SMU Hosts No. 4 Baylor On Friday
Sep 2 | Football
| [4/4] Baylor (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) at SMU (0-0, 0-0 American) | |
| Date & Kick Time | Friday, Sept. 4 at 6:00 p.m. CT |
| Location | Gerald J. Ford Stadium (32,000) – Dallas, Texas |
| Tickets | SMUMustangs.com/tickets |
| TV | ESPN / WatchESPN | Channel Finder |
| Radio | KTCK 1310 AM / 96.7 FM | TuneIn App (Search SMU) |
| Live Stats | SMU Gametracker |
| Game Info | SMU Game Notes (.pdf) | Baylor Game Notes (.pdf) |
| /SMUMustangs | /SMUFootball | |
| @SMUMustangs | @SMU_Football | @CoachChadMorris | |
| SMU.Mustangs | SMUFB | |
 | SETTING THE SCENE |
• This is the eighth time in nine seasons that SMU has opened with a non-Saturday game. This is the third time the opener has been on Friday night (2008, 2013). The Mustangs have opened four of those seasons on Sunday (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014) and one on Labor Day (2007).
 | THE SERIES |
| THE COACHES |
• Art Briles is in his eighth season at the Baylor helm, compiling a 55-34 record that includes five straight bowl appearances and trips to the Fiesta and Cotton Bowls the last two years. Briles has also led BU to back-to-back Big 12 Championships, becoming just the second team in league history to achieve such a feat (Oklahoma (2006-08)).
• Bears defensive coordinator Phil Bennett was Head Coach at SMU from 2002-07, compiling an 18-51 record.
| ABOUT THE BEARS |
| MAN ON THE RUN |
SMU junior quarterback Matt Davis led SMU in 2014 with 1,468 yards of total offense. His 855 passing yards tied for best on the team and he led the squad with 613 rushing yards. In the last five games of 2014 (all starts), he had 1,270 total yards (735 passing & 535 rushing).
In his first career start at Tulsa (Nov. 8), he has 212 yards passing and 181 yards rushing while totaling 3 TDs (1 pass, 2 rush). The 181 rushing yards were the most by a QB in SMU history, beating the previous mark set by Ramon Flanigan in 1993 by 31 yards (148 versus Navy). He broke that mark with 191 yards (+145 passing) in the 27-20 win at Connecticut on Dec. 6.
| SANDERS SETTING RECORDS |
Junior receiver/kick returner Deion Sanders, Jr., was a second-team All-American Athletic Conference selection as a kick returner in 2014. His 759 KOR yards last season rank seventh all-time at SMU. He also set the SMU single-game record with 203 KOR yards at UCF in 2014. At UCF, Sanders' day was highlighted by a 64-yard return that led to a Matt Davis rushing touchdown.
| TRIBUTE 23 |
Prior to the 2009 season, SMU announced that a deserving student-athlete would be chosen by the coaching staff to wear the number 23 to honor Jerry LeVias.
LeVias was the first African-American to receive an athletic scholarship in the Southwest Conference. While at SMU, LeVias made athletic and academic All-America teams and, in 1966, contributed to the Mustangs' first SWC title in 18 years. He was an All-American in 1968 and was chosen All-SWC in 1966, 1967 and 1968.
Junior tight end Jeremiah Gaines was awarded the number for 2015. Gaines played in nine games, starting three, in 2014, totaling four catches for 97 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown reception against Houston.
| HONORARY CAPTAINS |
Head Coach Chad Morris has brought several new traditions to the SMU's football program. One of them involves naming an Honorary Captain at each home game. In the season opener, Morris has bestowed that honor upon former SMU defensive tackle Harvey Armstrong. During his time on the Hilltop (1978-81), Armstrong earned All-America honors (1981) and was co-captain of the 1981 National Championship squad. The Houston native would go on to play eight years in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts.
| TANGLIN' WITH THE TOP 25 |
Two of SMU's first three opponents this season are ranked in the top 25 - No. 4 Baylor & No. 2 TCU. This marks the first time the Mustangs will play two top-five opponents in the same year since 1974, when the Mustangs played at No. 1 Ohio State and hosted No. 5 Texas A&M.
| HONOR ROLL FOR JOSEPH |
Senior wide receiver Darius Joseph has already left his mark in the SMU record book, ranking in the top 10 in career receptions, season receptions and games with at least 10 catches. His career high is 13 receptions (100 yards & 2 TDs) at East Carolina on Oct. 4, 2014. That led to his first AAC Weekly Honor Roll recognition. The 13 receptions were a career-high for Joseph and tied for the most-ever by an SMU junior, with Joseph joining Emanuel Tolbert, who caught 13 passes as a junior at Baylor in 1978.
| DON'T ATTACK SHAK |
Shakiel Randolph will begin his senior campaign in a new spot when the Baylor Bears come to the Hilltop. The former defensive back from Waco has moved to the STAR linebacker position as part of first-year Defensive Coordinator Van Malone's scheme. Prior to switching positions, Randolph tied for fifth for passes defended per game (1.0) in The American in 2014. Randolph will look to continue that momentum from last season in his new role.
| LASECKI & SMITH ON WATCH LISTS |
Senior center Taylor Lasecki is on the Watch Lists for both the Rimington Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award. This is the third straight year he has been on the Rimington watch list. He is among 63 centers named to the Rimington Watch List, and is one of 17 centers that were previously included. The Rotary Lombardi Award is limited to down linemen, either on offense or defense, who set up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball, or linebackers who set up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage.
Senior defensive lineman Cameron Smith is among the 80 players on the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. The Wuerffel Trophy, known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service," is presented annually by the All Sports Association in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. He has also been nominated for the the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which recognizes college football players from across the country who exemplify a superior commitment to community service and volunteerism.
| ANOTHER HONOR FOR DOAK |
The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) announced its 75th Anniversary All-America Team earlier this fall, and former SMU running back Doak Walker was chosen for one of two starting running backs slots on the third team, sharing the backfield with Bo Jackson. During his tenure with the Mustangs, Walker was a three-time All-American (1947-49), a Maxwell Award recipient (1947), a Heisman Trophy winner (1948) and an integral part of two Southwest Conference Championship teams.
| PONY UP-GRADES! |
SMU has made almost $10 million in Ford Stadium improvements since 2011, including upgrades to the locker room and team meeting rooms, a new playing surface, lighting system, suites and club seating.
Renovations included a new team meeting room with stadium-style seating and renovated positional meeting rooms. Changes to the locker room included the creation of a new team lounge, as well as new lockers, updated graphics and audio/visual equipment.
SMU also installed a state-of-the-art Mondoturf 3NX thermo-bonded ecofill artificial turf system.
Musco Sports Lighting's new system has reduced energy consumption 50% and has saved more than 293 metric tons of CO2 from entering the environment.
In 2013, SMU added a new 233-seat Hall of Champions Club and seven new suites to the northwest corner of the stadium.
In 2014, SMU made significant upgrades to the Stadium Club. The improvements to the nearly 900-seat area included new stadium seats and bar stools. The Stadium Club also has a new point of sale system in order to provide patrons with more efficient service. The enhancements also include new carpet and granite countertops.
In 2015, SMU updated its football offices and team areas, installing new graphics and displays.
| THE SMU LEGEND |
Legend has it that when Ford Motor Company was preparing to introduce the sports car that would gain fame as the Mustang, it was considering other names such as Cougar, Bronco, Cheetah and Colt.
But during the 1963 football season, SMU took an undersized but quick team to Ann Arbor to play a massive Michigan Wolverine squad. Michigan gained the early advantage, but had to fight off the feisty Ponies for a 27-16 win.
After the game, Ford's Lee Iacocca entered the SMU locker room and addressed the disappointed Mustangs.
"Today," Iacocca said, "After watching the SMU Mustangs play with such flair, we reached a decision. We will call our new car the Mustang. Because it will be light, like your team. It will be quick, like your team. And it will be sporty, like your team."
Ford's new car got its name, and the rest, as they say, is history.
| THE RED CARPET |
SMU may need to install a red carpet in the Mustang locker room as SMU has become "the place to be" in Dallas. Among the celebrities, legends, pros and former pros that have attended practice or stopped by the stadium in recent years are: Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, Daryl "Moose" Johnston, Jeff George, Terrell Owens, Tim Brown, Michael Irvin, Devin Hester and Deion Sanders, as well as former SMU standouts Reggie Dupard, Eric Dickerson, Craig James, Jerry Ball, Russell Carter and Don Meredith.
Former President George W. Bush even visits SMU football practice. Bush has also performed the ceremonial coin toss at four SMU home games in the last four seasons - Navy (2011), Memphis (2012), Texas Tech (2013) and Cincinnati (2014).
| FAST LAYNE |
Paul Layne holds an unrivaled Mustang record. He has attended every SMU football game for the last 40 years, even going to Tokyo. He had to pull a "fast one" more than once to keep his streak alive.
Layne's unyielding commitment to SMU football has even posed some challenges for family and friends – like the time his ex-wife remarried. He persuaded her to schedule her wedding on a Friday night, within driving distance of SMU's game at Nevada the following day. So the night before the Mustangs tangled with the Wolf Pack in Reno, Layne attended the wedding in California's Sonoma Valley, then drove 200 miles to catch the opening kickoff.
Layne even attended a game dressed in a Halloween costume to disguise his case of adult-onset chicken pox.
Starting when Layne attended SMU and was a team cheerleader, he's attended 456 straight games.
| GREAT BOULEVARD |
The editors at Southern Living posted a roster of the top 20 Southern schools with the greatest pregame celebrations in their September 2012 issue and SMU's Boulevard made the list.
Tailgating is a time-honored tradition at SMU. From the food and drink to the style and traditions, nobody does tailgating quite like the Mustangs. Gameday at SMU is The Boulevard. SMU's beautiful Bishop Boulevard is tailgate central for fun and entertainment.
Along The Boulevard, fans can mingle with family, and friends and bring a picnic, fire up a grill for a barbeque or visit one of the many food vendors.
The Boulevard added a new attraction in 2013 - Mustang Alley. The area provides sports fans a place to catch all the college football action before heading into Ford Stadium to see the Mustangs, and boasts multiple TVs, food, beverages, vendor booths, a photo booth and a kids' area with inflatables and face painting. Admission to Mustang Alley is free to the public and opens three hours prior to kickoff.
| MUSTANG CLUB SETS ANOTHER RECORD |
Donors to SMU Athletics have once again set a new record for generosity, contributing more than $13.3 million, a 24% increase, in support of Athletic Department operations and SMU's 424 student-athletes during the last fiscal year. Included in that total are nearly $5.3 million in Mustang Club gifts, which provides critical unrestricted support. That total represents an increase of 60% over the previous year's record $3.3 million result. Total donors also increased 32% from 2,997 to 3,956.
"I continue to be inspired by the generous support of SMU alumni and friends," said SMU A.D. Rick Hart. "We are grateful to the 4,000 donors whose investments enable us to prepare students for life and compete for championships. Each of our student-athletes benefits from training with great coaches, exceptional medical care, outstanding academic support, the opportunity to travel and compete in sports they love and so much more. I want to thank all of our donors, the many volunteers and SMU development staff for another record year."
Since Hart's arrival on the Hilltop in 2012, Mustang Club annual giving has more than doubled, from $2.6 million to $5.3 million, and donor support of operations has jumped from $8.4 million to more than $13 million.
In addition to these gifts, significant investments from donors have been made in SMU Athletics' facilities, including Moody Coliseum, the Miller Event Center and the new SMU Tennis Complex. Fundraising continues for these facilities, in addition to the planned SMU Aquatics Center on East Campus and Trinity Forest Golf Club.
