SMU at HOUSTON
Thursday, Oct. 8 • 8 p.m. • ESPN2
TDECU Stadium (40,000/Synthetic)
Houston, Texas
#SMUvsHOU



Television
ESPN2 - WATCH LIVE - LIVE STATS
Eamon McAnaney and Rocky Boiman

SMU Radio - KTCK-FM 96.7 (flagship)
Houston Radio - KPRC-AM 950 (flagship)

THE GAME
Thursday’s game will be the 31st meeting between The American’s two Texas-based institutions … Houston holds a 19-10-1 series lead after last year’s 35-9 win in Dallas … The Cougars have won eight of the last nine matchups … SMU’s last win in Houston was in 2005 … QB Greg Ward Jr. rushed for 93 yards and three TDs in Houston’s win last season.

SMU
1-4, 0-1 American

Head Coach
Chad Morris (Texas A&M ’92)
1-4, first season

NOTES
SMU fell to 1-4 after the Mustangs dropped a 49-23 decision to East Carolina Saturday … The Mustangs held a 23-7 lead in the second quarter, but saw the Pirates close the game with 42 unanswered points … Two of SMU’s losses are to teams ranked in the top three of this week’s Associated Press poll (No. 2 TCU and No. 3 Baylor) … QB Matt Davis has been the catalyst on offense … Davis is ranked fourth in the American Athletic Conference, and 19th nationally, in total offense, averaging 312.4 yards per game … Davis has rushed for 380 yards and six touchdowns and has completed 87 of 145 passes for 1,178 yards and eight TDs … Freshman WR Courtland Sutton has team highs with 21 receptions, 450 yards and five touchdown catches … RB Xavier Jones has rushed for 279 yards and four TDs … The defense is led by S Darrion Richardson, who has 29 tackles, an interception and four passes defended. … DE Justin Lawler has 2.5 sacks, while LB Jonathan Yenga has a team-high 30 tackles … The Mustangs lead The American with nine defensive interceptions … CB Horace Richardson and S Jordan Wyatt have two picks each.



rv/rv HOUSTON
4-0, 1-0 American

Head Coach
Tom Herman (Minnesota ’96)
4-0, first season

NOTES
Houston is off to a 4-0 start under first-year head coach Tom Herman … Houston is one of the 20 unbeaten teams nationally and one of four in The American … Herman is the second Houston coach in program history to begin his career with four wins (John Jenkins, 1990) … Herman and Florida’s Jim McElwain are the only new head coaches who remain undefeated … Houston received votes in both of this week’s major national polls … Houston ranks eighth nationally in rushing defense through three games (82.0 ypg) and is seventh nationally in rushing offense (305.8 ypg) … QB Greg Ward Jr. leads Houston in both passing and rushing and is fifth nationally in total offense (382.5 ypg) … Ward has completed 83 of 119 passes (69.7 percent) for 1,058 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception … He has rushed for 472 yards and seven TDs on 65 attempts … RB Kenneth Farrow has 385  rushing yards and has gone for 100 or more yards five times in his last seven games … WR Demarcus Ayers has a team-leading 32 receptions for 377 yards and three touchdowns … LB Steven Taylor has five sacks and eight tackles for loss, while S Adrian McDonald has two interceptions and a fumble recovery.