Preston Stone passed for two touchdowns in about two quarters, and Brashard Smith ran for 108 yards and two scores on just nine carries, all in the first half, as SMU routed visiting Houston Christian 59-7 on Saturday in Dallas.
The Mustangs (2-0) were up by 35 points after a dominating first half and cruised to the win with reserves in the game for the majority of the final two quarters. Stone was 6-of-9 for 78 yards through the air, and backup Kevin Jennings passed for 148 yards and a score and ran for another touchdown.
SMU won its 11th straight regular-season game, its longest such streak since 1981-82 when it won 14 consecutive outings. The Mustangs outgained Houston Christian 595-157, including a 369-34 edge in rushing yards.
Cutter Stewart threw for 118 yards and a score for Houston Christian (0-1), an FCS team that plays in the Southland Conference, but had two passes intercepted.
The Mustangs struck on their second possession, with Stone passing 28 yards to Jordan Hudson for a touchdown.
Smith then ripped off a 1-yard TD run with 7:07 to play in the first quarter that pushed SMU’s advantage to 13-0. He added a 2-yard scoring run at the end of a six-play, 55-yard drive to give the Mustangs a 20-0 lead with 3:04 remaining in the opening quarter.
SMU’s defense picked up the mantle on Houston Christian’s next possession. Jahfari Harvey forced a fumble that was scooped up by Anthony Booker Jr. and returned 16 yards for a touchdown. LJ Johnson Jr. followed with a 2-point conversion run, expanding the Mustangs’ lead to 28-0 with 2:03 still to play in the first.
The teams traded touchdowns early in the second quarter. SMU got a 4-yard scoring pass from Stone to Jake Bailey before the Huskies finally found the end zone on a 10-yard pass from Stewart to Deuce McMillan, the latter with 12:19 to play in the second quarter.
Key’Shawn Smith then turned a pass over the middle from Jennings into a 35-yard TD and a 42-7 lead for SMU with 5:05 to play until halftime, and that was the score at the break.
SMU added a 17-yard touchdown run by Derrick McFall midway through the third quarter, a 1-yard TD keeper from Jennings early in the fourth and a 23-yard field goal by Collin Rogers in the final minutes.
