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Sept. 2, 2019: It's Always Sonny On The Hilltop
Clemons Media AvailabilityÂ
SETTING THE SCENE
•   SMU's home opener is set for Saturday against North Texas at 6 p.m. on ESPN3. The Mustangs have won two of their last three home openers, with victories over Liberty (2016) and Stephen F. Austin (2017). The match-up will serve as SMU's annual whiteout game.
•    The Mustangs opened the season with a 37-30 win over Arkansas State in week one.Â
•   Â
CJ Sanders was named the AAC Special Teams Player of the Week after a 98-yard kickoff return TD against Arkansas State, while
Xavier Jones earned an honor roll nod for a three-TD performance in the opener.
•   Â
Shane Buechele threw for 360 yards on Saturday, the most for any player in his first start as a Mustang.
•    Six Mustangs have been named to Watch Lists to open the 2019 season, including
James Proche, who earned a spot on the Maxwell, Biletnikoff, Paul Hornung and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Lists. Reggie Roberson Jr. (Biletnikoff, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose) joins him on a pair, while
Hayden Howerton (Rimington),
Tyler Page (Wuerffel),
Demerick Gary (AFCA Good Works) and
Shane Buechele (Earl Campbell Tyler Rose) also earned mentions.
THE SERIES
Saturday's meeting will be 39th between SMU and North Texas, with the Mustangs holding a 31-6-1 all-time advantage. SMU is 30-2-1 against the Mean Green at home and have won 10 straight at home dating back to the 1979 season. In the most recent meeting in Dallas, SMU came away with a 54-32 victory on Sept. 9, 2017.Â
ABOUT THE MEAN GREEN
North Texas opened the season with a 51-31 win over Abilene Christian. The Mean Green went 9-4 in 2018 and made an appearance in the New Mexico Bowl.
THE COACHES
•  Â
Sonny Dykes is in his second season as head coach of the Mustangs and has a 6-8 record on the Hilltop. In his first season, SMU boasted one of the most explosive offenses in school history and a vastly-improved defense. The season included his first win as SMU head coach, a 31-30 overtime victory over Navy at home, and a 45-31 win over then-No. 17 Houston at Ford Stadium. Dykes' career record stands at 47-53.
•   Seth Littrell is in his fourth season has head coach of the Mean Green. In 2018, Littrell became the first UNT head coach to take his team to three consecutive bowl games in his first three seasons. His career record stands at 24-17.Â
LAST TIME VS. NORTH TEXAS
DENTON, Texas (AP) -- Mason Fine threw for 444 yards and three touchdowns, Kemon Hall had a pick-6 and DeAndre Torrey scored on a 96-yard kickoff return in North Texas' 46-23 win over SMU in a season opener on Sept. 1, 2018
The Mean Green had a 27-1 first-down advantage and 36-0 lead with 13:11 left to play after Fine threw two TD strikes to Jalen Guyton and one to Nic Smith, and Hall picked off a
Ben Hicks pass for a 36-yard score.
SMU scored all of its points in the fourth quarter in coach
Sonny Dykes' debut: a 5-yard run by
Braeden West, a 59-yard pass from
Ben Hicks to
James Procheand 71-yarder from Hicks to West.
Torrey's fourth-quarter kickoff return helped North Texas outgain the Mustangs 529 total yards to 256.
Fine completed 40 of 50 pass attempts and has thrown a TD in each of his last 13 games. Rico Bussey Jr. had nine catches for 109 yards and Cole Hedlund kicked four field goals.
QUICK HITS
•  Â
James Proche,
Shane Buechele,
Richard Moore and
Rodney Clemons have been voted captains for the 2019 season.
•  Â
Shane Buechele threw for 360 yards on Saturday, the most for any player in his first start as a Mustang. He surpassed the previous total of 354 from Kyle Padron against Tulsa in 2009.Â
•   SMU had 508 yards of total offense on 94 plays against Arkansas State. It was the third time in the past five games with 500+ total yards.Â
•   The Mustangs had 3 takeaways in Saturday's game, giving them at least one in 12 straight games (25 total). They have multiple takeaways in 8 of those games.
•   SMU is 3-1 in its last four road games.
•    Six players have been named to preseason Watch Lists, including Maxwell, Biletnikoff, Paul Hornung and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose selection
James Proche.
•   In addition to first-team All-American Athletic Conference selection
James Proche, who is the NCAA active career leader with 2,790 receiving yards, the Mustangs return All-AAC honorable mention selection
Richard Moore at linebacker.
•   SMU has 21 student-athletes on its roster who have already earned a degree, the highest total in the nation.
BIG GAME JAMES
James Proche led SMU with 93 receptions for 1,199 yards and 12 touchdowns en route to All-American Athletic Conference honors in 2018, and returns as the NCAA's FBS active career leader with 2,724 receiving yards. He led the conference and was in the top 12 nationally in receptions per game (7.8, 5th NCAA), receiving TDs (8th NCAA), receiving yards per game (99.9, 10th NCAA) and receiving yards (12th NCAA).Â
Proche was also the Mustangs' top return man with 20 punt returns for 165 yards and 12 kick returns for 276 yards.
He was second in the league for all-purpose yards (138.08, 13th NCAA), and had five 100-yard games in 2018, giving him nine for his career.
Proche is on a number of Watch Lists to open 2019:
Maxwell Award - College Player of the Year
Biletnikoff Award - Outstanding FBS receiver
Paul Hornung - Demonstrates an extreme, high-level of versatility
Earl Campbell Tyler Rose - Nation's top offensive player with a Texas tie
Proche opened the season with seven catches for 66 yards against Arkansas State.
Â
SMU CAREER RECEIVING YARDSÂ Â Â Â
1Â Â Â Emmanuel Sanders, 2006-09, 3791
2Â Â Â Aldrick Robinson, 2007-10, 3314
3Â Â Â Courtland Sutton, 2014-17, 3220
4Â Â Â Cole Beasley, 2008-11, 2959
5Â Â Â Darius Johnson, 2009-12, 2854
6Â Â Â James Proche, 2016-, 2790
7   Emanuel Tolbert, 1976-79, 2784 |
CAREER RECEPTIONS Â Â Â Â
1Â Â Â Emmanuel Sanders, 2006-09, 285
2Â Â Â Cole Beasley, 2008-11, 255
3Â Â Â Jason Wolf, 1989-92, 235
4Â Â Â Darius Johnson, 2009-12, 232
5Â Â Â James Proche, 2016-, 197
6Â Â Â Jeremy Johnson, 2010-13, 196
7Â Â Â Courtland Sutton, 2014-17, 195 |
The King Reggie
Reggie Roberson Jr. was second on the team with 52 receptions for 802 yards and six touchdowns in only 10 games last season. At the conference level, Roberson Jr. ranked fourth in receptions per game (5.2) and receiving yards per game (80.2).
He opened the 2019 season with a career-high 180 yards off 11 receptions to lead the Mustangs over Arkansas State. It was the fifth 100-yard game of his career.Â
Roberson Jr. is a member of both the Biletnikoff and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch Lists.
SINGLE-GAME RECEIVING YARDSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â
1Â Â Â
Courtland Sutton, USF, 2016, 252
2Â Â Â Jeremy Johnson, Rutgers, 2013, 217
3Â Â Â Jerry LeVias, vs. N.C. State, 1968, 213
4Â Â Â Aldrick Robinson, at UCF, 2008, 210
5Â Â Â Keenan Holman, Temple, 2013, 209
6Â Â Â Aldrick Robinson, Houston, 2008, 186
   Â
Trey Quinn, at Cincinnati, 2017, 186
8Â Â Â
James Proche, at Tulsa, 2018, 183
9Â Â Â Aldrick Robinson, at Tulane, 2010, 182
10Â Â Â Reggie Roberson Jr., at Arkansas St, 2019, 180
PONYUP, ARLINGTON
Shane Buechele set the record for most passing yards by a Mustang in his first start with 360 in the season-opening win at Arkansas State on Saturday. The junior went 30-for-49 with 360 yards. The totals were his second-highest in career attempts and yardage, and third-highest for completions.
In three seasons at Texas, Buechele threw for 4,636 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Buechele started all 12 games as a freshman, completing 236-of-391 passes for 2,958 yards (UT freshman record) and 21 TDs (second most as a UT freshman). He was  the first Texas quarterback since 2009 to have at least 2,500 passing yards and 20 touchdowns in a season, and tied for the second-fastest to reach 2,000 passing yards in a season at UT. Overall, Buechele finished the season ranked seventh at UT in single-season passing yards. As a sophomore in 2017, he reached 1,000 passing yards in just five games, which tied for the eighth fastest mark in Texas history. Â
STAY ACTIVE
CJ Sanders joined the Mustangs after three seasons at Notre Dame and ranked among the top three nationally in kickoff returns (2nd, 94), kickoff return yards (2nd, 2,217), combined kick return yards (2nd, 2,524) and combined kick return TDs (3rd, 4) heading into the 2019 season. Sanders played four games in 2018 before redshirting due to injury.
The redshirt senior wasted no time getting started in 2019, returning his fourth-career kickoff return for a touchdown en route to AAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. The 98-yard return ties him for the eighth longest at SMU. Overall, Sanders finished with three returns for 133 yards. Â
SMU LONGEST KICKOFF RETURNSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
1Â Â Jessie Henderson at Tulane, 2006, 100t
    Mitchell Price at Baylor, 1986, 100t
    James Collier vs. Baylor, 1979, 100t
    Arthur Whittington at Arkansas, 1974, 100t
    Jerry LeVias vs. Baylor, 1966, 100t
    Kyle Rote at Texas A&M, 1949, 100t
7  Rodnick Phillips vs. New Mex., 1996, 99t
8Â Â Doak Walker at Santa Clara, 1947, 98t
    Reggie Roberson Jr. vs. Navy 2018, 98t
   Â
CJ Sanders at Arkansas St 2019, 98t
X GON' GIVE IT TO YA
Running back
Xavier Jones had a career-high tying three rushing touchdowns to open the season against Arkansas State. It was the seventh-career multi-TD game for the senior. Jones now sits sixth all-time at SMU with 25 career rushing touchdowns and 11th all-time with 2,216 career rushing yards.
In 2015, Jones set the freshman record for rushing TDs with 10, and was a member of the Doak Walker Watch List in 2016 and 2018 and the Maxwell Award Watch List in 2018.
SMU CAREER RUSHING TDs   Â
1Â Â Â Â Eric Dickerson, 1979-82, 47
      Zach Line, 2009-12, 47
3Â Â Â Â Reggie Dupard, 1982-85, 41
4Â Â Â Â Doak Walker, 1945, 47-49, 31
5Â Â Â Â
Ramon Flanigan, 1992-97, 27
6Â Â Â Â Xavier Jones, 2015-, 25
7Â Â Â Â Alvin Maxson, 1971-73, 24
   Kyle Rote, 1948-50, 24
GETTING DEFENSIVE
• In his first start as a Mustang,
Ar'mani Johnson led the team with 10 tackles (7 solo), including one for loss.Â
•
Will Jones and
Nelson Paul registered their first career fumble recoveries on Saturday.
•
Terrance Newman had his first career interception against Arkansas State.
•
Delontae Scott had five tackles, including a career-high four TFLs, and also added a sack and his third career forced  fumble.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
SMU welcomes 15 transfers, including eight graduate transfers, and five junior college transfers for the 2019 season. In total, the Mustangs have 65 new names on the roster this season.
GRIDIRON GRADS
The 2019 SMU roster features 21 student-athletes who have already earned a degree, tying for the highest total in the country.
Zach Abercrumbia,
Chris Biggurs,
Shane Buechele,
Rodney Clemons,
Pono Davis,
Charlie Flores,
Luke Hogan,
Kevin Johnson,
Xavier Jones,
Richard McBryde,
Tommy McIntyre,
Richard Moore,
Tyeson Neals,
Patrick Nelson,
Merek Pierce,
James Proche,
Michael Poujol,
Kevin Robledo,
CJ Sanders,
Delontae Scott and
Brandon Stephens. Of those 21, SMU has 10 graduate transfers. Thirty-four Mustangs also earned All-AAC academic honors in 2018.
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
Rodney Clemons has been awarded the number for 2019.
Players To Wear #23 In Honor of Jerry LeVias
Rodney Clemons, SÂ Â Â 2019
Jordan Wyatt, CBÂ Â Â 2018
Nick Horton, DEÂ Â Â 2016-17
Jeremiah Gaines, TEÂ Â Â 2015
Stephon Sanders, LBÂ Â Â 2012-14
Chris Banjo, DBÂ Â Â 2009-11
WELCOME TO THE HILLTOP
Ra'Shaad Samples joined the Mustang coaching staff in July after serving as an assistant wide receivers coach at Texas. Prior to his stint at Texas, Samples spent two years as an offensive assistant at Houston in 2016 and 2017 working with the running backs and receivers (2016) under Darrell Wyatt and working with the quarterbacks (2017) under Brian Johnson. He played a role in the mentorship of Kyle Allen, D'Eriq King and Marquez Stevenson.Â
Samples played in six games at Oklahoma State in 2014 as a redshirt freshman, registering three catches for 11 yards. In 2015, he transferred to Houston, and sat out the 2015 season due to transfer obligations and the 2016 season due to injury.
A.J. Ricker joined the Mustang staff in January and serves as the offensive line coach. Ricker came to the Hilltop after serving in the same capacity at Kansas in 2018.
Ricker served in an offensive analyst capacity at Oklahoma State in 2017 and Houston in 2016. While at OSU, the Cowboys posted the nation's top passing offense with 389.2 yards per game, and ranked second nationally in total offense (568.9). In 2016, Houston ranked 17th in passing offense (296.3) and 26th in scoring offense (35.6).
In addition to Samples and Ricker joining staff,
Randall Joyner took over defensive line duties, while
Josh Martin now adds special teams coordinator to his duties.
ON THE FIELD, IN THE CLASSROOM, IN THE COMMUNITYÂ Â Â
Senior
Demerick Gary was announced as a nominee for the 2019 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.The award is given annually to college football players for the impact they make off the field.
Gary is a leader in community service initiatives for the Mustangs, taking part in a variety of events. Activities include visits to the Children's Hospital, working with Feed My Starving Children, elementary school pep rallies and SMU football youth clinics. On the field, Gary played in 11 games for the Mustangs in 2018, making seven starts. The Dallas native registered 23 tackles, including three for loss. He also added a fumble recovery, one break-up and a quarterback hurry.
In three seasons on the Hilltop, Gary has played in 36 games, recorded 59 tackles, 16 TFLs and 4.5 sacks. Gary is majoring in journalism.
Junior
Tyler Page is one of 93 student-athletes from college football's Football Bowl Subdivision named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. The Wuerffel Trophy, known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service," is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.     Â
Page is a Finance major in the Cox School of Business from Friendswood, Texas, and currently boasts a 4.0 grade-point-average in his major. He was named to SMU's Honor Roll with High Distinction in the fall of 2018 and the Honor Roll with Distinction on three other occasions. Page is also a three-time All-American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honoree.
One of SMU's most faithful participants in community service activities, Page has regularly taken part in Children's Hospital visits, elementary school service events, The Big Event, SMU youth football clinics and various other activities.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL 150TH ANNIVERSARY
 The 2019 football season marks college football's 150th anniversary. The Mustangs will wear the CFB150 uniform patch to commemorate the season.
As part of the national celebration of the 150th season of college football in 2019, the American Athletic Conference will showcase some of the great moments and key individuals from its member schools who have added to the rich tradition of the sport and its contribution to American society and culture.
IT'S ALWAYS SONNY ON THE HILLTOPÂ Â Â
The second season of It's Always Sonny on the Hilltop with Head Coach
Sonny Dykes begins Monday, Aug. 26 at Ozona Grill and Bar, and runs throughout the 2019 campaign. The show will stream live each Monday from 7-8 p.m.Â
Fans can also tweet their questions for Coach Dykes using the hashtag #AlwaysSonny, or by clicking the "Ask The Coach" button on SMUMustangs.com. The show will also be available on the TuneIn App by searching "SMU", on Facebook live at Facebook.com/SMUMustangs and on Twitter (@SMUMustangs) and Instagram (@SMU.Mustangs).
There will be no show Oct. 7 & Nov. 11 due to SMU's off weeks.
FAST LAYNEÂ Â Â
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.Â
Starting when Layne attended SMU and was a team cheerleader, he's attended 508 straight games. His 500th was SMU's 63-27 victory over HBU on Sept. 29, 2018.
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), UNT (2015), Memphis (2016) and Navy (2018).
PONY UP-GRADES!
Across all funds, donors gave more than $18.7 million to support Athletics in fiscal year 2019, a total that includes $9.6 million in capital gifts.  Â
Specific to Ford Stadium, SMU has made significant investments 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.
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.
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.
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