2002 SMU Football Season.
2002 (3-9)
In his head-coaching debut, Phil Bennett and the Mustangs faced a Navy team coming in with a 10-game losing streak and losing 20 of their last 21. (7-38)
Keylon Kincade carried the ball 37 times against Texas Tech, third most in team history, rushing for 160 yards and a touchdown. But it wasn’t enough against the Red Raider offense. (14-24)
The SMU offense couldn’t get going in Bennett’s first Battle of the Iron Skillet. Once again Kincade ran for over 100 yards and picked up the team’s only touchdown. SMU falls to 0-3. (6-17)
The Oklahoma State Cowboys “embarassed” Phil Bennett and the Mustangs in Stillwater, Okla. SMU was down 45-0 at halftime and couldn’t fight back from the big deficit. (16-52)
The first WAC game for Bennett went about as badly as the first four games had. Three third-quarter touchdowns for Hawaii sealed the game and the Mustangs would return home 0-5. (10-42)
The Mustangs took a 20-7 lead going into halftime, but it wasn’t enough to seal their first win of the season. Turnovers and an ineffective defense in the second half saw SMU lose again. (23-34)
SMU endured its seventh-straight loss of the season against Fresno State.
The 0-7 start was the worst for SMU since it went 0-5 to start the 1999 season. (7-30)
The Mustangs and Bennett finally picked up their first win of the season against Louisiana Tech. Under backup quarterback Richard Bartel, replacing then starter Tate Wallis, SMU won its first game of the season. Bartel took over the starting job after the game. (37-34)
The joy from the first win of the season didn’t last long as Rice got an early lead and held on. The bright spot in the game was when Kincade broke Eric Dickerson’s record for carries in a season. (15-27)
The Mustangs’ offense could never get anything going against Nevada.
A bad officiating call took a scoring chance away from the Mustangs, but it still would not have been enough. (6-24)
The Mustangs picked up their second win of the season and their first road win of the season in El Paso.
Cody Cardwell returned a punt 66 yards for the game-winning touchdown. (42-35)
A rough first season for Bennett ended on a high note for the Mustangs.
Wallis returned as quarterback when Bartel left with an injury and sparked the running game in the win. (24-22)
2003 (0-12)
After losing by only 10 points the season before, there were high hopes for the opener against Texas Tech.
The big loss would be the first in a long line of disapointments this season. (10-58)
The Mustangs’ offense couldn’t get going in Waco, and a missed field goal proved to be the difference.
After the Bears took a 10-7 lead, the Mustangs’ offense couldn’t come back. (7-10)
SMU’s home opener was as unsuccessful as the first two games on the road.
Facing their third straight Big XII opponent, the Mustangs were handed their third straight loss. (6-52)
Against the Wolfpack, the Mustangs’ defense did not allow a touchdown.
But the SMU offense couldn’t get much going and lost to Nevada to begin 0-1 in the WAC. (9-12)
The Mustangs had opportunities but were unable to turn them into points. A 55-yard pass to Kincade resulted in a fumble at the one-yard line. SMU also struggled defensively in the loss. (19-21)
Down 24-0 in the first half, the Mustangs were in a deficit they could not overcome.
The only offense SMU could muster were two third quarter touchdown passes from Bartel. (14-31)
The SMU defense gave up 560 passing yards to Boise State’s quarterback, including a 98-yard touchdown pass.
The Mustangs offense didn’t do much to help, getting only a field goal. (3-45)
The Mustangs were penalized 17 times for 119 yards in the loss to Tulsa.
Bennett’s attempt to jump- start the team with Chris Phillips at quarterback was unsuccessful. (16-35)
Bennett attempted to use a two-quarterback system against Fresno State.
The lack of offense stalled the Mustangs and sent SMU to its first 0-9 start in school history. (11-20)
The Bulldogs scored a touchdown on their first two drives of the game, and the Mustangs never had a chance. Phillips went 10-19 for 80 yards and two interceptions in his first full game. (6-41)
Once again the Mustangs got down early and were never able to make up ground.
The dual quarterback set of Phillips and Wallis wasn’t productive as SMU lost its 11th straight game. (20-41)
The Mustangs were in this game until the end but came up short.
The Mustangs finished the season 0-12, just the third winless season in SMU history, along with 1916 and 1960. (13-20)
2004 (3-8)
The Mustangs put up a strong fight against the Red Raiders. Bennett and Tech coach Mike Leach got in a mid-field argument at the end of the game. (13-27)
The shutout loss to rival TCU hurt more than losing the Iron Skillet.
Combined with the 12 losses from the 2003 season, the Mustangs set a school record: 14 straight losses. (0-44)
The Cowboys continued their recent dominance of the Mustangs.
SMU turned the ball over five times and the defense couldn’t stop the OSU offense. (7-59)
Maybe the biggest win in Bennett’s six years at SMU.
The win against San Jose State broke the 15-game losing streak. Students rushed the field and tore down the goal posts after the game. (20-38)
The Mustangs couldn’t keep the momentum going.
The Mustangs had an early 7-0 lead, but couldn’t keep up with the Broncos’ offense.
Once again the Mustangs got an early lead that they could not hold on to.
The SMU defense gave up 496 yards on the ground and four rushing touchdowns. (10-44)
SMU found itself out of the game early. Three first-half turnovers and giving up 38 points to the Bulldogs offense did not equal success for the Mustangs as SMU lost another one. (10-41)
Nothing seemed to go right for the Mustangs as they lost their fourth-straight game after breaking their 15-game losing streak. The SMU offense continued to be turnover prone. (0-42)
The SMU and Tulsa offenses battled throughout the game that couldn’t be decided in regulation.
It took overtime for the Mustangs to finish off the Golden Hurricane. (41-35)
The Mustangs were finally able to put together a streak to be proud of. After several long losing streaks, the win gave the Mustangs consecutive wins for the first time since the end of the 2002 season. (38-20)
The UTEP offense led by quarterback Jordan Palmer was just too much for the Mustangs to handle.
SMU got a 20-17 lead but then gave up 35 consecutive points. 927-57)
2005 (5-6)
The Mustangs had their best chance to win a home opener in the Bennett era.
Missed opportunities late in the game left the Mustangs just short of a win. 923-28)
The Mustangs were coming off a tough loss and TCU had just upset Oklahoma.
But the emergence of DeMyron Martin helped SMU shock TCU and take the Iron Skillet for the first time in six seasons. (21-10)
The Mustangs were quickly shot back to reality after the TCU win when they traveled to College Station.
Reggie McNeal set a school record with 449 total offense yards. (8-66)
After the disaster in New Orleans of Hurricane Katrina, SMU hosted the Tulane football team.
The Green Wave made themselves at home as they dominated SMU. (10-31)
A questionable call that reversed a Marshall fumble allowed the Thundering Herd to score the tying touchdown with under two minutes left. SMU ended up falling in overtime. (13-16)
The Mustangs made this game one to remember.
After allowing UAB to take the lead with 3:38 left in the game, Jared Romo threw up a hail mary as time expired. Bobby Chase caught it 31 yards away for the win. (28-27)
SMU’s defense couldn’t stop strong second and fourth quarters from ECU giving the Pirates the win. (17-24)
The Mustangs held close with the Golden Hurricane throughout the game.
But with 8:24 left, Tulsa’s Paul Smith threw his second touchdown pass of the game to get the win. (13-20)
The SMU offense rolled as the defense contained the Owl’s offense. Martin racked up 171 yards on 26 carries and a touchdown. (27-7)
The SMU defense held Houston’s Kevin Kolb in check through most of the game and two second-half touchdowns from Martin sealed the win for the Mustangs. (29-24)
The Mustangs completed the season with a three-game winning streak as they ruined UTEP’s hopes of playing for the C-USA title. SMU got the win on Romo’s arm and Chris McMurtray’s leg. (40-27)
2006 (6-6)
The inaugural game of the Justin Willis era came out flat as the Red Raiders offense looked impressive while SMU’s offense looked confused and overmatched. (3-35)
A first-quarter blocked punt gave North Texas all the momentum it would need.
The SMU offense once again faltered, managing only six points. (6-24)
The Mustangs’ offense looked much more comfortable at home in Ford Stadium.
Willis came into his own, throwing five touchdown passes in the game. (45-14)
The Mustangs played their second-straight strong offensive game.
The Mustangs’ defense looked good as well, allowing just a touchdown and a field goal. (55-9)
The Mustangs got their first conference win of the season on the road.
It took a kickoff returned for a touchdown by Jessie Henderson to seal the victory for SMU. (33-28)
With Willis suspended for the game, backup quarterback Corey Slater manned the offense.
The team was scoreless in the first half, but came out strong in the second half. (21-24)
Willis showed no sign of rust after missing a game.
He threw four touchdowns and the Mustangs got two big touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take the lead and the win. (31-21)
The Mustangs fought back from an early 14-0 deficit.
But SMU was not able to take the lead away from the Pirates as the Mustangs’ back-and-forth season continued with a 4-4 record. (21-38)
On Halloween night in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPN 2, the Mustangs put their best foot forward. A strong fourth quarter gave the win to the Mustangs. (22-9)
SMU and Houston went toe-to-toe the entire game.
After coming back from being down 14-0, SMU took a 24-14 lead, but saw that lead disappear. (27-37)
Once again the Mustangs had to fight from behind. A 24-7 halftime lead wasn’t enough for the Golden Hurricane. The Mustangs gained bowl eligibility with their sixth win. (34-24)
With its destiny in its hands, SMU struggled to finish off the Owls. A goal-line stop by the Rice defense allowed the Owls to come back and win, keeping SMU out of a bowl game for the 18th straight season since the Death Penalty. (27-31)
2007 (1-7)
Even with all the hype of the season, SMU came out flat in front of an ESPN crowd. An ominous start to the season. (9-49)
In a shootout that saw UNT’s quarterback throw for over 600 yards, the Mustangs were able to come out on top. (45-31)
The frustration for SMU on the road continued. SMU’s weaknesses on defense were once again exposed. (28-45)
The SMU defense finally stepped up, but it was the offense that faltered as SMU had to give away the Iron Skillet. (7-21)
The Mustangs blew two big leads in the game and eventually fell to the Miners in overtime. (45-48)
The back-and-forth productivity for the SMU offense reappeared as they could find the end zone only once. (7-28)
Tulane’s Matt Forte ran all over the SMU defense. An impressive comeback was all for naught as SMU fell in OT. (34-41)
Possibly the best defensive game played by SMU all season, but the offense couldn’t score when they needed to. (23-29)
Compiled by Mark Norris and Jordan Hofeditz
2004 SMU Football Season. Photo by John Schreiber, The Daily Campus.
2005 SMU Football Season. Photo by Christina Parrish, The Daily Campus.
2006 SMU Football Season. Photo by Christina Parrish, The Daily Campus.
