As he walked out of the SMU Mustangs’ locker room in the Loyd All-Sports Center, junior cornerback Richard Crawford didn’t look like a guy who had just contributed two interceptions and six tackles (tying for the second-most among SMU defenders) in the Ponies’ 31-17 victory over Marshall, a win that made the Mustangs bowl-eligible for the second consecutive year.

Some teammates poured out of the locker room, congratulating each other on their win, while others remained in the locker room, watching other college games on TV or dancing to music, Crawford walked out of the locker room alone, and seemed genuinely surprised to be requested for an interview.

SMU cornerback Richard Crawford had six tackles and two interceptions in the 31-17 victory over Marshall (photo by David Mojica).

Asked about his performance, the first word Crawford used to describe it was “frustrated” — because he didn’t do even more.

“I was trying to be a little more aggressive, but I’m frustrated that I missed another pick that led to three points for (Marshall),” Crawford said. “You can put those three points on me.”

Crawford said the Mustangs’ more aggressive defensive approach was based on film study of Marshall quarterback Brian Anderson.

“He’s a really good quarterback, but we knew he wasn’t going to beat us by throwing more than 50 yards downfield,” Crawford said. “We knew he was going to do a lot of short and intermediate throws, and we thought we had a chance to be aggressive and make some plays.”

Crawford also has become an integral part of the Mustangs’ special teams, returning a pair of punts for 43 yards, including one he took back 35 yards.

“The coaches seem to have a lot of confidence in me, and that’s a big help to me,” Crawford said. “But I have a lot of confidence in the guys in front of me, too. I know I’m not getting any (return) yards without them.”

Crawford said he received an additional boost from fellow cornerback Sterling Moore — not only because Moore returned to the lineup from a knee injury, but because of the encouragement he received from his senior counterpart at the opposite cornerback spot.

“Sterling has been really helpful to me — he is a guy I look up to a lot,” Crawford said. “He tells me all the time, ‘you’re fast — they’re not going to beat you deep.’

“He was right.”