There were two SMU teams at Ford Stadium on Friday. The first one looked fantastic – it made the transition to an air raid offense look seamless. Men got open. Big plays were made. It had the Texas Tech defense on its heels. Then, there was the second team.
This team was sloppy. It had difficulty moving the ball. Its offense was nowhere to be seen. And it had Mustang fans bowing their heads in disappointment. This team was SMU in the red-zone.
Now, just to be clear, SMU wasn’t perfect outside of the red-zone, but there was a lot of good football to be seen in those 80 yards. In those final 20 yards, though, the Mustangs flat-out stunk.
In total, SMU made it into the red-zone five times Friday night. Of those five, only one was turned into a touchdown: a two-yard run by Prescott Line. That touchdown came with just over a minute left in play, and the game already out of reach.
The other four ended poorly: three field goals attempted, two made field goals, and Collin LaGasse being stopped at the one as time ran out.
Of course, SMU only ran 11 plays inside of the red-zone, not including field goals or penalties. The reason? SMU failed to get a first down one they got inside of the 20-yard line.
Four out of the five plays that led to SMU getting to the red-zone were impressive – the fifth was a result of Texas Tech penalties. Garrett Gilbert completed passes of 31 and 13 yards to Darius Joseph for two of the entries, a pass of 23 yards to Der’rikk Thompson for another, and a pass of 51 yards to Jeremy Johnson for the last.
From these plays we can somewhat conclude that SMU, when not threatened by the end zone, can do a solid job of beating the Red Raiders’s defense. However, once inside that intimidating 20-yard zone, the opposing team took over.
The reason for this was that SMU abandoned the offense that had gotten them into the red zone. Once there, the Mustangs only passed three times. Less than one per entry. Of those three, only one was completed for four yards. That was the final play of the game.
After a game filled with mostly passes, SMU, in head-scratching fashion, ran the ball six times. Twice as many runs as passes. Those six rushes went for a measly 14 yards. Did they forget about the impressive passes that had moved them into the red zone?
It is also worth noting that Gilbert was sacked twice. The offensive line wasn’t helping.
There was also a 10-yard holding penalty by Prescott Line that put SMU back at the 13-yard line. With the score 13-9, Tech leading, that was an inexcusable penalty. It led to a missed field goal and handed the Red Raiders the momentum.
The conclusion here is simple. If SMU wants to win games, they’re ability to execute in the red zone is priority number one. That second team can’t show its head. SMU showed a solid, if not good offense, but that offense has to be brought into the red zone. Quite frankly, Friday’s effort can’t be repeated.
