SMU moved up in status to the Atlantic Coast Conference and opens the season Saturday night when it visits downtrodden Nevada in Reno, Nev.
SMU finished off its 11 seasons in the American Athletic Conference with an 11-3 record in 2023, including 8-0 in conference play.
Last season’s gaudy record, combined with joining the ACC, has given the program its biggest push since the “Pony Express” era, when rushers Eric Dickerson and Craig James began an uprising that saw the Mustangs eventually win 10 or more games in four straight seasons (1981-84).
But everything was too wild during that time and multiple sanctions against SMU led to the program being shut down for two seasons (1987-88).
Now the Mustangs are back in the spotlight.
Quarterback Preston Stone passed for 3,197 yards, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions in 12 games last season before missing the final two due to a broken fibula. The Dallas native is well aware of SMU’s longstanding wish to match his long-ago success.
“Obviously, I didn’t live through the glory days,” Stone said. “But I’ve known about the Eric Dickerson, Craig James, (quarterback) Lance McIlhenney days since I was a little kid. It’s really cool how we’re making our way back to that.”
The Mustangs open against a Nevada squad coming off back-to-back 2-10 campaigns under the departed Ken Wilson.
Jeff Choate is the new coach after sharing defensive coordinator duties at Texas the past three seasons.
Choate’s lone head coaching experience came at FCS Montana State. He guided the Bobcats to a 28-22 record and two playoff appearances from 2016-19.
Now he’s attempting to revive a Wolf Pack program that lost 16 consecutive games before stunning San Diego State 6-0 last October.
The August quarterback battle never developed with Nebraska transfer Chubba Purdy — younger brother of Brock, the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback — unable to throw much due to a shoulder injury.
That helped incumbent Brandon Lewis hold on to the gig. He passed for 1,313 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions in 12 games (10 starts) last season.
“I think there was a question mark maybe even within the locker room about, ‘Hey, how hard or is he preparing? How hard is he working?'” Choate told reporters of Lewis’ 2023 work habits. “There is no doubt that he was the hardest-working member of our football team this fall camp.”
The teams split six previous meetings. The most recent was SMU’s 45-10 rout in the 2009 Hawaii Bowl.
