Aug. 4, 2011

DALLAS (SMU) - With the start of the 2011 season less than a month away, the SMU football team is set to stampede into fall practice later this week. Players will report to campus on Friday, Aug. 5 and the first practice is set for Saturday, Aug. 6. The Mustangs will conduct 29 practices over the following four weeks in preparations for their 2011 season opener - a Fox Sports-televised game at Texas A&M on Sunday, Sept. 4.

The Mustangs enter 2011 on the heels of consecutive bowl berths and Conference USA Western Division Championships and preseason honors and accolades are piling up. Athlon Sports picks SMU to finish first in Conference USA's Western Division and named nine Mustangs to its preseason All-C-USA squads.

Mustangs are also on numerous preseason award Watch Lists. Kyle Padron is on the O'Brien Award Watch List, Kelvin Beachum, Ja'Gared Davis, Taylor Reed and Taylor Thompson have been named to the Official Watch List for the 2011 Rotary Lombardi Award, Beachum has been named to the Outland List, Thompson has made the Nagurski Award List, Cole Beasley and Darius Johnson were named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, Line was named to the Watch List for the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards, Thompson And Margus Hunt were selected to the Pony Express Award Watch List and Blake McJunkin was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List.

To join the stampede and purchase season tickets, please call 214-768-4263 (SMU-GAME) or click here.

Practices are closed to the public.