Linebacker Wilton McCray chases down North Texas quarterback Daniel Meager before delivering a hit that would knock Meager’s helmet off.
The Mustangs’ defense did not break Saturday night against North Texas. It bent a lot, but did not break. SMU gave up 601 passing yards in its 45-31 win over the Mean Green, but kept them out of the end zone when they had to.
“Right now our situation on defense is not about yards, it’s about finding a way to win,” head coach Phil Bennett said.
The game was in doubt until two SMU touchdowns within a minute of each other late in the fourth quarter. A 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Justin Willis to receiver Zack Sledge put SMU up by 7. Bryce Hudman intercepted the ball forty seconds later and ran it back 49 yards to push the lead to 14.
The Mustangs came out flat on offense and defense to start the game. And that put SMU down early as UNT put together two over 70-yard drives and took an early 14-3 lead.
SMU finally found a rhythm in the second quarter and got back in front thanks to two long drives of its own. The most crucial play of the game was the final game of the first half.
With no time remaining the Mustangs had the ball on the one-yard line down by four. There were three possible outcomes of the play, no points, three points or seven points. Bennett took a gamble and won.
“I had a guy upstairs who said, ‘we’ve got to go for three,’ I said ‘we are going for the touchdown,’ three points were going to put us behind and I want to be ahead at halftime,” Bennett said.
In the huddle Bennett said that DeMyron Martin asked for the ball, and he got it. A one-yard run from Martin gave the Mustangs the lead for the first time in the game.
The Mustangs kept the momentum going to start the second half.
Receiving the ball to start the half, SMU started from the 29-yard line and drove down the field for another touchdown. It took the Mustangs just four plays and a minute and a half to drive 71 yards and take a 10-point lead.
But North Texas didn’t go away. The Mean Green scored twice to open the fourth quarter and tie the game with just under nine minutes left and momentum.
On SMU’s first drive following UNT’s tying touchdown Martin fumbled the ball and North Texas had a chance to take the lead.
But on just the second play of the drive Mean Green quarterback Daniel Meager was intercepted by Bryan McCann, and the Mustangs took little time regaining the lead.
“We kept answering, that’s what we have to do all season,” Willis said.
And the Mustangs did answer. UNT only scored back-to-back points once the entire game, and after two SMU turnovers, the Mustangs defense got the ball back.
The Mustangs will get more time to rest and prepare for their next opponent, Arkansas State, a team that has shown improvement since last year’s 55-9 beating. That will take place in Jonesboro next Saturday at 6 p.m.
