PonyFans.com is proud to welcome back, for his second season as a columnist, Nate, who is 14 years old, in eighth grade, might want to be a sports writer and knows more about football than a lot of people who already make their living covering sports. Nate will offer his thoughts and will preview each game throughout the season, looking at a key player, matchup or statistic that could prove relevant in each upcoming game … and explain why it will impact the outcome. Feel free to post comments and constructive criticism, ask him questions, and/or give suggestions for upcoming columns!

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This week, the 0-6 Mustangs move on to Memphis, and like in every other game this year, the Mustangs are large underdogs to the rising Tigers. In last week’s 41-3 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats, I liked the competitiveness of the Mustangs early on, but it is a four-quarter game, not a one-quarter game. Quarterback Garrett Krstich looked good, really, for the first couple of drives and led SMU to its lone scoring drive in the first quarter when he looked really solid in that drive. In order for SMU to win some games, the Mustangs have to string four good quarters together.

Nate said he has been particularly impressed with the way interim head coach Tom Mason has kept the Mustangs focused despite the rough first half of the season (photo by SMU athletics).

The Memphis Tigers come in with a record 3-3 and 1-1 in the American Athletic Conference. The Tigers have looked good on and off, their best game is arguably a 42-35 loss in the Rose Bowl to UCLA, and they also manhandled Cincinnati, 41-14 and competed for a good while (was 10-3 in the fourth quarter) in Oxford before falling to the Rebels, 24-3. So the Tigers are very battle-tested with games against two current top-15 teams in their rearview mirror.

Quarterback Paxton Lynch has come into his own since last year with about 1,400 passing yards and nine touchdowns. Memphis’s offense have been better than expected with running backs Doroland Dorceus and Sam Craft carrying the rock solidly with seven touchdowns between the two of them. Memphis features balanced speed, and makes up for a lack of stars with a bunch of average guys coming in their own at the same time. The Tigers remind me a lot of the 2009 Mustangs, who won their first bowl game in a quarter century. They have a handful of good weapons, and coming out all at the same time to have success in an unlikely season.

SMU interim coach Mason and Krstich seem very optimistic despite the disaster of a season so far. Mason liked what he saw from Kevin Pope as the senior moved back to linebacker. Krstich said he believes this team can still win six games. They both talked about how SMU has the “next man up” mentality because you never know when you’ll get an opportunity. I like this team. I really do. If they were healthy, they could do some really good things. One reason I think Mason is the next head coach is how he has kept his boys motivated through this buzzsaw of a season.

Some things to watch for Saturday:

• Memphis can run the ball. The Tigers average 195 yards per game on the ground. Look for SMU to pack it in with Darrian Wright, Zach Wood, Zelt Minor, etc.

• Look for another tough day for the Mustang offense as Memphis comes in with the 20th-ranked defense in the nation, only giving up 20 points a game.

• This will be a good test for Krstich against this solid defense.

Alright. It has been a rough year. Memphis has advantages in nearly every phase of this football game. SMU will be motivated, but will fall off, I say around the midway point of the second quarter, when I think Memphis should pull away. The Tigers seem motivated too and have competed against some big opponents. SMU will be officially eliminated from bowl eligibility on Saturday.

Nate’s Take: Memphis 30, SMU 6