Game Notes | Live Stats | Twitter Updates
SMU Athletics Mobile App
 
TV: ESPN | Channel Finder
Radio: The Ticket - KTCK 96.7 FM/1310 AM
Listen: SMU Mobile/The Varsity Network App | TuneIn App

Gameday Central
Tickets | Keys To Gameday

SETTING THE SCENE
•    No. 21/19 SMU hosts Tulane Thursday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.
•     The Mustangs are coming off a 31-24 win at Navy, their first in Annapolis since 1998. Tanner Mordecai threw for 324 yards and two TDs, while Reggie Roberson, Jr., caught five passes for 100 yards and a TD. Shaine Hailey (12 tackles), DeVere Levelston (11) and Mike Williams (10) led the Mustangs on defense, with Williams adding a pair of TFLs and a sack.
•     Tanner Mordecai was added to the midseason edition of the Maxwell Award Watch List, and Hayden Howerton was announced as one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award.
•     SMU is 6-0 to open the year for the second time in three seasons (2019, 10-3). The 5-0 starts were the first for the Mustangs since the 1981-83 seasons. With a win, SMU would have its best start since the 8-0 record to open the 2019.This is the third consecutive season the Mustangs are bowl eligible.
•     The Mustangs are up two spots in the AP poll to No. 21 this week, while climbing four spots in the Coaches Poll to No. 19.
•     SMU reached No. 16 in both the AP and Coaches Polls during the 2020 season, and was ranked as high as No. 15/14 in 2019. The Mustangs have been ranked or receiving votes in at least one poll dating back to week four of the 2019 season.
•     SMU is coming off a seven-win season in 2020 (7-3) and has won seven games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2011-12 seasons (10-3 in 2019).
•     The Mustangs returned 2020 Freshman All-American and AAC Rookie of the Year Ulysses Bentley IV, along with all-conference selections Hayden Howerton and Jaylon Thomas.
•     Sonny Dykes led SMU to 23 wins since the start of the 2019 season, the most for a team in Texas.

THE SERIES
This is the 28th all-time meeting between SMU and Tulane, with the Mustangs holding a 14-13 advantage. SMU has won six straight dating back to 2015, including a 37-34 overtime win in 2020. Outside of a 37-20 win for the Mustangs in 2019, the last five meetings have all been decided by four points or less.

ABOUT THE GREEN WAVE
Tulane enters Thursday's match-up 1-5 overall and 0-2 in AAC play after losses to ECU and Houston. The lone win of the season came over Morgan State on Sept. 11.

THE COACHES
•    Sonny Dykes is in his fourth season and is 28-14 as head coach of the Mustangs. He is just the fourth Mustang head coach to win 20 games in his first three seasons. Dykes has been a finalist for Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year and the Paul "Bear" Bryant Awards. The seven wins in 2020 were the first in back-to-back seasons since the 2011-12 seasons, and the bowl bid was the second in three seasons under Dykes. In 2019, Dykes led SMU to an historic season that saw the Mustangs go 10-3, winning the most games since 1984 and earning their highest national ranking (15/14) since 1985.

•    Willie Fritz has been at the helm of Tulane since 2016, and is coming off his third straight bowl appearance with the Green Wave, the first such stretch in program history.

LAST TIME VS. TULANE
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Crossley ended the first overtime possession with an interception and Chris Naggar made a 34-yard field goal to give No. 17 SMU a 37-34 victory over Tulane on Oct. 16, 2020.

Crossley intercepted Tulane freshman Michael Pratt's pass to put the Mustangs (5-0, 3-0 American Athletic) in position to win with the field goal.

SMU is 5-0 for the second straight season, a feat it last accomplished in 1983.

The Green Wave (2-3, 0-3) rallied to force overtime on Merek Glover's 27-yard field goal with 1:30 left.

After Tulane took a 31-27 lead early in the fourth quarter on Pratt's 7-yard touchdown, the Mustangs pulled ahead 34-31 lead on Shane Buechele's 10-yard pass to Danny Gray.

Buechele completed 23 of 37 passes for 384 yards and two touchdowns. He entered the game second nationally in passing yards.

Rashee Rice had seven receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown, and Gray added five catches for 133 yards and a touchdown and had a 32-yard scoring run. Ulysses Bentley ran for 94 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.

LAST TIME OUT
SMU erased a 14-point deficit (tied for the ninth largest comeback and scored 17 unanswered to outscore Navy 24-3 to close out the game and move to 2-0 in conference on Oct. 9. It was the first win in Annapolis since 1998.

The Mustangs thwarted a pair of fourth-down attempts with under five minutes left in the fourth, which included a breakup by Gary Wiley and a sack from Elijah Chatman and DeVere Levelston. Levelston (11), Shaine Hailey (12) and Mike Williams (10) had double-digit tackles in the win.

Tanner Mordecai went 30-40 for 324 yards and two TDs, one of which went to Reggie Roberson, Jr., who had 100 yards off five receptions. Jordan Kerley had the game-winning TD catch, a 22-yard pass from Mordecai, with 8:19 left in the game.

QUICK HITS
•     SMU is 23-6 since the start of 2019 and 12-1 at home in that span.
•     The Mustangs started the season 6-0 for the second time in three seasons (2019). After winning five games to open the season, SMU made it only the second time in history to have started 5-0 in three consecutive seasons (1981-83).
•     SMU is one of only 11 teams nationally that are undefeated through week seven and are bowl eligible for the third consecutive season.
•     SMU leads the nation with only one sack allowed (0.17) for 10 yards, and the 511.0 yards of total offense rank seventh.
•     Bryan Massey posted a 95-yard kickoff return for a TD at Navy, his first and the first for SMU since CJ Sanders did the same at Navy in 2019.
•     Shaine Hailey was selected to wear the No. 23 jersey in honor of Jerry LeVias in 2021.
•     Delano Robinson, Shaine Hailey, Reggie Roberson, Jr., Hayden Howerton, Trevor Denbow, Tanner Mordecai and Grant Calcaterra were selected as 2021 captains.

HOME SWEET HOME
SMU is 12-1 at home since the start of the 2019 season.

SMU was 3-1 at home in 2020 and announced sellouts of 7,898 in all four games. The loss to No. 9/10 Cincinnati snapped a streak of eight consecutive home wins at Ford Stadium (4th longest streak home winning streak in program history - 18, 1925-28; 17, 1934-36; 10, 1946-48; 8, 2019-20).

The Mustangs finished the 2019 season 6-0 at home, posting a perfect record at home for the first time since going 4-0 in 1968 when games were played at the Cotton Bowl. The Mustangs last went perfect on campus in 1939 when they were 5-0. SMU last won six games at home in 2017, finishing 6-1 overall.

TROPHY GETTERS
The Mustangs have a pair of trophies in the case already this season, winning both the Iron Skillet and Gansz Trophy rivalries. SMU defeated TCU 42-34 on Sept. 25 to retain the Iron Skillet for the second straight seasons, and defeated Navy 31-24 on Oct. 9 for its second consecutive in that match-up as well.

HOT START
SMU led or was tied after the first quarter in 22 of the past 28 games, and were also leading or tied at halftime in 22 of the past 28. The Mustangs opened the 2019 season 8-0 for the first time since 1982 and the current 6-0 start is the second in three seasons (2019 - finished 10-3).

MAKING OUR POINT
SMU scored 50+ points three times in 2020 (65 at UNT, 50 vs. SFA, 51 vs. Navy) and opened the 2021 season with 56 against ACU. The only other time SMU had three games of 50+ in a season was 1928.

The Mustangs allowed only 21 points over the first two games of 2021, the fewest to open the season since 1996 and the fewest in consecutive games since 2011. They are currently second in The American in scoring offense at 40.7.

1996 
8/31 Tulsa W 17-10
9/7 at Arkansas W 23-10
2011 
9/17 Northwestern State W 40-7
9/24 at Memphis W 42-0

SMU SEASON SCORING AVERAGE
1    2019    41.8
---    2021    40.7
2    2020    38.6
3    2017    37.8
4    1981    33.2
5    2012    30.5
6    2018    30.4

STREAKING
The Mustangs have started 6-0 for the second time in three seasons (8-0, 2019), while the 5-0 start reached against USF gave SMU its third consecutive season of starting 5-0 for only the second time in program history (1981-83). SMU is also 2-0 to open AAC play for the third straight season.  

On the road, SMU is at least 3-0 for the third straight season (4-0 in 2019, 4-0 in 2020).

The win over TCU on Sept. 25 brought the regular-season, non-conference win streak to 12 straight, the most since a streak of 17 from 1979-85. SMU has also won six straight regular-season, non-conference road games. The Mustangs' eight-game win streak to start the 2019 season was the longest since SMU won 10 straight in 1982. 

WATCH US
The 11 Mustangs on 17 National Awards Watch Lists give the program five straight seasons where SMU is represented on 10+ lists.
Ulysses Bentley IV | Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award, CFPA, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award
Grant Calcaterra | Mackey Award, Reese's Senior Bowl
Danny Gray | Paul Hornung Award, Reese's Senior Bowl
Shaine Hailey | AFCA Good Works Team, Wuerffel Trophy
Brendan Hall | Ray Guy Award Watch List
Hayden Howerton | William V. Campbell Trophy, Senior CLASS Award
Blake Mazza | Lou Groza Award
Tanner Mordecai | Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award
Rashee Rice | Biletnikoff Award
Reggie Roberson, Jr. | Maxwell Award, Biletnikoff Award, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, Reese's Senior Bowl, Mayo Comeback Player of the Year
Jaylon Thomas | Outland Trophy, Reese's Senior Bowl

WHAT A RUSH
SMU set the single-season rushing touchdown record in 2019 with 35 and finished with 24 (10 games) in 2020. 

The Mustangs posted 350 yards at TCU, the most since 366 yards at North Texas in 2020. The game was also the last time SMU had more rushing than passing yards as well. Ulysses Bentley IV (153) and Tre Siggers (110) gave the Mustangs two 100-yard rushers for the first time since the 2020 meeting with SFA.

After a Freshman All-America season, Bentley IV again leads the Mustangs in rushing in 2021. Against UNT, Bentley IV posted the seventh longest run in program history with an 85-yard TD. It was the longest for a Mustangs since a 96-yard TD run by Kris Briggs vs. Tulsa in 2002. He currently has 55 carries for 405 yards and two TDs.

LET'S GET EXPLOSIVE
How SMU ranks among the nation in explosive plays:

Yards	No. of Plays	Yards	No. of Plays
20+	34 (T40)	60+	4 (T13)
30+	14 (T53)	70+	1 (T35)
40+	9 (T31)	80+	1 (T5)
50+	5 (T27)

500 CLUB
SMU registered 500 yards of total offense in six of 10 games in 2020 and 15 of the past 29. The Mustangs are averaging 511.0 yards of total offense in 2021, first in the AAC and seventh nationally.

2021
TCU - 595 (245 passing, 350 rushing)
La Tech - 578 yards (395 passing, 183 rushing)
UNT - 536 yards (311 passing, 225 rushing)

2020
Temple - 549 yards (355 passing, 194 rushing)
Navy - 555 yards (300 passing, 255 rushing)
Tulane - 581 yards (439 passing, 142 rushing)
No. 25/24 Memphis - 549 yards (474 passing, 75 rushing)
North Texas - 710 yards (344 passing, 366 rushing) Second most in a game at SMU
Texas State - 544 yards (367 passing, 177 rushing)

Seven of the top 10 totals on the single-game list have come under Sonny Dykes.

THE BOYS ARE BACK
The Mustangs returned all five offensive linemen who started at least nine games each in 2020. Jaylon Thomas, Hayden Howerton, Alan Ali, Justin Osborne and Beau Morris currently have a combined 158 career starts. Howerton alone has 47 starts, the most for an active Mustang. Ten Mustang offensive linemen have started at least one FBS game, including Branson Hickman who made his first start at center against Navy.

The offensive line tops the FBS allowing one sack through six games, and lead the conference in first down offense (159), total offense (511.0) and passing offense (315.8) and are second in scoring offense (40.7).

SMU finished the 2020 season ranked ninth nationally in red zone offense (.920), 12th in total offense (494.5) 13th in passing offense (318.0) and 15th in scoring offense (38.6). They were also in the top 15 in three of the four categories in 2019, after not cracking the top 25 on any of the lists in 2018.

ON THE RECEIVING END
The Mustangs opened 2021 with 12 receivers catching a pass against ACU, the first time with 10+ receivers since the 2020 meeting with UNT, and four different players caught TD passes. Against Louisiana Tech, SMU had 11, the second game with 10+ on the season. 

SMU is the only school in The American to have had five players with 100-yard receiving performances in 2020, including three current Mustangs. 

Rashee Rice
139 at Tulane (Oct 16, 2020)
102 at North Texas (Sept. 19, 2020)
101 at Texas State (Sept. 05, 2020)

Reggie Roberson, Jr.
243 vs Memphis (Oct. 03, 2020)
103 at North Texas (Sept. 19, 2020)

Danny Gray
133 at Tulane (Oct. 16, 2020)

Kylen Granson
149 at Temple (Nov 07, 2020).

Tyler Page
131 at Temple (Nov. 07, 2020)
101 at Tulane (Oct. 16, 2020)

SMU had multiple 100-yard receivers three times in 2020.
at Temple (Tyler Page, Kylen Granson)
at North Texas (Rashee Rice, Reggie Roberson, Jr.)
at Tulane (Rashee Rice, Tyler Page, Danny Gray)

CLUB TAKEAWAY
The Mustangs had four (3 INT, 1 FR) takeaways in the season-opening win over ACU, and went on to post a pair against UNT (2 INT). SMU had a streak of seven straight games with a takeaway heading into the game at Navy, 16 of the past 18 and 36 of the past 40. In all, SMU has nine in 2021 (6 INT, 3 FR).

The four total against ACU were the most since Oct. 2, 2020 against Memphis and the three INTs were the most since Oct. 5, 2019 against Tulsa. SMU had six games in 2020 with multiple takeaways.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
•     Shaine Hailey (12), DeVere Levelston (11) and Mike Williams (10) all posted career-highs in tackles in the win over Navy. 

•     The Mustangs thwarted a pair of fourth-down attempts with under five minutes left in the fourth, which included a breakup by Gary Wiley and a sack from Elijah Chatman and DeVere Levelston. Levelston (11), Shaine Hailey (12) and Mike Williams (10) had double-digit tackles in the win.

•     The defense held Navy to 241 total yards (177 rushing) after the Midshipmen registered 406 (348 rushing) in the previous game vs. UCF.

@T_MORDECAI
Tanner Mordecai is tied for the national lead in passing TDs (26) and is second in points responsible for (162), while his 175.5 passer rating is sixth. The 26 TDs are tied for fourth in a season at SMU and are 10 more than any other player in The American.

He has at least four TDs and has passed for 300+ yards in five of six games this season, and the seven TDs against ACU broke the SMU single-game record. He has multiple TDs in every game.

Mordecai earned back-to-back AAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after wins at La. Tech and against UNT, and was added to the mid-season Maxwell Award Watch List.

@THEKINGREGGIE
Reggie Roberson, Jr., returned for the 2021 season after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the Oct. 3, 2020 game against Memphis. He opened 2021 on Watch Lists for the Maxwell Award, Biletnikoff Award, Reese's Senior Bowl and the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and was named a Mayo Comeback Player of the Year candidate. He was also ranked No. 79 on ESPN's list of top 100 players heading into 2021.

Roberson, Jr., caught the game-winning TD, his first of the season, at La. Tech, and had TD catches against TCU and USF to bring his TD streak to three consecutive games.

He is 27-365 in 2021 with four TDs, including one in each of the last four games. His 28 straight games with a reception rank T10th in the NCAA. Roberson, Jr., also has 10 career 100+ yard games, which is second in The American.

Roberson, Jr., started all four games he played in last season before suffering a season-ending injury. He registered 22 catches for 474 yards and team-leading five receiving touchdowns. In the game against No. 25 Memphis, he had a season-high 243 receiving yards off five receptions with two TDs.

@RICERASHEE11
Rashee Rice tipped the ball to Reggie Roberson, Jr., for a TD on the final play in the win over La. Tech (9/18). He caught four passes for 73 yards with a pair of TDs. The two receiving TDs were a career high and gave him his second career multi-TD game. 

He is second on the team with 375 receiving yards off 30 catches, and his six TDs are second on the team. The game at Navy ended a five-game active streak for TD catches for Rice. 

Rice has caught 100% of his targets in four of six games this season and is catching passes at an 86% rate.

@BENTLEYDOO
Ulysses Bentley IV registered his sixth career 100-yard game after going 20-153 and a TD against TCU. He had 186 all-purpose yards (13 receiving, 20 kickoff) to give him his third straight, and seventh career, game with 100+. It tied for the fifth best rushing performance fro a Mustang against TCU. Bentley IV did not play against USF.

Ulysses Bentley IV was named an FWAA Freshman All-American, Co-Rookie of the Year in The American and to the conference first team in 2020. He opens 2021 on the Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award, CFPA Award and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch Lists.

Bentley IV went 10-141 rushing against UNT, posting the seventh longest run play in program history with an 85-yard TD. His 14.1 yards per carry ranked third overall at SMU (minimum 10), and gave him two of the top-10 performances in program history. 

He registered 100+ all-purpose yards against La. Tech with 153 (61 rushing, 11 receiving, 81 KO returns). The return yardage featured a career-long 72-yard return.

He did not play in SMU's win over USF with an ankle injury, and was limited at Navy.

@GCALCATERRA
Grant Calcaterra has three TDs off 19 receptions and 234 yards in 2021. In the week three win over La. Tech, Calcaterra had a career-high seven receptions for 103 yards.

In his return to football after a previous retirement, Calcaterra started the year on Mackey Award, Reese's Senior Bowl and College Gridiron Showcase Watch Lists, and was mentioned on the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Big Board. 

@DGRAY_5
Danny Gray previously had a TD catch in each game this season after leading the Mustangs with a pair off a career-high seven receptions for 74 yards against USF.

At TCU, Gray posted his second career 100+ game with 130 yards off four receptions. His 68-yard TD catch was a career long.

Gray posted a pair of multi-TD games (rush, reception) in 2020 and had a receiving touchdown in four straight games from UNT (9/19) - Tulane (10/16). He added 43 yards off kick returns for 208 all-purpose yards. He opened the season on Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List.

@XRICHMANEX BACK FOR MOORE
Linebacker Richard Moore opened his seventh year of eligibility with five tackles, including two for loss and a sack against ACU. He currently has 17 tackles, including three for loss and a sack.

After starting his career at Texas A&M (2015-16), Moore served a year in residence on the Hilltop in 2017. He earned AAC honorable mention accolades in 2018 after starting all 12 games and leading the team with 92 tackles (56 solo).

In 2019, Moore started SMU's first three games before a season ending injury. He registered 15 tackles (8 solo), including a half sack. Moore saw action in the game at ECU in 2020.

He is one of 21 student-athletes who have been on an FBS roster for seven seasons.

@JAYLONTHOMAS10
For the second consecutive season, Jaylon Thomas is listed on the Outland Trophy Watch List, honoring the nation's top interior lineman. He started all nine games played at left tackle in 2020. Following the season, he was selected to the American Athletic Conference second team. He is the first Mustang to make two appearances on the Outland Trophy Watch List and is also on the Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List.

@BLAKEMAZZA
Blake Mazza is on the Lou Groza Watch List to open the 2021 season and is 28-30 on PATs and 5-6 on field goals.

One of 20 previous semifinalists for the award on the 2021 list, Mazza was a finalist in 2019 and was on the list in 2020. He was also an All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection and a Second-Team All-Pac-12 honoree by the Associated Press in 2020 and a conference first-team selection in 2019.

TRIBUTE 23
Since 2009, the SMU coaching staff has chosen a deserving student-athlete to wear the number 23 to honor Jerry LeVias. Shaine Hailey has been awarded the honor for the 2021 season.

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.

Players To Wear #23
Shaine Hailey, LB, 2021
Brandon Stephens, DB, 2020
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

@SHAINE_HAILEY
Shaine Hailey is the Mustangs' nominee for the AFCA Good Works Team and is on the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List for 2021. 

Hailey leads the team with 37 tackles, including three for loss, and his pair of forced fumbles is also a team best.

Hailey serves as the Chair of Community Outreach and Donor Relations for The Detente Collective, an organization that seeks to foster the intellectual, educational, and personal growth of students through community outreach focusing on education, homelessness, domestic violence victim support and women's issues. He is also the co-leader of the Feeding Homeless Initiative for the organization.

Hailey graduated from SMU with a degree in economics with financial applications and is working toward his masters in management.

ON THE FIELD, IN THE CLASSROOM, IN THE COMMUNITY
Hayden Howerton was selected as the Mustangs' nominee for the William V. Campbell Trophy and is one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award.

The Campbell Trophy recognizes candidates who must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. 

He has played in 53 games on the Hilltop, one off the SMU career games played record of 54. He has 47 straight starts, which ranks seventh in the FBS.

Howerton started all 10 games at left guard in 2020 and helped the Mustangs to national rankings of ninth (1st AAC) in red zone offense (.920), 13th in passing offense (318.0) and 15th in scoring offense (38.6).

A team captain and part of the leadership council, Howerton has volunteered with youth clinics, taken part in local hospital visits, participated in an initiative to help feed the homeless, elementary school reading programs, served as a homeless shelter volunteer, assisted in turning over cots and passing out blankets during winter months and served as an elementary school reading tutor.

Howerton has an undergraduate degree from SMU in Applied Physiology and Sport Management with a Concentration in Sport Performance Leadership. He is working on his Masters in Management. 

#PONYUPDALLAS
SMU has added blue Dallas-themed jerseys to its rotation in 2021, which highlight some of the same features as the white jerseys, which debuted in 2019.

The Mustangs defeated UNT, 35-12, in the Sept. 11 debut and wore them in the 42-34 win over TCU on Sept. 25.

• The helmet decal features 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.

SEEING RED
The Mustangs finished the 2020 season 46-50 (92%; 32 TDs, 14 FGs) in the red zone. SMU was perfect seven times (8-8 at UNT, 6-6 vs. SFA, 5-5 at Tulane, 6-6 vs. Navy, 3-3 at Temple, 3-3 at Tulsa, 5-5 at ECU) after going perfect three times in 2019 (at USF, 5-5; at Memphis, 5-5; ECU 4-4). The 8-8 at North Texas was the most since going 7-7 at UConn in 2018. 

FOR THE RECORD
In 2019, SMU broke program records for scoring average (41.8), scoring (544), rushing TDs (35), total offense (489.8), yards (6,368), first downs (322), kick return average (26.2 and sacks (51.0). The Mustangs went on to top the total offense record (494.5) in 2020, and also set marks for completion percentage (65.4) and yards per play (6.57).

MUSTANGS IN THE CLASSROOM
SMU had 47 student-athletes named to the AAC All-Academic team following the 2020-21 season. To be eligible for the honor, a nominee must have competed in an AAC-sponsored sport, attained a minimum grade-point average of 3.00 for the preceding academic year, and completed a minimum of two consecutive semesters or three consecutive quarters of academic work, with a total of 18 semester or 27 quarter credits, not including remedial courses.

GRIDIRON GRADS
2021 opened with 25 student-athletes on the roster who have already earned an undergraduate degree - Alan Ali, Cobe Bryant, Grant Calcaterra, Turner Coxe, Trevor Denbow, Shaine Hailey, Charles Headen III, Hayden Howerton, Ar'mani Johnson, Will Jones, Harrison Loveless, Spencer Luce, Blake Mazza, Tommy McIntyre, Richard Moore, Beau Morris, Toby Ndukwe, Jacob Oehrlein, Ben Redding, Christopher Reese, Delano Robinson, Tre Siggers, Isaac Slade-Matautia, Kadarius Smith and Mike Williams.


WELCOME TO THE HILLTOP
The Mustangs welcomed a pair of coaches to the staff in 2021, including defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt and defensive line coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe.

With over 40 years of coaching experience at the NCAA and professional levels, Leavitt joins the Mustangs from FAU, where he most recently served in the same position since December 2019. He also had stops at Florida State, Oregon and Colorado, where he was named a finalist for the Broyles Award, honoring the nation's top assistant coach, and was the FootballScoop Defensive Coordinator of the Year. He was hired as USF's first head coach in 1996. He spent 2011-14 in the NFL as linebackers coach with the San Francisco 49ers.

Uzo-Diribe comes to the Hilltop after two seasons at Kansas, and previously spent three seasons at Colorado, including 2016 with Leavitt. He earned a spot on 247Sports' most recent 30-Under-30 list.

SAME NAMES, NEW LOOK
Three of the Mustangs' 10 assistant coaches have been elevated from their previous positions. Ra'Shaad Samples now serves as assistant head coach and running backs coach, while Stefan McClure was elevated to cornerbacks coach and Kenny Perry serves as Special Teams Coordinator. McClure was previously a defensive graduate assistant and Perry was a special teams quality control analyst.

@RASHAADSAMPLES
Assistant head coach and running backs coach Ra'Shaad Samples was named to Dave Campbell's 40 Under 40 from the state of Texas and the 247Sports 30Under30.

Samples helped Ulysses Bentley IV to FWAA Freshman All-America honors (the first Mustang in history) and AAC Rookie of the Year honors in 2020. The redshirt freshman was also a member of the Doak Walker and CFPA Award Watch Lists. Samples also developed Burlsworth Trophy nominee Tyler Lavine, a walk-on who had a career season as a redshirt-sophomore in 2020.
The Mustangs' 2021 recruiting class is the highest-ranked in program history and features the highest signee for SMU. It also boasts the highest average recruiting rating in the American Athletic Conference and is better than 16 Power 5 programs.

Samples finished as the No. 1 recruiter in the conference (247sports), after the December Signing Day period, landing him as a top-30 recruiter in the country among the Power 5 and Group of 5. Among Group of 5 schools, Samples was the nation's top recruiter.

@STEFANMCCLURE21
McClure was one of two SMU coaches named to the 247Sports 30Under30 list. In 2020, McClure helped mentor Brandon Crossley to a national ranking of eighth in interceptions with four, including one for a touchdown at Tulsa, one in overtime against Tulane and one in the end zone against Memphis. Brandon Stephens registered a team-high 11 passes defended, which led the American Athletic Conference. He went on to earn an invite to the 2021 NFL Combine and NFLPA Bowl and was selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.

BOLD  - BIG OPPORTUNITIES LIVE IN DALLAS
As part of its goal of Shaping Champions and preparing students for life, SMU Athletics proudly announced the addition of its BOLD (Big Opportunities Live in Dallas) Program to its suite of student-athlete development tools, with the goal of helping student-athletes navigate and capitalize on new Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) legislation.

BOLD will, among other things, provide SMU student-athletes with the means to navigate the evolving NIL landscape. The BOLD program incorporates INFLCR, a comprehensive NIL education and compliance solution, and campus resources from the Cox School of Business, the Dedman School of Law, and the Meadows School of the Arts.

While the acronym BOLD emphasizes SMU's ties to the City of Dallas, the word is also important in its ties to SMU and the University's Brand Promise, which states, "For the bold, curious, and creative, SMU is the comprehensive research university whose enterprising spirit in a vibrant community empowers leaders to tackle grand challenges."

SMU IN TIMES SQUARE
The week of Aug. 9, the Mustangs made their presence known in Times Square with a series of billboards featuring SMU's Born & Raised campaign, the BOLD Program and 2021 Watch List selections. 


FAST LAYNE    
Paul Layne holds an unrivaled Mustang record, having attended every SMU game for the last 45-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. In 2020, Layne received a special invitation from Tulane to attend SMU's 37-34 overtime win, since Yulman Stadium was closed to spectators. 

Starting when Layne attended SMU and was a team cheerleader, he's attended 536 straight games. His 500th was SMU's 63-27 victory over HBU on Sept. 29, 2018. 

IT'S ALWAYS SONNY ON THE HILLTOP    
The fourth season of It's Always Sonny on the Hilltop with Head Coach Sonny Dykes begins Monday, Aug. 30 at Ozona Grill and Bar, and will run throughout the 2021 campaign.
 
There will be food and drink specials, trivia and prizes on site each week. Ozona Grill and Bar is located at 4615 Greenville Ave., just a short distance from the SMU campus.

Fans can also catch LIVE video on the SMU Mustangs Facebook page, or listen on SMUMustangs.com and on TuneIn. Tweet your questions for Coach Dykes using the hashtag #AlwaysSonny, or by clicking the "Ask The Coach" button on SMUMustangs.com.

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), Navy (2018) and Texas State (2019). Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson performed the coin toss in SMU's 2021 season opener against ACU.