SMU finished its 2002 campaign winning three of its last five games. The Mustangs beat the Tulsa Golden Hurricane 24-21 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium Saturday, wrapping up the season, albeit disappointing.
Senior tailback Kris Briggs finished his SMU career with the best performance he’s ever had, carrying the ball 20 times for 196 yards and two touchdowns.
Quarterback Richard Bartel went down after the third play. A strained shoulder kept Bartel from continuing, putting quarterback Tate Wallis and SMU’s running game in position to dictate the game.
“After Bartel went out, we knew we would see more options,” Tulsa head coach Keith Burns said.
The change of player’s due to injury was a scary irony. Wallis was scheduled to be a vital part of the offensive attack coming into the contest.
“We went into the game planning to play Tate because of all the blitzing they [Tulsa] do,” head coach Phil Bennett said. “He hadn’t really played since the San Jose State game and he’s been on a bum ankle. He really gave us a spark when we needed it today.”
Wallis completed 10 of 20 passes for 88 yards and ran for 50 more. Briggs and junior tailback Keylon Kincade shredded Tulsa’s suspect defense for 339 yards and three touchdowns.
Briggs shot down the left side of the field for SMU’s first score, tying the score at 7-7 with 3:48 left in the first half. His 96-yard scamper is the longest run in school history and ties for the longest play in school history.
“Once I got past the line of scrimmage, I saw a lot of room and I said, ‘I’m going to take it to the end zone,'” Briggs said.
Chris McMurtray’s field goal with 25 seconds left in the half put SMU up 10-7, a lead that SMU would not relinquish.
Briggs and Kincade each ran for touchdowns in the third and fourth quarter, respectively. SMU built its lead up to 24-7 before Tulsa would put a genuine scare into the Mustangs.
Tulsa scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. SMU was facing another dangerous situation with a slim three-point lead and more than four minutes left to play. Fortunately, SMU stayed in the saddle, holding on for a 24-21 win, burying Tulsa at the bottom of the WAC.
“We make it interesting, don’t we,” Bennett said.
Briggs’ game placed him ninth on the school’s all-time rushing list, passing up SMU legend Doak Walker and Kyle Rote. Briggs’ rushed for 2,106 yards in his time on the Hilltop.
“I didn’t have the career I expected coming in,” Briggs said. “I had yet to have a game of over 150 yards, and it was important to do well for the people who have supported me.”
Briggs is in the second Mustang to place himself in the school record books this season. Kincade totaled 327 carries, the most in school history, and had the third most productive season for in terms of rushing with 1,297 yards. When Briggs wasn’t powering down the sideline, Kincade found the time to carry the ball 18 ties for 105 yards and a touchdown.
When SMU fell behind in the second quarter, Briggs, a senior, put it upon himself to make sure that SMU finished strong and give the returning players something to build on next season.
“I knew somebody was going to have to make a big play,” Briggs said. “I said it might as well be me.”
Bennett raved about his experience in his first year at SMU and how the seniors on the team have impacted the season.
“I’m really proud of [Briggs]. Not just for what he did today, but for what he did in his career here at SMU,” Bennett said. “It was fun today to see people like Kris and [senior tight end] John Hampton and [senior wide receiver] Johnnie Freeman, guys that have really put a lot into this program, have success.”
Hampton caught two passes on the day, while Freeman had three catches for 39 yards and a 38-yard kick return. Senior standout receiver Cody Cardwell had 4 catches for 43 yards. SMU’s seniors accounted for 308 of the team’s 427 yards.
“I’m extremely proud of these seniors,” Bennett said. “A lot of things could have happened, we could have had dissatisfied players and guys not buying into what we’re doing, but that’s never been the case.”
In August, Bennett spoke before hundreds of SMU students before the First Weekend Comedy Concert, saying that the difference between 4-7, the Mustangs’ record in 2001, and 7-4 is “about that much,” holding his hands about a foot apart.
That difference, he found, could go either way, and many times the Mustangs were the victim of that slim margin of error.
“I haven’t done a good job yet,” Bennett said. “I think there were three to four games this year that we should have won, and that’s coaching.”
“We didn’t have the season we wanted, but better things are coming,” Bennett said. “SMU’s got a bright future.”
