Boston College vs SMU: Mustangs Team Preview
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Happy Red Bandana Game in November to all. The Pony Express rides up north looking to avenge their last trip up during the Fenway Bowl two seasons ago. SMU is having another solid season after making the College Football Playoff in their first ACC season. Sitting at 6-3 and 4-1 in conference, the Mustangs are riding high having beating then #18 Miami last weekend – making up for a poor lost at Wake only putting up 12 points.
SMU beat BC 38-28 last season in Grayson James’s first start after the Castellanos crash out. The Eagles took the lead early in the second half, but the Mustangs stopped BC on downs and put up a score to put the game out of reach. Lost in the “What’s up, Trevor” discourse is that there has been a bit of bad blood between the programs, despite O’Brien forgetting his own comments about them after that game. Ahead of this week’s game, an SMU group even put up an advertisement on Quincy Market of all places. BC has played a bit better these past two weeks, coinciding with some improving injury luck. It’s the second to last game of the season, let’s see what fight BC has left.
Offense
SMU’s offense has been mostly consistent, putting up points and averaging 30.8 per game while racking up nearly 3,500 yards of total offense. Their passing attack has averaged 277 yards per contest, making it one of the most consistently productive aerial units in the ACC (just ahead of BC in total yards). Kevin Jennings remains the trigger man for Rhett Lashlee’s offense. Jennings has 18 passing touchdowns to eight interceptions, while adding two more scores on the ground.
Wide receivers Romello Brinson and Jordan (not JordOn) Hudson lead the way with three scores apiece and 1,000 yards combined. Hudson torched Miami for 11 catches and 136 yards last week. Tight ends RJ Maryland and Matthew Hibner are also strong weapons.
The ground game is more lacking, with just under 1,000 yards (117th nationally) on the season. TJ Harden leads with 483 yards and six touchdowns, while Chris Johnson Jr. (yes, that Chris Johnson) offers a change of pace with his blistering speed and has about 500 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns.
Defense
This year’s Mustang defense is defined by aggression, discipline, and ball-hawking tendencies. SMU allows just 21.2 points per game (37th nationally) and gives up only 2.94 yards per opponent rush attempt. Terry Webb is the big presence inside and has 5.5 sacks, while Isaiah Smith off the edge has been a monster with 12 tackles for loss to lead the team. Overall, SMU has generated great pressure with 25 sacks (16th in the country).
Turnovers have been the big win for SMU, racking up 14 interceptions (returning three for touchdowns) and forcing eight fumbles, recovering six. Defensive end Cam Robertson leads with two forced fumbles. Leading the way snagging interceptions is Ahmaad Moses, the ball-hawking safety with five picks; corner Jaelyn Davis-Robinson has two more. The entire secondary has gotten involved and is holding quarterbacks to a 57.8% completion rate. They pressure, they force errors, and they rarely give up the big play twice.
All in all, this is a strong opponent with a potent passing offense and a defense predicated on turnovers. Special teams might be a weakness, with eight missed field goals and two missed extra points. Nevertheless, BC will need to take care of the ball and can’t afford to let an already poor rushing offense get shut down.
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