The SMU Mustangs (4-3) closed out non-conference play with a heartbreaking 28-21 loss to the Navy Midshipmen (4-2) on Saturday afternoon.
SMU looked like they were going to breeze by Navy after taking a 14-0 halftime lead, but the second half was a completely different story.
“We didn’t play as well in the second half as we did in the first half,” SMU Head Coach June Jones said. “We did some good things and it’s just too bad.”
The Mustangs got on the board late in the first quarter when quarterback Kyle Padron found wide receiver Cole Beasley for a 5-yard touchdown.
Padron threw his second touchdown of the day to Darius Johnson early in the second quarter. The 4-yard score put the Mustangs up 14-0.
Navy had a chance to get on the scoreboard later on in the quarter, but kicker Joe Buckley missed a field goal from 39 yards out.
The Mustangs blew an opportunity to add to their lead just before intermission when the snap on a field goal attempt went astray.
“We didn’t want to take a chance of getting caught inbounds, and we wanted a field goal,” Padron said. “Unfortunately we just didn’t get it off.”
The Midshipmen opened up the second half with a 10-play 81-yard drive that was capped by 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ricky Dobbs to slot back Aaron Santiago.
“We knew they were going to come out with high intensity [in the second half] and we just didn’t execute,” SMU linebacker Taylor Reed said.
Navy added another score late in the third quarter when slot back Gee Gee Greene plunged into the end zone for the 1 yard touchdown.
The Midshipmen defense came up big when SMU got the ball back. Linebacker Jerry Hauburger knocked the ball out of Padron’s hands and defensive end Jabaree Tuani was there to recover the fumble.
Navy capitalized on the turnover as fullback Alexander Teich punched it from 2 yards out to give the Midshipmen their first lead of the game, 21-14.
Late in the fourth quarter, Padron engineered a 10-play scoring drive that included a 4th down conversion to Johnson and a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Aldrick Robinson that tied the game 21-21 with just over two minutes remaining in the game.
SMU got the ball back quickly and had an opportunity to drive down the field and win the game, but Padron was intercepted by Navy linebacker Tyler Simmons.
“You can’t have turnovers and stupid penalties at the end of the game,” Jones said.
Teich scored his second rushing touchdown of the day from 4 yards out, giving the Midshipmen a permanent 28-21 lead.
Padron finished the game with 254 yards passing and three touchdowns but surrendered two costly turnovers.
“I was too slow getting the ball out and I just have to get back to being quick on my feet and my release,” Padron said. “We just can’t make turnovers like that.”
Defensively the Mustangs were led by Reed who recorded 20 tackles including 12 solos.
“This wasn’t a conference game, but we definitely wanted to win this game,” Reed said. “All the coaching staff and all of the players around us wanted to win this game, and it just sucks that we lost.”
SMU will host Houston in a Conference-USA battle that is slated to begin at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday Oct. 23.
