Brashard Smith rushed for 127 yards and three touchdowns and added a TD catch but it was SMU’s defense that made the difference in the Mustangs’ 66-42 victory over TCU on Saturday in Dallas.
The Mustangs (3-1) scored two defensive touchdowns and returned a punt for a touchdown while snapping a two-game losing streak to their Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex rivals. Kevin Jennings passed for 137 yards and two scores for SMU.
TCU coach Sonny Dykes, who coached SMU from 2017-2021, was absent. He was ejected with multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties after the opening third quarter, marking the first time since 2021 that a coach has been ejected. Dykes was upset after Jordyn Bailey’s 93-yard field goal was negated by a holding penalty.
TCU’s Josh Hoover threw for 381 yards and three TDs but also threw two interceptions and two fumbles. Jack Bech caught eight passes for 166 yards and two scores while Eric McAlister had six receptions for 114 yards and a TD for the Horned Frogs (2-2).
Collin Rogers had three field goals, SMU’s first and last points in the first half, on field goals of 51 and 49 yards, respectively, and a 45-yarder in the third quarter.
Brandon Crossley of the Mustangs recovered a Hoover fumble at midfield and ran 51 yards for a touchdown at the 7:02 mark of the first quarter. Later in the quarter, Roderick Daniels Jr. ran 69 yards untouched on a punt return for a score.
The Horned Frogs got back into the game with a Hoover 1-yard QB sneak for a score and a 7-yard run by Cam Cook, the latter with 11:24 to play in the second quarter. SMU answered with a 25-yard TD run by Smith, but TCU bounced back with a 19-yard pass from Hoover to McAlister.
The Mustangs took control of the game by scoring 17 points in the last 1:28 of the first half. First, Jordan Hudson caught a 10-yard touchdown from Jennings. Then Ahmad Moses caught a Hoover pass and turned it into a 60-yard pick six.
TCU got a 46-yard TD pass from Hoover to Bech after Dykes went out. Smith responded with a 24-yard scoring catch from Jennings and — after another Hoover fumble — a 1-TD burst.
Hoover connected with Bech for a 15-yard TD pass with 12:15 to play. Smith had a 1-yard touchdown run at 8:23 before TCU backup quarterback Ken Seals hit Bailey with a 6-yard pass to complete the scoring.
–Field Level Media