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PonyFans.com is proud to have, as a new columnist, Nate, who is 13 years old, in seventh 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 preview each game throughout the season, looking at a key player, matchup or statistic that could prove relevant in each upcoming game … and he'll go out on a limb and pick the score of each game. Feel free to post comments and constructive criticism, and to give suggestions for upcoming games!

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SMU heads on the road to Nippert Stadium to take on the 6-2 Cincinnati Bearcats this week at 11 a.m. Saturday (yeesh — I hate the 11 a.m. start). SMU is coming off a gritty 59-49 win over Temple two weeks ago and coming off a third bye.

Garrett Gilbert had the seventh-best statistical game of all time by a quarterback: 37-of-53, 538 passing yards, 10.2 yards per pass attempt, four passing touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 8 carries, 97 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns. Not surprisingly, Gilbert was quick to share the credit for his record performance.

SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert had one of the best games in NCAA history two weeks ago against Temple (photo by John Kleineberg).

“The most important thing is that we came back and got the win,” Gilbert said. “You can talk about stats all you want, but what matters is that we didn't quit, we fought back and got the win, and now we're 2-1 in conference (games).

“Our offensive line did a heck of a job all afternoon long — they made the adjustments they needed to make, which allowed me a chance to throw and allowed us a chance to run the ball. Those guys did a great job.

SMU also got huge games from receivers Keenan Holman, Der’Rikk Thompson and Darius Joseph, especially after Jeremy Johnson got hurt.

“It was tough to see Jeremy (Johnson) go down, but when he did, Keenan (Holman) and Der'Rikk (Thompson) and Darius (Joseph) stepped up, and that wasn't a surprise — that's the kind of players those guys are. They're playmakers, and they're smart players, and they really stepped up and did the job,” Gilbert said. “Keenan really had ‘that look’ in his eye, and I guess he got a little more vocal (after Johnson was injured). He does such a good job of communicating what he sees, what the defense is doing. He was seeing things really well.

“Der'Rikk (Thompson) did a great job in his first (full) game back (after missing several weeks with a foot injury). When I talk about all of the extra work the receivers put in over the offseason, he's one of those guys. After we work out, he'll be one of the guys who wants me to throw more passes so he can run more routes.”

The defense continues to be inconsistent, giving up 42 points per game, although against Temple, a handful of big plays — which have to be eliminated — inflated the numbers in an otherwise decent performance. Look for another shootout on Saturday against the Bearcats.

So … Cincinnati. This is the first time the Mustangs and Bearcats will meet. Both teams are streaking (SMU has won its last two games; Cincy is on a three-game winning streak). This game features SMU offense that is ranked fifth in the country against the seventh-ranked Cincinnati pass defense. Cincy has the No. 4 overall defense in the nation, only giving up 208 yards per game. Nippert Stadium is a tough place to play, as UC is 5-0 at home this year.

The Bearcats, led by new head coach Tommy Tuberville, who has gone 136-79 at Texas Tech, Auburn and Ole Miss in his career, are off to a great 6-2 start. The Cincinnati offense features quarterback Brendon Kay, who is red-hot with 1,131 passing yards and 10 touhdown passes in his last four games. Kay has good targets, such as Anthony McClung and Shaq Washington, who have combined for 69 receptions, 654 yards, and four touchdown receptions in the Bearcats’ last five games. The UC defense doesn’t give up much. The Bearcat defense is led by linebacker Greg Blair (51 tackles), Nick Temple (8 tackles for loss, 4 sacks) and Silverberry Mouhon (5.5 sacks).

KEYS FOR SMU

• Win the turnover battle. SMU is minus-7 in turnovers this year, after going plus-10 last season. Just goes to show how much the Mustangs miss Margus Hunt, Taylor Reed and Ja’Gared Davis.

• Score first: in their last 35 games, the Mustangs 18-1 when scoring first and 0-16 when the other team scores first.

• Defense has to get off the field. Time of possession is key this week, so Gilbert and the offense have to stay on the field. I feel the winner of this game will be the team that has the ball last.

• Get another big game from all of your receivers. Johnson and Joseph are tied for third in the nation at 9.1 catches a game, and all four starters have at least one 100-yard game.

• Start fast. The Ponies can’t be coming from behind every single week like they have.

This is a must-win for the Mustangs if they want to go to a bowl game, because if they lose, they have to go 3-1 the rest of the way with UConn, USF, UCF and Houston left on the schedule. I don’t see that at all — 2-2 in the last four is manageable, but 3-1 against those four seems unlikely. SMU obviously has been red-hot on the offensive side of the ball but has given up too many big plays on the defensive side of the ball. We’re in for an enormous shootout. I think SMU needs this game more than Cincinnati, and the players know that. This is a must-win and I think we’ll be talking Sunday about a .500 SMU team.

Nate’s take: SMU 44, Cincinnati 41