After playing what he called “the worst game of my life” Sunday, SMU quarterback Kyle Padron said Tuesday that his health is fine and he plans a much better performance Saturday when the Mustangs welcome Conference USA rival UAB To Gerald J. Ford Stadium for the 2010 home opener.

Padron completed 21-of-38 passes against the Red Raiders for 218 yards, and added three interceptions and a pair of touchdowns. He took a hit to his ribs “late in the first quarter or early in the second — I forget which,” but said the blow didn’t affect his performance. Of more concern was the hit to his right (throwing) hand in the fourth quarter, which he said was “either on a helmet or someone’s forearm.”

Kyle Padron said he needs to "refine his technique" and pledged to deliver a much sharper performance Saturday against UAB (photo by Travis Johnston).

“It hurt, but it didn’t feel like it did when I broke my hand in high school or anything,” Padron said. (While a senior at Carroll High School in Southlake, Padron broke the third metacarpal bone in his right hand, ending his season early.) “Some balls just got away from me, or I didn’t put enough air under them. That’s fixable.”

While frustrated with his own performance in Lubbock, Padron said he came out of Sunday’s 35-27 loss encouraged by his team’s performance after the Mustangs rallied from a 28-7 deficit in the third quarter to have a chance to drive for the tying score in the game’s waning minutes.

“I wasn’t encouraged by my performance, but I was extremely encouraged by my teammates’ performance,” Padron said. “They — especially the defense — put us in a position to have a chance. That’s a tough offense to stop, and they have some great athletes over there. I thought our defense did a great job.”

Tuesday’s practice was held in steady — sometimes heavy — rain, and Padron took part in all drills. He said his hand feels better, and that his hand strength did not decrease from the hit at the end of the game.

Throughout preseason camp, coaches and teammates raved about Padron’s accuracy, but it eluded him Sunday. The proper response, he said, is to refocus and outwork the opposition before Saturday’s game with UAB.

“That was the worst game I’ve ever played,” he said. “It’s not like me to play that way, and it’s frustrating. My teammates deserved a better performance. But I’m going to be the hardest-working guy out here on the practice room, in the film room and in the weight room, and I’m going to earn back their respect.”

It’s highly unlikely that Padron has lost the respect of anyone on the team, but the fact that he wants to “earn back” the respect of his teammates doesn’t surprise the one player who knows him better than any other. Wide receiver Ryan Walker, who was Padron’s teammate at Carroll High School and is his roommate at SMU, said that Padron’s reaction to his performance is exactly the reason he has been as successful as he has.

“Kyle is frustrated,” Walker said, “because he’s a perfectionist. He’s definitely not afraid of hard work. He was frustrated after the game, but I told him he’s allowed to throw three picks, and he got them out of his system. Now we have 13 more games to play.”

Padron said he already has addressed how to get his accuracy back, and as unpleasant as the feeling was after Sunday’s loss was, he doesn’t want to forget it completely.

“My placement of the football Sunday was horrible,” he said. “I have to refine my technique, which I can do, but I also need to keep this game in the back of my head. I need to remember the crappy feeling from Sunday.

“I don’t know how to apologize to my teammates for the position I put the team in Sunday, but I’m 100 percent sure I won’t do that again Saturday.”