Run offense – C-

SMU turned to its passing game too early and stayed with it the entire game. James Mapps was the leading rusher for the Mustangs with only 34 yards on the day.

Pass offense – B+

Willis threw for a career-high 354 yards Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to give SMU the win. He threw three touchdown passes, including a pass to Zack Sledge to tie the game in the final minute and send it to overtime.

Run defense – F

“Atrocious” is how head coach Phil Bennett described the tackling by the SMU defense, and that description is definitely an understatement. Tulane running back Matt Forte ran for a Conference USA record 342 yards against the Mustangs.

Pass defense – C+

With the Green Wave riding their running game to a win, the passing game wasn’t a prominent part of the Tulane offense. However, the Green Wave did use the passing game effectively in short yardage situations.

Special Teams – A

Whatever Thomas Morstead did this week, it worked. He went two for two. The punt team perfectly executed a fake punt on the first drive of the game.

Coaches – B-

Plenty of things didn’t go SMU’s way against Tulane, but the coaching wasn’t one of the problems for the Mustangs. Yes, this game was another nail in Phil Bennett’s coffin, but there were no bad coaching decisions.

Overall – C-

It was another brutal loss for the Mustangs.