September 26, 2017

By Dylan Edwards, SMUMustangs.com
 
Through the first four games of the season, SMU's offense has been nothing short of spectacular. The Mustangs have shown the ability to be balanced and make life miserable for opposing defenses. 
 
SMU has been able to score in every quarter this season due in large part to the offense's ability to be versatile. The Mustangs are one of six teams to average at least 300 passing yards and 190 rushing yards. Of SMU's 23 offensive touchdowns, 12 have been through the air and 11 have been on the ground. Only three other teams have 10 of each.
 
Some teams try to load up against the run and make quarterback Ben Hicks beat them. He's shown the ability to make big plays time and time again by pushing the ball deep down the field. On average, his passes travel 11.1 yards in the air, much higher than the NCAA average of 8.8. It's no surprise his yards per completion is the seventh highest in FBS at 16.1 yards.
 
SMU's signal caller has also been good when the pressure goes up. On third down, Ben Hicks is 19-41 for 426 yards (4th nationally) and 16 first downs (16th nationally). Despite it often being an obvious passing down and Hicks having the 12th most attempts nationally, he hasn't been sacked this season on third down.
 
Hicks has no shortage of talented receivers to target. Opponents have made a concerted effort to take away Courtland Sutton, and it hasn't slowed down this offense one bit. All it does is open up space for guys like Trey Quinn and James Proche, each of which have had a 100-yard receiving game this season.
 
Opponents' attention to Sutton also helps the rushing attack. If a team rolls a cover two scheme to Sutton's side to essentially double him, it also means linebackers are typically dropping into coverage instead of attacking the line of scrimmage. That's a look that offensive linemen and running backs dream about.
 
The Mustangs have run wild with their committee of running backs. Xavier Jones, Braeden West and Ke'Mon Freeman. All three average at least 60 yards per game and can make their mark on a game at any moment. Jones had his coming out party against Arkansas State, rushing for 146 yards. Freeman is a punishing runner, one of the reasons he's found the end zone five times. West is a lightning rod, as nearly 60 percent of his runs pick up five yards or more. That's the seventh-highest percentage for any running back this season with at least 15 carries. 
 
So what does it mean when an offense has a quarterback that can throw downfield, receivers that can make plays, and running backs that can break games open? Big plays. The Mustangs have 28 plays that picked up 20 yards or more, the seventh most in FBS. SMU has seven plays that have picked up 50 yards or more, the most in the nation. Essentially, when SMU is on the field, the Mustangs are in scoring position.
 
It's extremely impressive that given this offense's explosiveness, they've also taken care of the football. SMU ranks in the top-20 in turnovers and fourth in turnover margin. They also know how to take advantage when the defense provides an opportunity, ranking eighth in points off turnovers.
 
Many times early in the season, teams can pad their stats against greatly inferior competition. That hasn't been the case either for SMU. North Texas is a team on the rise and a regional rival. No. 9 TCU is one of the best teams in the nation this year it seems after their 4-0 start to the season. Arkansas State is an established program that contends for its conference title every season. SMU has rolled off big time stats against all of them.
 
And the scary thing for other teams? They're only going to get better. This powerful offense only starts two seniors and has just four seniors on the entire two-deep.