Nate says one of the keys Saturday will be whether defensive end Dimarya Mixon and the rest of the SMU defensive front are able to contain a talented group of North Texas running backs (photo by Max Franklin).

Feel free to post comments and constructive criticism, ask him questions, and/or give suggestions for upcoming columns! (He can be followed on Twitter at @Pony_NATE_tion.)

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The Mustangs are coming off a resounding 58-14 win over Stephen F. Austin. The offense looked dynamic and was very productive. Questions still remain about the quarterback position, and the quarterback switching seemed odd. But the usual suspects were making plays, like Courtland Sutton, who hauled in a touchdown. Trey Quinn had 53 receiving yards and a touchdown on which the SFA defense was guilty of putrid tackling, but still, he shed four defenders, finishing with a great stiff-arm. Even freshman Brandon Benson hauled in a 72-yard bomb from Rafe Peavey to reach the end zone on his first college reception. The running back committee of Braeden West, Ke’Mon Freeman and Xavier Jones looked great, combining for 30 carries and 188 yards, with Freeman finding the end zone. West and Freeman looked explosive, but Jones only averaged 3.9 yards per carry and understandably looked a little bit timid in his first action since last year’s injuries.

Defensively, Jordan Wyatt was all over the field, making play after play, and (this was the first time I’ve ever seen a defensive player do this) scored two touchdowns, one on a long pick-six on which he dodged a handful of Lumberjacks and received some great blocking, the other coming on a big sack in the end zone that knocked the ball free, at which point Wyatt recovered his own forced fumble in the end zone. The defense looked dominant, but let’s wait for bigger tests to come for this supposedly great unit.

As for the quarterback controversy, everyone is still left with nagging questions and concerns. As seen in the Notre Dame quarterback controversy of 2016 with Deshone Kizer and Malik Zaire, rotating quarterbacks can be disruptive and can kill offensive rhythm. Rotating those two proved problematic for the Irish last season, and they eventually stuck with Kizer. The same situation applies to SMU. Rotating two, let alone three, would be an issue. What might make things work is a choice between Hicks and Peavey, and bring D.J. Gillins on rushing downs, like what Texas did last year with Tyrone Swoopes on running downs and Shane Buechele on passing downs. Hicks and Peavey bring similar skill sets to the table, and that makes it hard to rotate the two. But a change-of-pace guy like Gillins can be utilized effectively. Gillins’ arm did not look great, and he made a questionable decision or two, but he ran for 34 yards and two touchdowns. Hicks, unfortunately, did not look a whole lot better than 2016 Ben Hicks. He made some very iffy decisions, putting the ball in harm’s way, and completed less than 50 percent of his passes. Peavey didn’t get nearly as many snaps, but made them count, completing all three of his passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, the 72-yard strike to Benson. Personally, I think Peavey should and will end up being the guy, and Gillins will be a mobile complement to Peavey or Hicks. Obviously, this was a small sample size from Peavey, but a very impressive one.

Moving on to the upcoming clash with North Texas, the Mustangs will try to build on a solid week one and improve to 2-0 against their cross-town rivals. Last year, SMU defeated the Mean Green at Apogee Stadium, 34-21. Notably from that game, Courtland Sutton had 162 yards and three touchdowns, tearing apart the UNT secondary.

But this year, Head Coach Seth Littrell is looking to build on a successful first year just as Chad Morris has been building on the solid foundation that has been laid at SMU. The Mean Green laid waste to FCS opponent Lamar (side note: former SMU quarterback Darrel Colbert Jr. was Lamar’s signal caller) Saturday, 59-14, an eerily similar score to the 58-14 drubbing SMU put on SFA.

The UNT offense looked very sharp, especially on the ground. Jeffrey Wilson ran for 176 yards and three touchdowns, Nic Smith and 101 yards, and Evan Johnson came up two yards short of giving UNT three players who rushed for at least 100 yards each. Quarterback Mason Fine completed more than 70 percent of his passes for three touchdowns. Fine is supported by a couple nice outside threats in Michael Lawrence and Jalen Guyton. One key for SMU will be the Mustangs’ front seven controlling the line of scrimmage and containing UNT’s explosive running backs. That likely will be the area where the game is won and lost: in the trenches. SMU needs huge games out of Justin Lawler, Dimarya Mixon, Kyran Mitchell and the rest of the front-line defenders. Van Malone will need to put pressure on Fine to force errant throws to the ball-hawking SMU secondary, a secondary that will capitalize on any mistake.

Offensively, SMU will look to tear apart the UNT defense that has definitely improved since the 2016 domination SMU put on it. The Mustangs averaged 5.9 yards per carry as Xavier Jones had a huge game, going for 115 yards and a touchdown. Look for Gillins to have an impact on the ground game, as Matt Davis nearly ran for 100 yards in last year’s matchup. But more importantly, the SMU receivers terrorized the UNT secondary, led by Sutton, who averaged a mere 40 yards per catch.

SMU has more playmakers, has more depth, and has more experienced coaching. SMU is further along in the rebuilding process than North Texas, and SMU is looking more and more ready to take the next step as a program. After an impressive first week, the Mustangs will look to continue to build and ace their first test of the year in a Div. I opponent who will be motivated to take down a hated rival. Gerald J. Ford will be a fun atmosphere as the Dentonites surely will make their way down to Dallas for a big rivalry game like this. Both sides will be motivated but SMU is more talented and deeper. The Mustangs will continue their rise and take down North Texas, making a statement for the next, bigger cross-town rival that awaits next week.

Nate’s Take: SMU 41 UNT 20