Friday, September 6, 2024 – 6 p.m. CT
[RV/RV] SMU (2-0, ACC) vs. BYU (1-0, Big 12)
Gerald J. Ford Stadium – Dallas, Texas
TV: ESPN 2
Radio: The Ticket - KTCK 96.7 FM/1310 AM | Streaming: SMU App (Google Play | Apple App Store)
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SETTING THE SCENE
• [RV/RV] SMU puts its nine-game home winning streak on the line in a nationally-televised showdown with BYU on Friday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2. 
• The Mustangs dismantled HCU in their home opener on August 31, 59-7, pushing their home-opener winning streak to six games.
• SMU continued its home winning streak, pushing it to nine straight games, the fourth longest streak in program history. 
• Brashard Smith continued his hot start on the year, recording his first career 100-yard rushing game with career-best 108 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. 
• The Mustangs continued to put up the points, scoring a season-best 59, the sixth time SMU has scored at least 50 points under head coach Rhett Lashlee. 
• Club Takeaway made its triumphant season debut, forcing three turnovers in the dominant win by the Mustangs. 

QUICK HITS
• The Mustangs currently have a nine-game home winning streak dating back to 2022, highlighted by an unbeaten mark (6-0) in 2023 at Ford Stadium.
• SMU is averaging 53.9 points per game during the home winning streak. 
• With the 59 points put up against HCU, the Mustangs have registered six games scoring at least 50 points under Lashlee (6-0). 
•The nine-game home winning streak is tied for fourth longest in program history and currently ranks tied for fifth longest active streak in all of college football. 
• The Mustangs have had at least seven receivers catch a pass in 19 straight games, dating back to at Tulane on Nov. 17, 2022. 
• Preston Stone improved his career record as a starter to 13-2 with the victory against the HCU.
• SMU received votes in both the AP and US LBM Coaches Preseason Polls, the fifth straight season receiving votes in the preseason Coaches Poll.  
• SMU had 20 players earn various accolades prior to the start of the season. 
• SMU pushed its winning streak to 16 games dating back to Oct. 14, 2022 when it scores 30 or more and is 18-1 overall under Lashlee when doing so. 

THE SERIES
• This is the fifth meeting in the series with SMU having never beaten BYU.
• The two teams last met on Dec. 17, 2022 in the New Mexico Bowl, a 24-23 win for BYU. 
• The Mustangs last hosted the Cougars on Sept. 27, 1997 at the Cotton Bowl, 19-16 OT victory for the Cougars. 

ABOUT THE COUGARS
• BYU is 1-0 on the season. 
• The Cougars knocked off Southern Illinois, 41-13, last Saturday.
• BYU has lost its last five road games dating back to last year. 

THE COACHES
• Rhett Lashlee is in his third season as the head coach at SMU and has a 20-9 career record. Lashlee, who served as offensive coordinator for the Mustangs for two seasons (2018-19), also served as the offensive coordinator at Miami in 2020 and 2021. A one-time finalist (2013) and two-time semifinalist (2019, 2020) for the Broyles Award, Lashlee has the distinction of being the only coach ever nominated for the Broyles Award four different times at four different schools (Arkansas State, Auburn, SMU, Miami).

• Lashlee was named a finalist last season for the prestigious Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award, handed out the nation's top coach as voted on by the National Sports Media Association, the Bryant Awards' Executive Leadership Team, and the Bryant Family. The Arkansas native was also named Co-Coach of the Year by the Dave Campbell's Texas Football publication, a finalist of the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, and a semi-finalist for Coach of the Year Award by the Maxwell Football Club for the job he did in 2023.

• Kalani Sitake is in his ninth year at BYU and 24th overall season as a coach in 2024. Sitake leads the program he once played for under legendary Hall of Fame coach LaVell Edwards. The first FBS head football coach of Tongan descent, Sitake has achieved a 62-41 overall record.

MUSTANG CAPTAINS
• Kevin Jennings, Jonathan McGill, Justin Osborne, Elijah Roberts, Preston Stone and Kobe Wilson were voted captains for the 2024 season. 

HOME SWEET HOME
• SMU is 25-4 at home since the start of the 2019 season, which included a 6-0 mark in 2023, a 5-1 record in 2021 and a 6-0 record in 2019.
• The Mustangs currently have a nine-game winning streak in Ford Stadium dating back to 2022, the fourth longest in program history and tied for the fifth longest in all of college football.
• SMU set a record for the largest regular season attendance in Ford Stadium at the Sept. 24, 2022 contest against TCU with 35,569 fans, including a record 4,590 students.

LONGEST HOME WINNING STREAKS IN PROGRAM HISTORY
18    Nov. 14, 1925 to Oct. 20, 1928
17     Sept, 22, 1934 to Oct. 17, 1936
10     Nov. 23, 19146 to Nov. 20, 1948
9     Nov. 5, 2022 to Present
8     Sept. 7, 2019 to Oct. 3, 2020

FIREWORKS IN FORD
• SMU has been explosive on offense in Ford Stadium in its last nine home games. 
• The Mustangs are averaging SMU is averaging 53.9 points per game during their nine-game home winning streak dating back to 2022.