Sept. 16, 2006
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
DALLAS (AP) - Justin Willis completed 18 of 19 passes for 248 yards and five touchdowns and ran for another score as Southern Methodist beat Sam Houston State 45-14 on Saturday night.
SMU (1-2) recorded 443 yards of total offense and scored their most points at Gerald J. Ford Stadium since the venue opened in 2000.
Willis had scoring tosses of 32, 11, 30, 13 and 25 yards to five different receivers, along with a 2-yard touchdown run, as the Mustangs built a 42-0 lead. He started the game completing 13 consecutive passes, tying the second-longest streak in school history behind 19 consecutive completions by Josh McCown against Tulsa in 1999. His 94.4 percent completion percentage set a new school mark.
Willis' five touchdown passes were the second-most by an SMU quarterback in a game behind six by Mike Romo against Vanderbilt in 1990.
"I thought Justin played well," said Head Coach Phil Bennett. He had a great week of practice and it showed tonight. I think he'll just get better and better."
"We had to get this win tonight and I think this will be a turning point for us," said Willis. "You'll see a different SMU team from here on out."
Fred Turner of SMU led all rushers with 104 yards rushing on nine attempts, while Columbus Givens led all receivers with 106 yards receiving.
Catching TD passes from Willis were a school-record five different receivers - Givens, Emmanuel Sanders, Ryan Kennedy, Reynaldo Pellerin and Cedrick Dorsey.
Defensively, SMU was led by Reggie Carrington who had six solo tackles, a forced fumble and two sacks. Wilton McCray also had a strong showing, notching seven stops, including one for loss, and an interception.
