SMU quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell throws under pressure from Rice defensive lineman Chris Plaszek. In his first collegiate game, Mitchell completed 25 of 43 passes for 244 yards. (Lindsey Perkins)

In his first collegiate start, SMU quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell took the Mustangs into the end zone twice in the first two series. But he only had one more scoring drive the rest of the game.

Mitchell finished the game completing 25 of 43 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns, but he also threw three interceptions and fumbled the ball once.

“He did some good things, but he had some unfortunate things happen too,” head coach June Jones said. “The ball slipped out of his hand one time and he got hit one time, but he’ll get better.”

And he will continue to start, Jones confirmed after the game.

“He’ll look at tape and get better,” Jones said. “But I like his confidence and he threw some nice passes, we’ve just got to be better around him while he’s still learning.”

In college football, where there is no preseason, that learning must happen fast, and Mitchell knows it.

“I think there were just some points where I blocked out my mechanics and what I was supposed to do and kind of tried to do my own thing,” Mitchell said. “And you can’t be doing that in college and I learned that tonight.”

It was Mitchell’s fumble at the end of the first quarter that allowed Rice to score on just one play to take a 14-13 lead as the quarter ended. From there things started to unravel as the Mustangs had to punt on their final three possessions of the half giving the Owls a 28-13 halftime lead.

“We started off really good, I think the fumble got in my head and I can’t let that happen,” Mitchell said. “It was a great learning point, we’re going to watch the film and fix everything we did wrong tonight, I think we’ll be fine next week.”

The Mustangs would open the second half with a three-play, 23-yard drive that concluded with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell to Aldrick Robinson, but would not score again until two minutes left in the game with back-up Logan Turner at quarterback.

Mitchell will get his first chance at the home crowd at Ford Stadium on Saturday night.

“It’s all about learning from your mistakes,” Mitchell said. “It’s ignorant to sit there and go out there and make the same mistakes, so we’re not going to do that.”

SMU takes on Texas State Saturday at 7 p.m.