Saturday, September 20, 2025 – 11 a.m. CT
[RV/RV] SMU (2-1, ACC) vs. TCU (2-0, Big 12)
Gerald J. Ford Stadium – Dallas, Texas
TV: ESPN 2
Radio: The Ticket - KTCK 96.7 FM/1310 AM | Sirius XM 382
Streaming: SMU App (Google Play | Apple App Store)
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SMU Notes | TCU Notes | ACC Notes
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SETTING THE SCENE
• The Mustangs hit the road to face TCU in the 104th edition of the Battle for the Iron Skillet on Saturday.
• SMU is coming off 28-10 victory at Missouri State on Sept. 13.
• TJ Harden continued his hot start to the year, finishing with 96 rushing yards and two touchdowns, upping his season total to five.
• Yamir Knight enjoyed his best game yet as a Mustang, recording a season-best 107 all-purpose yards in the win.
• The Mustangs finished with 448 yards of total offense, the third straight game this season with over 400.
• SMU's defense continued to thrive in creating turnovers, recording three interceptions in the win.
• The Mustangs racked up a season-best five sacks against the Bears.
• SMU held Missouri State to 0-for-12 on third down.
QUICK HITS
• SMU has won its last 10 regular-season road contests dating back to 2023.
• The Mustangs have been explosive this year, recording six offensive scoring drives in 2025 that have resulted in touchdowns in under two minutes.
• The SMU defense has been opportunistic to start 2025, ranking first in FBS in defensive touchdowns (2), first in turnovers gained (8), sixth in passes intercepted (5), eighth in fumbles recovered (3), 12th in red zone defense (.667) and 16th in sacks (9).
• Jennings has gotten off to a strong start, ranking in the top four in the ACC in passing efficiency (3rd, 165.9), passing yards (4th, 836) and passing yards per game (4th, 278.7).
• Harden has found his groove in his first season as a Mustang, ranking in the top 10 in the FBS in rushing touchdowns (6th, 5) and total touchdowns (7th, 5) while averaging 84.3 rushing yards per game on 6.0 yards per carry.
• Brinson currently ranks in the top 10 in the country in receiving yards (7th, 314), and receiving yards per game (9th, 104.7), both also lead the ACC.
• SMU's 56 wins in the last six years are the most by any FBS Texas team. In addition, the Mustangs have won 25 of those on the road, tops for any team in the state since 2019.
• The Mustangs are 22-5 in their last 27 games, and 21-2 in their last 23 regular-season contests.
• SMU has posted a record of 27-3 during Lashlee's four seasons in charge when they score 30-or-more points in a game.
• The Mustangs have had at least seven receivers catch a pass in 31 of the past 34 games.
• Rhett Lashlee boasts a 21-3 conference record in his career. His 21-3 record in his first 24 league games on the Hilltop is the best in SMU history.
• SMU entered the year ranked 16th in both the US LBM Coaches and Associated Press Preseason Polls, its highest preseason rank since 1985.
• Isaiah Nwokobia has been recognized as one of the premier safeties in the country heading into 2025, being named preseason All-America by multiple publications (Athlon Sports, Phil Steele, Sporting News and Walter Camp).
• Nwokobia has also appeared on numerous watch lists including the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, Bronco Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl.
• Kevin Jennings looks to build on his breakout campaign last year, being selected to several premier watch lists that include the Maxwell Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Davey O'Brien Award, Manning Award, East-West Shrine Bowl and the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.
THE SERIES
• This is the 104th meeting between SMU and TCU, dating all the way back to their first game in 1915.
• The two teams last met on Sept. 21, 2024, when SMU claimed a 66-42 victory over TCU, the highest scoring game in series history.
ABOUT THE HORNED FROGS
• TCU finished the 2024 season with a 9-4 record, posting a 6-3 mark in conference play.
• The Horned Frogs have gone 2-0 in 2025, defeating North Carolina, 48-14, on the road and Abilene Christian, 42-21, at home this past weekend.
THE COACHES
• Rhett Lashlee is in his fourth season as the head coach at SMU and has a 31-13 career record, with 29 wins the second most for a head coach in his first three years in program history. 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 Coach of the Year by Dave Campbell's Texas Football publication, a finalist of the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, and a semi-finalist for the George Munger National Coach of the Year.
• Sonny Dykes is in his fourth season at TCU and has a record 29-13 with the program and a 100-76 overall career record.
THE IRON SKILLET
During the post-World War II college football boom, the SMU and TCU student bodies created a traveling trophy called the Iron Skillet that was presented to the winner of the annual football game between the archrivals. The tradition eventually died, and the skillet was lost.
In 1993, however, the tradition was revived as the president of the SMU student body painted the face of the TCU student body president red and blue following the Mustangs' 21-15 victory in Fort Worth. The engraved skillet is presented to the winning team after each game.
I WANNA GO FAST
• The Mustangs have proven this year to score quickly when they have the ball on offense.
• SMU has already recorded six offensive scoring drives in 2025 that have resulted in touchdowns in under two minutes.
• The Mustangs have recorded at least two scoring drives in each game that are two minutes or less.
CLUB TAKEAWAY
• Club Takeaway was back and open for business again in 2025.
• SMU has forced a turnover in 24 of the past 27 games.
• The Mustangs have forced multiple turnovers in three straight games to start the season.
