It’s easy to get caught up in the theatrics of a rivalry week in college football.
So easy, in fact, that SMU AD Rick Hart says he hasn’t even been able to think past the TCU week to SMU’s ACC opener against Florida State next week.
In front of a packed house against a heated rival — and one that’s calling off the rivalry in a year — there’s a lot of motivation for SMU to make a statement against TCU and bring the Iron Skillet back to Dallas.
But Saturday’s game has implications far more important than winning a rivalry game.
“It’s a big game because it’s the next game,” SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee said. “And it’s important to our fan base.”
SMU’s non-conference schedule comes to an end after its TCU matchup, and the outcome of the game is the difference between SMU going 2-2 and 3-1 heading into conference play. It’s the difference between SMU needing to win three games and four games to become bowl eligible, or the difference between the Mustangs needing to be at .500 or having some wiggle room in ACC play.
TCU will also be SMU’s most challenging opponent yet. The BYU game was its first step up against a power-conference team. SMU was able to compete, but also showed some areas in which it’s lacking.
Against TCU, SMU needs to show progress in a few key areas before its ACC schedule begins.
The biggest challenge will be containing TCU quarterback Josh Hoover, who’s off to a strong start this year.
The sophomore has thrown for over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns and no interceptions in three games this year, posing by far the biggest challenge that SMU’s defense — and secondary, in particular — has seen this year.
“We just welcome the challenge. I love the challenge. We’re going to have to have a good game for us to win,” safety Isaiah Nwokobia said. “He looks solid. He’s a good quarterback. We’re just going to have to be sound in our technique. It’s exciting to be able to play him because we know what he’s capable of.”
Nwokobia said the defense is prepared for an up-tempo offense that it hasn’t seen this year and one that has strong weapons on the outside. He expects the game to be played in open space, putting additional pressure on the defensive backs that haven’t been tested much early this season.
The challenge of TCU’s offense comes with the lack of turnovers it’s had, as Hoover has not yet thrown an interception and TCU has only fumbled twice in three games. The Mustang defense has thrived by taking the ball away three times in the last two games, so it’ll need to find a way to generate similar big plays against a more sound offense.
Possibly most importantly, Saturday provides SMU one final chance to build some offensive consistency before facing conference opponents from here on out.
The Mustangs have only played one complete offensive game and did so against Houston Christian. With Kevin Jennings now leading the offense at quarterback, SMU is hopeful that he’ll bring a spark, even against a skilled TCU defense.
“I think it’s definitely probably the best [defense] we played so far and probably gonna be one of the better ones we play this year,” Lashlee said.
SMU’s rivalry with TCU is an emotional one for many reasons, but the Mustangs will need to put that aside to iron out any remaining issues before their non-conference schedule is up.
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