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SETTING THE SCENE
• The Mustangs head to the Big House on Saturday, Sept. 15 to face off with No. 19/22 Michigan. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network.

• SMU is the only team in the country to face off with two current AP top 20 teams on the non-conference slate in the season's first three weeks (No. 16 TCU).

• The Mustangs fell to No. 16 TCU last Friday in the 98th meeting of the Battle for the Iron Skillet. Braeden West led SMU with a 51-yard touchdown run, giving him his second 50+ yard touchdown of the season (71-yard TD reception at UNT). On defense, Patrick Nelson led the Mustangs with a game-high nine tackles, Chris Biggurs registered his first career fumble recovery and Shaine Hailey had his first career interception.

• Braeden West is one of only four FBS players to post rushing and reception touchdowns of over 50 yards this season, and one of only four active players to have 1,000+ all-purpose yards in each of the last three seasons.

• Mustangs Xavier Jones (Maxwell, Doak Walker, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose), Jordan Wyatt (Wuerffel, AFCA Good Works), James Proche (Biletnikoff), Braeden West (Paul Hornung) and Jamie Sackville (Ray Guy) also highlight preseason watch lists.

THE SERIES
SMU and Michigan will meet for only the second time in history with Michigan holding the 1-0 advantage. The Wolverines defeated the Mustangs, 27-16, in 1963 in Ann Arbor.

ABOUT THE WOLVERINES
Michigan is 1-1 to open the 2018 season and is coming off a 49-3 victory over Western Michigan. The Wolverines went 8-5 in 2017 and made an appearance in the Outback Bowl against South Carolina. U-M is ranked No. 19 in this week's AP Poll, after rising two spots from last week, and is No. 22 in the Coaches Poll.

THE COACHES
• Sonny Dykes is in his first season on the Hilltop after serving head coaching stints at Cal (2013-16) and Louisiana Tech (2010-12). Dykes spent 2017 at TCU as an offensive analyst. In seven seasons as a head coach, Dykes holds a career record of 41-48. 

• Jim Harbaugh is in his fourth season at the helm of the Michigan football team and is 29-12 with the Wolverines. Harbaugh has guided Michigan to bowl games in each of his three seasons and is one of four Big Ten coaches to win 10-plus games in each of his first two seasons. He came to Michigan after four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.

LAST TIME VS. MICHIGAN
Michigan jumped out to a 21-point lead at the half and went on to defeat SMU, 27-16, on Sept. 28, 1963 in Ann Arbor.

The Wolverines picked up a pair of rushing touchdowns and a five-yard passing touchdown in the first quarter and added a one-yard rush for a score in the second. The Mustangs posted a fourth quarter comeback with a pair of rushing touchdowns and successful two-point conversions, but could not complete the comeback.

ALL-TIME VS. MICHIGAN (0-1)
1963    L    16-27

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.    

GO WEST, YOUNG MAN
Paul Hornung Watch List member Braeden West showed his versatility in week one versus North Texas with a rushing and receiving touchdown. His 71-yard TD catch is the longest by an SMU running back since a 57-yard reception by Derron Brown in 2003. He finished the outing with 112 all-purpose yards.

Against No. 16 TCU, West had a 51-yard touchdown run, giving him his second 50+ yard touchdown of the season. 

West played in 12 games for the Mustangs in 2017, finishing second on the team with 568 rushing yards on 73 carries and added a pair of rushing touchdowns. West also registered 18 catches for 185 yards and 423 yards on 23 kick returns. 

West has six 100+ yards rushing games in his career and sits 13th on SMU's all-time list at 2,034 yards. He has 3,676 career all-purpose yards, including 1,091 kick return yards (7th at SMU). Among the AAC, West leads active players in rushing yards.

BIG BEN
Ben Hicks opened 2018 with a pair of touchdowns at North Texas, bringing his career touchdowns responsible for total to 57, tied for the most all-time at SMU (Flanigan 1992-97 & Willis 2006-08). His 54 passing TDs are the most for a Mustang and his career passing yards are second (6,862). Hicks is fourth in total offense at 6,802 yards.

He sits seventh among FBS active leaders in career passing TDs (54) and 10th for career passing yards. He leads active AAC quarterbacks in completions (540), TDs (54; tied with Milton, UCF) and yards (6,862). 

Hicks is one of 30 candidates on the Manning Award Watch List, and is also a member of the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List and was named a Player to Watch by the Touchdown Club of Columbus. He was also selected as the No. 11 player to watch on the College Football News Preseason All-American Athletic Conference list and is an All-AAC preseason selection by Athlon Sports.

STAY ACTIVE
Graduate transfer CJ Sanders joins the Mustangs after three seasons at Notre Dame and currently leads active FBS players in combined kick return yards (2,447) and kickoff return yards (2,140). He is the only active player in the country with multiple kick and punt return TDs and his three kickoff return TDs are tied for fourth among active players nationally.

BACK AT IT
Jordan Wyatt ranks atop SMU's all-time lists with five defensive return touchdowns and four career interception return touchdowns. He finished 2017 with 288 career interception return yards, also the most for a Mustang, and became just the sixth player in FBS history to record an interception return and fumble recovery for touchdowns in the same game week one against Stephen F. Austin.

Among national active leaders, Wyatt tops the list for both active career fumbles forced (8), career interception return TDs (4) and career defensive return TDs (5).

Wyatt is a member of the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, as well as a nominee for the AFCA Good Works Team. He has also picked up preseason accolades from College Football News, Athlon Sports and Dave Campbell's Texas Football.    

Wyatt missed the 2017 Frisco Bowl game after suffering a knee injury in the Mustangs' game against Tulane.

TRIBUTE 23
Since 2009, the SMU coaching staff has chosen a deserving student-athlete 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.

Senior cornerback Jordan Wyatt has been awarded the number for 2018.

Players To Wear #23 In Honor of Jerry LeVias
Jordan Wyatt, CB, 2018
Nick Horton, DE, 2016-17
Jeremiah Gaines, TE, 2015
Stephon Sanders, LB, 2012-14
Chris Banjo, DB, 2009-11
    
BIG GAME JAMES
With the departure of All-Americans and 2018 NFL Draft picks Courtland Sutton and Trey Quinn, James Proche is the Mustangs leading returning receiver in 2018. 

Proche opened 2018 with a pair of catches for 77 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown at UNT, and led  Mustang receivers with six catches for 50 yards against No. 16 TCU.

In 13 games last season, Proche caught 40 passes for 816 yards (11th AAC) and six touchdowns (12th AAC) and earned a spot on the preseason Biletnikoff Award Watch List. He also ranked second in The American and 12th nationally at 20.40 yards per reception. Proche also spent time on special teams for the Mustangs and finished with 872 all-purpose yards.

X GON' GIVE IT TO YA
Preseason Maxwell and Doak Walker Award candidate Xavier Jones is back for his junior season after a successful 2017 campaign. Jones led the team with 1,075 yards on 182 carries, including a career-high 175 yards at Memphis on Nov. 18, and posted nine rushing touchdowns (10th AAC). He also added 14 receptions for 84 yards.

Jones has five career games of 100+ yards rushing, including games of 175, 146 and 106 in 2017, and 20 career rushing TDs.

In addition to the Maxwell and Doak Walker Watch List selections, Jones is a member of the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List and earned preseason accolades from Dave Campbell's Texas Football and Athlon Sports.

C'MON  KE'MON
Ke'Mon Freeman led the Mustangs with 11 rushing touchdowns (4th AAC) in 2017, including multiple TDs in three games (at TCU, Arkansas State, Tulane). Starting with the TCU game on Sept. 16, 2017, Freeman posted a stretch of six straight games with a rushing TD, the longest for a Mustang since Reggie Dupard's streak of 13 straight (last 6 1984, first 7 1985).

Freeman has 1,219 career yards on 295 carries and 15 rushing TDs.   

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Junior graduate transfer Patrick Nelson leads the Mustang defense after his first two games with 19 tackles (12 solo), 4.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks. Rodney Clemons (16), Delano Robinson (15), Richard Moore (12) and Jordon Williams (10) also have double-digit tackles, while Kyran Mitchell adds 2.5 TFLs. Shaine Hailey registered his first career interception against No. 16 TCU, and Chris Biggurs had his first career fumble recovery. 

MAKING OUR POINT
The Ponies averaged 37.8 points per game (12th nationally) in 2017 with a pair of 50+ contests to open the season. SMU was 1 of only 3 FBS teams (Maryland & Kansas State) with 50 points in each of the first two games. It was the first season since 1928 that the Mustangs had back-to-back 50+ point games.

The Mustangs ranked seventh in the country last season in biggest improvements over 2016 in ppg (10.1).

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
SMU welcomed eight graduate transfers, three FBS transfers and six junior college transfers who are eligible for the 2018 season. The grad transfer total is among the highest in the nation. 

SMU IN THE CLASSROOM
The 2018 SMU roster features 14 student-athletes who have already earned a degree, giving them the fourth highest total in the country. Andrew Adams, Jourdan Blake, Paka Davis, Jake Hall, Ben Hicks, Larry Hughes, William Jeanlys, Nick Natour, Patrick Nelson, Chad Pursley, CJ Sanders, Cole Sterns, Noah Westerfield and Jordan Wyatt have all earned undergraduate degrees. Of those 14, SMU has eight graduate transfers. Twenty-three Mustangs also earned All-AAC academic honors.

SMU IN THE AP
SMU is one of only 44 schools that have ever been ranked No. 1 by the Associated Press since 1936. The Mustangs have been ranked No. 1 twice. SMU was No. 55 on the AP's Top 100 Programs list.

After the win over then No. 11 Houston, SMU also received a vote in the AP Poll in 2016.

PONY UP-GRADES!
SMU has made significant investments in Ford Stadium improvements since 2011, including an upgraded locker room finished in August 2018, a new team meeting room with stadium-style seating and renovated positional meeting rooms, a new playing surface, lighting system, A/V system, new suites and club seating.

SMU recently broke ground on a 67,000-square-foot Indoor Performance Center, which will include a 4,000-square-foot multi-use Boulevard Club, a 2,000-square-foot recruiting lounge and access to a 1,500-square-foot outdoor patio, and a turf field with access to a training room and fitness/rehab area.

Prior to the 2016 season, Paragon Sports Constructors installed a new synthetic turf playing field at Ford Stadium. The new synthetic turf field is PowerBlade Bolt as manufactured by Shaw Sports Turf. The design for the new field remained the same, featuring the Mustang logo at mid-field with 'SMU' and 'Mustangs' in opposing end zones.

In the summer of 2013, SMU added a new 233-seat Hall of Champions Club and seven new suites in time for SMU's move to the American Athletic Conference. Among the great features of the new Club and suites is their indoor/outdoor design which allows fans to enjoy the comfort of indoor amenities as well as the excitement of sitting out in the bowl and hearing the roar of the crowd and the hard-hitting action on the field.

IT'S ALWAYS SONNY
It's Always Sonny on the Hilltop with Head Coach Sonny Dykes airs Mondays at Ozona Grill and Bar, and runs throughout the 2018 campaign. The show is live on KAAM 770 AM from 7-8 p.m. There are food and drink specials, trivia and prizes on site each week.

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, current and former pros that have attended practice or stopped by the stadium in recent years are: Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, Terrell Owens, Tim Brown, Michael Irvin 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 games against Navy (2011), Memphis (2012), Texas Tech (2013), Cincinnati (2014) and UNT (2015).

FAST LAYNE
Paul Layne holds an unrivaled Mustang record, having attended every SMU game for the last 40-plus years, even going to Tokyo.

He had to pull a "fast one" more than once to keep his streak alive – like the time his ex-wife remarried. He persuaded her to schedule her wedding on a Friday 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 497 straight games.

DRAFT DAY
SMU is just one of three programs in the country with draft picks in the first two rounds of the 2018 NFL, NBA and MLS drafts. Mustang Courtland Sutton was selected in the second round by the Denver Broncos. Justin Lawler and Trey Quinn also went in the seventh round.

ANNUAL GIVING HITS RECORD HIGH
Donors to SMU Athletics have once again set a new mark for generosity, contributing a record $24.3M to support SMU Athletics and its 424 student-athletes during the last fiscal year. The $24.3M represents a 31% increase in total athletics giving year-over-year and marks the biggest fundraising year for athletics in the history of the university.         

Included in that total are nearly $6.1 million in Mustang Athletic Fund gifts, which provide critical unrestricted support. That total represents an increase of 20% year-over-year and a jump of over 300% during the past decade. These donations provide the foundation for annual support for each of the 17 sports at SMU.

In addition to these gifts, significant investments from donors have been made in SMU Athletics facilities, including new indoor performance center, which broke ground this year.

WE DON'T TAILGATE, WE BOULEVARD.
The editors at Southern Living posted a roster of the top 20 Southern schools with the greatest pregame celebrations, and SMU's Boulevard made the list.

From the food and drink to the style and traditions, nobody does tailgating quite like the Mustangs. 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 or visit Mustang Alley vendors.

The Boulevard is so famous that the guys from Dude Perfect picked SMU to shoot their tailgate game trickshot video. See it here - https://goo.gl/uYCuWj.