Give credit where credit is due

[SMUstangs22]

The offensive line, who many including me worried about, performed well last night. I cant remember the last time we had a QB that had massive amounts of time in the pocket multiple times.

[CoxMustangFan]

Agreed, but many will remind us that TCU's defense is based on containment.

[mrydel]

If I had to name my biggest disappointment thus far this year, it would be lack of containment by the DL and LBs. Our secondary is weak but it is primarily due to talent level. The containment issue is brain level.

[Charleston Pony]

both OL & DL have been competitive but I agree our LBs and secondary have struggled

[SMUstangs22]

I was kind of talking about our offensive line. However I completely agree with Myrdel's comments about our DL

[SMUstangs22]

I thought coming into this season out offensive line was going to be a train wreck in which the cargo was dumpster fires. Proving me wrong

[San Antonio Mustang]

Have to agree the offensive line may be the biggest surprise this year. How to account for such a big turn around from last year. It is the same players as last year - players signed by the last staff. I think it has to be the new coaches.

[Pony Fan]

Have to agree the offensive line may be the biggest surprise this year. How to account for such a big turn around from last year. It is the same players as last year - players signed by the last staff. I think it has to be the new coaches.

Totally the coaching.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

Have to agree the offensive line may be the biggest surprise this year. How to account for such a big turn around from last year. It is the same players as last year - players signed by the last staff. I think it has to be the new coaches.

Totally the coaching.

Totally

[East Coast Mustang]

OL was amazing last night. Davis could've cooked dinner back in the pocket

[lwjr]

It is astonishing considering the team that walked off the field last December with a win at Uconn to the team last night is, for the most part, the same team.

[PoconoPony]

Our line backer have been largely invisible this year. Not sure why they are either not making plays and/or making the tackles 8-12 yards down field.

[PonyPride]

• The offensive line was terrific. Matt Davis was sacked three times, but at least one (maybe two) of those can be attributed to the fact that Davis held the ball for a while, looking for a receiver downfield to get open. Even more impressive is the fact that both Nick Natour and Braylon Hyder got significant time at left guard; coaches often talk about how the offensive line, as much as any position group, needs reps as a unit, so the players get used to the guys on either side of them. To rotate two guys who are brand new to the college game like that and not have an express lane to Davis up the middle of the line was impressive.

• Robert Seals played the best game of his SMU career. One sack, another tackle for loss and several other plays on which he disrupted the TCU blocking enough to force Boykin (or another ball carrier) into a teammate's arms for a tackle. Seals was sensational.

• DE Justin Lawler continues to look better each week, especially when he took an outside route to force TCU QB Trevor Boykin to step up in the pocket, and then spun back to the inside to make the sack.

• Ryheem Malone had more receiving yards (90) last night than he had in his SMU career before the game (he entered the game with seven catches for 44 yards this season, and had five catches for 37 yards last season). There were many who thought Malone's size (5-9, 182) would limit him to a career of screen passes and quick slants; against TCU, he averaged 30.0 yards on three receptions, and on the first one, he simply outjumped the Frog DB to make a first down on a high pass from Davis.

• LB Carlos Carroll had three tackles on kickoff coverage. Two of them were further upfield than the Mustangs would have liked, but he chased and made the plays.

• Becoming a fan of K Chad Hedlund, who not only hit three field goals and four extra points, but also bombed a bunch of kickoffs into the TCU band before the game. More importantly, his kickoffs were deep enough that he caused three touchbacks — no small detail when TCU had KaVontae Turpin back deep.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

• Becoming a fan of K Chad Hedlund, who not only hit three field goals and four extra points, but also bombed a bunch of kickoffs into the TCU band before the game. More importantly, his kickoffs were deep enough that he caused three touchbacks — no small detail when TCU had KaVontae Turpin back deep.

It has been a while since I have had any confidence we can make a FG. I actually have some now which is nice.

[gostangs]

It UT had Chad they would be 2-1 right now instead of 1-2