The Top 10 moments from SMU football’s season

[AfricanMustang]

SMU went 10-2 in a season to remember. There will be more to it. The Mustangs will find out its bowl destination on Sunday, and there will be an opportunity to make it an 11-win season.

But before any of that happens, let’s look back at the history that the Mustangs made in this regular season, looking back at the Top 10 moments from the last three months that will surely live on in SMU history.

10. C.J Sanders kickoff return vs. Arkansas State: ASU receiver Omar Bayless had just scored his third touchdown of the game on a 29-yard throw to give the Red Wolves a 23-16 lead midway through the second half. It was immediately erased on a 98-yard kickoff return from C.J. Sanders, who hadn’t even been listed first as returner on the depth chart to open the season. After initially getting flagged, officials rescinded the penalty and the touchdown stood. It was the first TD for Sanders since 2016, when he was at Notre Dame. It erased the only deficit that SMU would have until the sixth game of the season.

9. T.J. McDaniel makes collegiate debut with three touchdowns: McDaniel, a freshman RB, didn’t play in SMU’s first two games. The plan was to redshirt him this season so he would maintain the year of eligibility. Even when he entered the game vs. Texas State in Week 3, that remained the plan. But he went off, rushing for three touchdown and 159 yards. He had a 10-yard TD, a 39-yard TD and a 42-yard TD. His redshirt was eventually used, although he only took meaningful handoffs in five games this season.

8. Final defensive stand vs. TCU: SMU’s big lead at TCU had truly bent. What was a two TD advantage with less than 10 minutes to play had turned into a 41-38 score, and a flubbed snap to Shane Buechele had forced SMU to punt and give TCU with great field position and all the momentum. But the Horned Frogs’ offense got nothing going in that final drive. Richard McBryde had a huge tackle on third down and Patrick Nelson had a critical hurry on fourth down. SMU won vs. TCU for the first time since 2011 and took home the Iron Skillet.

7. Getting ranked for first time since before Death Penalty: SMU went to Tampa in Week 5 and raced out to a 41-0 lead against a USF team that has had a lot more talent and resources in recent history. It was a demolition on its home turf. Two weeks prior, SMU had received a joking Top 25 vote in the Coaches Poll, almost certainly from Gary Patterson. This time around, SMU awoke the next Sunday morning to find itself No. 24 in the AP Poll. It was the first time since October of 1986, before the Death Penalty punishment from the NCAA. The Mustangs stayed in the poll up until its loss at Navy.

6. 21-point 4th quarter comeback vs. Tulsa: SMU was playing, at the time, it’s worst game of the season. The Mustangs were averaging hardly over one yard per carry entering the fourth quarter, and had been stopped at the goal line three-straight times. But on the first play of the fourth quarter, Ke’Mon Freeman finally pushed in past the goal line on fourth down. SMU would convert on six straight fourth downs that quarter in a 43-37 Triple OT win with the nation watching. James Proche had the game-winning circus catch to walk it off and make SMU 6-0.

5. Reggie Roberson Jr. returns for career game vs. Temple: Roberson had exited that Tulsa game after getting clocked in the head. He went to the locker room, and missed more than a week of practice leading up to a huge game vs. Temple. But in that temple game, he proved immediately that he was fine. Within four minutes, he caught a 33-yard TD pass. He later caught a 75-yard TD pass and a 60-yard TD pass, and joked after the game about how the Owls used four cornerbacks on him. He won every one-on-one battle to finish with 250 yards receiving.

4. SMU-Memphis gets College GameDay: SMU-Memphis was the most hyped game in college football on Nov. 2. And with that in mind ESPN brought College GameDay to Beale Street. It was a celebration of Memphis, sure, but so much of the hype was surrounding a then-undefeated SMU team. There were signs blasting and praising SMU. They were playing a truly meaningful game, and it reflected in the way the whole city came out for that event. Tons of Mustangs fans made the trip as well, and it was an experience no one could have imagined two months prior.

3. Kylen Granson scores 3 TDs in shootout vs. ECU: Shane Buechele had his favorite targets all season long in guys like Roberson and Proche. But once Roberson was lost to a foot injury, he found another player that was able to step up. Granson is a tight end that basically plays with the speed and agility of a receiver and became a top target of Buechele’s. It was never more the case than in SMU’s 59-51 win over ECU, when the Rice transfer scored three touchdowns. SMU went 5-of-5 on fourth down that day. The best was on a 4th-and-20 attempt from the 31-yard line. Buechele went to Granson in traffic, and got in the end zone to spread the lead further.

2. Myron Gailliard honors grandfather with first TD of season: Gailliard had missed the last two games leading up to Senior Day vs. Tulane. He hadn’t gotten in the end zone all season. He’s mostly been a fourth or fifth option all season as other players have stepped up. But he made an incredible over-the-shoulder 30-yard catch, looking into the sun, to open up the scoring vs. Tulane. It was a fitting tribute to his grandfather, who had just passed away the week before. It was a meaningful moment on a meaningful day.

1. Senior class says goodbye: There were some emotional moments after SMU’s final home victory of the season. Proche staying out on the field long after the score went final. Xavier Jones admitting that he thought he might have made a bad choice in SMU amid a 2-10 freshman season. Rodney Clemons reflecting back on looking up all his future teammates during class in his senior year of high school. Now, they all got to say goodbye to their home field in a fitting way. A flip from that 2-10 season to a 10-2 campaign.

https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/smu-m ... ls-season/

[Charleston Pony]

Xavier Jones may have wondered if he had made a bad choice coming to SMU, but I wonder if it ever crossed his mind that his name would replace Eric Dickerson's as a record holder here?

[Dukie]

Good list but #6 should be much, much higher. That was an incredible fourth quarter, and without it, so much of this season's magic never happens.

[SMU#92]

Good list but #6 should be much, much higher. That was an incredible fourth quarter, and without it, so much of this season's magic never happens.

I agree.

[ojaipony]

Great list, thanks for sharing!

We still have one more game left. Gotta win it! Pony up.