Mustangs Finish Prep Work for Rice
Nov 2 | Football
Dallas, Texas -- The SMU football team finished preparations for its Western Athletic Conference game at Rice on Saturday with a 90-minute workout in shorts today at the SMU practice fields.
"We had a good week of practice," said coach Mike Cavan. "The guys were very enthusiastic throughout the week and I think that will carry over to Saturday. Last Saturday's win gave us a shot of confidence that we really needed."
The Mustangs walked through their game plan for Saturday on both sides of the ball in today's practice.
A key to the game will be how SMU defends Rice's triple option attack. The Owls rank second in the WAC and 13th nationally in rushing, gaining 224.2 yards per game on the ground. The Mustangs, meanwhile, rank second in the league and 16th nationally in defending the run, allowing just 98.9 yards per game.
SMU will be without sophomore starting offensive guard Thornton Chandler, who dislocated his left pinky in last week's win over Nevada. Junior Kevin Gober will start in his place. Sophomore linebacker Billy Jack Williams should see his first action of the season this Saturday. He broke his right fibula during two-a-day practices in August but returned to practice this week.
Kickoff for Saturday's game is set for 2:00 p.m. The game will be televised back to the Dallas-Fort Worth market on KSTR-49 with Allen Stone and Rick Cowart calling the action. The Mustang Radio Network broadcast beings at 1:30 on Saturday with Mark Followill on play-by-play, Craig Swann providing color commentary and Jimmy Christopher with sideline updates.
