SMU defenders Derrius Bell (12), Anthony Sowe (42), Justin Smart (40), and Tyler Jones (41) combine to stop a Texas State Cougar on September 6, 2008. (Stuart Palley)

While Saturday night’s 43-7 loss to Texas Tech exposed the weaknesses of the young SMU football team, the defense showed some improvement from its performances against Rice and Texas State.

Against Texas Tech, the Mustang defense was able to get off of the field and force punts. In the game against Texas State, the Mustangs never forced the Bobcats to punt.

Against a tougher offense, the Mustangs forced two punts and five attempted field goals, three of which were missed by the Red Raiders. Many of the tough defensive stands took place in the first quarter when SMU still had a chance to put up a fight.

Another area that showed some improvement on the defensive side was the opponent’s third down conversion rate. The Red Raiders converted on seven of their 14 third down opportunities. Against Rice and Texas State combined, the Mustangs allowed the opponent to convert on over 70 percent of its attempts.

Even though there was some improvement in the Mustangs’ defensive effort, the numbers Texas Tech put on the board were staggering. The Red Raiders passed for over 500 yards on their way to 693 yards of total offense and 43 points.

The numbers are incredible, but the defensive performance against Texas Tech has to be taken in context. The Red Raiders have one of the best offenses statistically in the country. Texas Tech almost always puts up big yardage numbers, irrespective of its opponent.

Furthermore, in the run and shoot system, the defense does not have to control the game. The defense can usually afford to give up some points as long as it comes up with key stops and turnovers throughout the game. In a sense, the defense can be successful as long as they come up with the big play.

This was true against Texas State. The defense did not shut down the Cougars. However, it came up with five turnovers that helped SMU win what turned out to be a close game.

The offense also helped the defense by not committing any turnovers. The offense was far from perfect against the Cougars, but its failed possessions ended with punts that left the defensive unit with either good or manageable field position.

Saturday night, the exact opposite happened. The offense committed five turnovers and often left the defense in bad field position.

The defense was able to hold the Red Raiders to only three points off the first two interceptions. This was a bright spot early in the game. But as time wore on, scoring for Texas Tech became easier as the Mustangs consistently lost the field position battle due to turnovers and stagnation on offense.

Another bright spot came early in the game from defensive end Youri Yenga. Yenga forced a fumble when he sacked Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell at the start of the second quarter. Texas Tech offensive lineman often outweighed Yenga by 100 pounds. That did not stop Yenga from creating some pressure on the quarterback and raising his team-leading sack total to 2.5.

In spite of the high scoring games thus far, the SMU defense is showing signs of improvement. Another test is fast approaching for the Mustangs with their rival, the TCU Horned Frogs traveling to SMU this Saturday. The Horned Frogs are currently ranked in the top-30 nationally.