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Coach Dykes Weekly Media Availability
Sept. 9, 2019: It's Always Sonny On The Hilltop
Coach Dykes: American Athletic Conference Weekly Teleconference
Buechele Media Availability 

SETTING THE SCENE
• The Mustangs host Texas State Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPN3 in their second straight home contest. 

• SMU defeated North Texas, 49-27, last week for its third win in its last four home openers. SMU also started the season 2-0 for the second time in three years and looks to go 3-0 for the first time since 1984.

• Xavier Jones was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for three TDs off 127 yards and 16 carries, while Patrick Nelson was named Defensive Player of the Week, registering seven tackles, 2.0 sacks and an interception.

• Xavier Jones leads the nation with six rushing TDs, while James Proche leads active FBS wide receivers with 2,905 career receiving yards and CJ Sanders is the career FBS active leader in combined kick return touchdowns (5) and kickoff return yards (2,398). Defensively, Brandon Stephens leads the nation in passes defended (2.5)

• 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 Xavier Jones (Doak Walker), 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 only the second between SMU and Texas State. The teams met in 2008, with the Mustangs earning the only victory, a 47-36 decision in Dallas. 

ABOUT THE BOBCATS
Texas State is 0-2 coming into Saturday's match-up at Ford Stadium. The Bobcats went 3-9 in 2018 with wins over Texas Southern, New Mexico State and Georgia State. 

THE COACHES
• Sonny Dykes is in his second season as head coach of the Mustangs and has a 7-8 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 48-53.

• Jake Spavital took over as Texas State head coach in November after serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at West Virginia for one season. Spavital spent time as the interim head coach at California in 2017 after serving as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach under Dykes during the 2016-17 season.  

LAST TIME VS. TEXAS STATE
DALLAS, Texas (AP) - Bo Levi Mitchell threw five touchdown passes and SMU beat Texas State 47-36 on Sept 6, 2008, ending an 11-game losing streak and making coach June Jones a winner in his first home game.

Jones is the first SMU coach to win a home opener since Bobby Collins in 1982. Offense is Jones' specialty, and his touch was evident from the start, with Mitchell and Emmanuel Sanders hooking up for touchdown passes of 21, 8 and 35 yards in the first half alone. Aldrick Robinson also had a 32-yarder mixed in as SMU went up 30-6 in the second quarter.

But Texas State scored with 2 seconds left in the half and kept inching closer. The Bobcats (1-1) cut it to 40-29 in the fourth quarter on Cameron Luke's third touchdown catch.

Then it was Mitchell's turn again. Facing third-and-9 from his 29, the true freshman hit Sanders for 24 yards, then hit Robinson in the end zone from the 34.

Texas State scored again with 2:41 left, but Sanders snagged an onside kick attempt. The Mustangs drove just shy of the goal line but opted to take a knee rather than trying to crack 50 points. It was SMU's first win since Sept. 8, 2007, against North Texas.

Mitchell was 24-of-37 for 370 yards. Robinson had 172 yards receiving and Sanders had 138, each with eight receptions.

QUICK HITS
• James Proche, Shane Buechele, Richard Moore and Rodney Clemons have been voted captains for the 2019 season.

• Patrick Nelson registered an interception in Saturday's win, giving the Mustangs at least one takeaway in 13 straight games (26 total). They have multiple takeaways in 8 of those games. The total is the fifth longest streak in the nation.

• SMU had 503 yards of total offense - marking the 4th time in the past 6 games with 500+ total yards.

• The Mustangs had a 100-yard rusher (Xavier Jones 16-127, 3 TDs) and a 100-yard receiver (James Proche 7-115, TD) for the first time since the 62-50 win at Connecticut on Nov. 10, 2018.

• SMU's third down conversion percentage is 54% (19th nationally), compared to 33% (119th nationally) to finish the 2018 season.

• Six players have been named to preseason Watch Lists, including Maxwell, Biletnikoff, Paul Hornung and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose selection James Proche.

• Rodney Clemons has started 39 consecutive games, the fourth longest streak nationally.

• SMU started the season with 21 student-athletes on its roster who have already earned a degree, the highest total in the nation.

CHANNEL 3
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 in receiving yards. He led the conference and was in the top 12 nationally in receptions per game, receiving TDs, receiving yards per game and receiving yards. 

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, and posted his 10th career 100-yard receiving game with 115 yards on seven receptions and a TD against North Texas in week two.

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. In week two, Roberson Jr. tied his career high with a pair of touchdown receptions against North Texas.

Roberson Jr. is a member of both the Biletnikoff and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch Lists.

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 week two, Buechele went 21-31 with 292 passing yards and 3 TD (3rd career 3+ TD game), while adding 24 yards on the ground. The 316 yards of total offense gave him his first consecutive games of 300+ yards.

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.  

STAY ACTIVE
CJ Sanders joined the Mustangs after three seasons at Notre Dame and leads the nation in combined kick return touchdowns (5) and kickoff return yards (2,398). He ranks second in combined kick return yards (2,705), kickoff returns (99) and kickoff return touchdowns (4).

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 against Arkansas State.  

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 and matched that total in week two against North Texas. It was the eighth-career multi-TD game for the senior. Jones now sits fifth all-time at SMU with 28 career rushing touchdowns and 11th all-time with 2,343 career rushing yards.

His back-to-back performance made him the first Mustang to have 3+TDs in consecutive games since Zach Line in 2011 (5 vs Northwestern St. 9/17, 3 at Memphis 9/24) and earned him a spot on the Doak Walker Award Watch List and AAC Player of the Week honors.

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.

CLUB TAKEAWAY
The Mustang defense has forced four turnovers this season (2 INT, 2FF), giving them at least one takeaway in 13 straight games (26 total). In eight of those games, SMU has multiple takeaways. The total is currently the fifth longest streak in the nation. 

Terrance Newman and Patrick Nelson have INTs for the Mustangs, while Delontae Scott and Nelson Paul have forced fumbles.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
• SMU had five sacks against North Texas (7 TFLs), the most since Oct. 20, 2018 at Tulane.
• Patrick Nelson was named the AAC Player of the week with 7 tackles, 2.0 sacks and an interception.
• Rodney Clemons had a team-high nine tackles vs. North Texas.
• Career numbers vs UNT - Demerick Gary tied a career-high with 2.0 sacks, while Richard McBryde had a career-high six tackles and Shaine Hailey had a career-high five tackles.
• Running back turned DB Brandon Stephens has five pass breakups through his first two games as a Mustang, a total that is tied for the most in the nation.

GRIDIRON GRADS
The 2019 SMU roster opened the season with 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, Kevin Robledo, CJ Sanders, Delontae Scott and Brandon Stephens. Of the 20 remaining, SMU has nine graduate transfers. 

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, S, 2019
Jordan Wyatt, CB, 2018
Nick Horton, DE, 2016-17
Jeremiah Gaines, TE, 2015
Stephon Sanders, LB, 2012-14
Chris Banjo, DB, 2009-11

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
SMU welcomes 14 transfers, including seven graduate transfers, and five junior college transfers for the 2019 season. In total, the Mustangs have 60 new names on the roster this season.

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. 

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 COMMUNITY    
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.        

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 HILLTOP    
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. 

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 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 509 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.    

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.

#PONYUPDALLAS
The Mustangs wore Dallas-themed uniforms to symbolize the relationship between SMU and the city of Dallas in the win over North Texas on Sept. 7.

• The helmet decal featured the famous Triple D interlocked with the timeless SMU Pony, symbolizing the unity between the city of Dallas and SMU.
• The stripe on the helmet and jersey sleeves pay homage to the Dallas Cowboys.
• The number and pant stripe pay tribute to the 1966 Dallas Cowboys, led by quarterback and SMU alum Don Meredith.
• The script 'Dallas' featured on the chest pays homage to SMU alum and AFL founder Lamar Hunt and the Dallas Texans.