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SMU snapped a two-game losing streak, defeating Tulsa University 27-13, on the road Saturday.
Filling in for injured sophomore quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, freshman quarterback Kyle Padron had his first collegiate start as he led the Mustangs to their third Conference USA win with 20 points in the second half.
The Golden Hurricanes’ loss to SMU put them at three straight losses, their longest winless streak since 2004.
SMU (4-4, 3-1) struggled in the opening minutes, losing two fumbles. An interception by senior linebacker, Chase Kennemer, changed the Mustangs’ momentum until SMU’s Shawnbrey McNeal fumbled again to give Tulsa (4-4, 2-2) the ball on their own nine-yard line.
In what turned into a battle between defenses, SMU was able to hold off Tulsa until midway through the second quarter when Charles Opeseyitan rushed 13 yards for a touchdown.
In the first half, SMU totaled 168 net yards compared to Tulsa’s 128-yard total. The Mustangs would go on to reach 429 total yards on offense while Tulsa would finish with 322.
Cole Beasley tied the score before the end of the half with a 49-yard touchdown reception. SMU then gained the lead with a 98-yard drive as McNeal caught a 36-yard touchdown reception to put the score at 14-7 in the third.
Tulsa’s second touchdown came in the fourth quarter when Jake Collums caught a 13-yard reception from Jacob Bower to put the score at 17-13 in favor of SMU.
Padron threw for 354 yards. His longest-a 61-yard pass to Emmanuel Sanders-put SMU at Tulsa’s 20-yard line, but two rushes by Zach Line and an incomplete pass to Sanders forced the Mustangs to kick.
Padron’s total yardage also puts him in first place in SMU history for most yards in a first start.
Matt Szymanski, SMU’s junior punter and kicker transfer from Texas A&M, had four punts over 50 yards. However, it was Tulsa who excelled in the kicking game, landing five punts inside the 20-yard line.
Szymanski also nailed 35 and 31-yard field goals to help lead the Mustangs to victory.
In the final minutes with SMU trying to close out the game, Sanders came up big on a third down covnersion, making a diving catch at the two-yard line, leading to a touchdown. Sanders totaled 104 receiving yards and six rushing yards, bringing his season average down to 88.4 yards per game.
Padron completed 20 of his 30 passes with zero interceptions or fumbles, but took four sacks from the Tulsa defense. The Southlake Carroll graduate improved from his performance against Houston in which he threw for 141 yards and one touchdown.
Margus Hunt had another big game for SMU, blocking a field goal in the third quarter and swatting away Kinne’s pass on fourth and 18, giving SMU the ball back on the SMU 44. In his first season playing football, Hunt has tied the SMU season record of most blocked kicks on the season.
SMU got the ball back with five minutes remaining, as freshman running back Zach Line ran a two-yard rush up the middle for the final score of the game.
The Mustangs will go after their fourth win in conference play this weekend as they host the winless Rice Owls for Homecoming. Kick-off for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Ford Stadium and will be broadcast on tape delay on Time Warner Cable Metro Sports.
