SMU Mustangs Play Exciting Game, Fall To TCU 56-37

I will say it right now. The Southern Methodist University Mustangs will go to a bowl game in Chad Morris' first season as coach.

How can I possibly say that about a 1-2 team that has lost by multiple touchdowns multiple times? Easy. If two of the top teams in the country struggle with Chad Morris' tempo offense this much, then the American Athletic Conference - as good as some of their teams have looked at times - is in for a rude awakening from the Mustangs.

Consider this: SMU has played three games thusfar, and two of them have come against teams ranked in the top five nationally. Despite this, they are now averaging 29.7 points and 440 yards per game. Sure, they've surrendered 561 yards and nearly 42 points per game in that process, but that's to be expected if you've spent even five seconds watching Baylor or TCU's offense.

The Horned Frogs led most of the game, and seemed to have things salted away halfway through the third quarter when they pushed out to a 42-17 lead, and then all of a sudden there were less than two minutes to go in the quarter and the Mustangs trailed only 42-31 with a first and 10 at the TCU 14-yard line.

That drive ultimately stalled out at the five yard line, as did the next one, and two field goals left SMu trailing 42-37. That would seem like an "okay we still have a chance at this" situation, but it still felt like not gaining the ten yards they needed to have a three-point lead would give the TCU offense the opening it needed to wake back up and salt away the game.

That's exactly what the Frogs did, as a couple more long passes put another touchdown on the board and put things out of reach.

Credit all around to SMU's offense, for sure. Matt Davis completed seven passes of 24 yards or longer. Davis now heads into a matchup with James Madison on a definite high. Courtland Sutton made TCU's defense look stupid repeatedly, and the Mustangs have now gotten what are by far their two hardest games out of the way, and have nearly 100 points to their name.

I assure you that James Madison, East Carolina, USF, Tulsa and Tulane all look very winnable now, which would get them to 6-6 and a bowl game for sure.

#PonyUpTempo indeed.