game - that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Pickens, who made the gift through her National Wild Horse Foundation, said she was very pleased by the SMU fans’ response. “I think what you saw was an extraordinarily enthusiastic crowd. You saw what happened when the horses came out. [The crowd] went crazy. When the horses bowed it brought the house down.”

Pickens said SMU approached her about finding the school “a real mustang.”

“I said, ‘Sure.’ Not only did I bring them one, I brought two. It’s sort of like, you don’t want to lose your quarterback. So, just in case one’s having a bad day … we’ve got the back-up quarterback!”

She said the new mustangs could indeed inspire the team. “I think when you give people something; they feel they have to step up to it.”

Pickens said she was pleased to see SMU ahead at halftime, but added, “Of course, I’m for Navy too. We all love the Navy. So, either way it’s a win.”

Pageantry? This game had it: a pre-game salute to the United States Armed Forces - with a three-plane F-18 flyover and Army parachute jump team - Native American Color Guards, Michael Martin Murphy singing Wild Fire at halftime and an opening coin toss by former president George W. Bush.

Cougar Town

SMU shift gears now from defending the triple option to facing the top passing offense in the country. Houston (5-1, 1-1 C- USA) is off to its best start in six years. The Cougars blasted Tulane last week, 44-16, with junior quarterback Case Keenum “slumping” for 334 passing yards, his lowest total on the season.

Keenum leads the nation in passing yardage (2,464) and is C-USA’s Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this year.

“He’s a real accurate passer,” Jones said. “And he understands their scheme, he doesn’t take sacks and he doesn’t throw interceptions. … “He’s really taken it to another level.”

SMU’s Mitchell is second only to Keenum in C-USA in passing yards per game (281 to 410) and total offense (271 to 423.)

The Coogs lead the conference in total offense (560 ypg), passing offense (425 ypg) and scoring offense (41 ppg). SMU’s pass defense, with 13 picks, is fourth in the conference (215 ypg). Houston’s is seventh (225 ypg), with four interceptions.

“We’re going to have to take the ball away and create some things to give our offense some more chances and not turn it over to them,” Jones said. “When you turn it over to them, they know what to do with it.”

Prediction: Houston, 41-28. Keenum’s too much and the Coogs are way too comfortable at home. Two more “road-steal” chances left.

Notes:

*Darius Johnson, on his recovery: “I’m feeling pretty good. I was a little timid on [the shoulder] last week, but I feel a lot more comfortable with it. … I should be back to normal, 100-percent.”

*Emmanuel Sanders broke Jason Wolf’s mark (235) set from 1989-92. Sanders had six catches for 53 yards against Navy. “He’s been a great player, long before I got here too,” June Jones said. “He’s got a bright future.”

*Jones said Pete Fleps should play at Houston and center Mitch Enright (knee) “has a shot.”

*On failing to win the inaugural Frank Gansz Trophy, named for the Mustangs’ late special teams coach and Navy football letterman, Jones said, “It’s tough. We wish we could have won it. We had a pretty good week of practice, an emotional week. You’d like to win that game, but, hey, that’s life. Move on.”

*Zach Line, with two rushing touchdowns against Navy, is SMU’s first freshman to do so since DeMyron Martin vs. TCU in 2005.