Source : AP Exchange
A grim-faced Tom Herman could hear the whoops and hollers of SMU players as the Houston coached tried to explain a shocking 38-16 loss to the Mustangs on Saturday night.
Was it hard to listen to that celebration?
“More than you know,” Herman said.
Ben Hicks threw for three touchdowns and ran for another score in SMU’s first win over a ranked team in five years.
The Cougars (6-2, 3-2 American) lost for the second time after a 5-0 start that included a season-opening win over then-No. 3 Oklahoma that vaulted Houston into the Top 10.
The last time the Mustangs (3-4, 1-2) beat a team ranked 11th or higher, they were No. 4 and finishing off a near-perfect 1982 season (11-0-1) with a 7-3 victory over sixth-ranked Pittsburgh in the Cotton Bowl. SMU tied No. 7 Texas A&M in 1994.
It was SMU’s fourth win in 20 tries against Houston since returning from the so-called death penalty in 1989. The first loss was 95-21.
“For us to come in and get a signature win like this is huge,” SMU coach Chad Morris said. “And I shared with our players for the last two weeks, ‘It just takes one (win) to start a revolution. It just takes one win to put some wind in our sails.'”
Greg Ward Jr. couldn’t shake a persistent SMU pass rush or find receivers for big plays, finishing with 241 yards passing — almost 100 below his average — and just 3 yards rushing on 17 carries thanks to seven sacks.
One of the sacks was for an 18-yard loss to the Houston 22 when coach Tom Herman went for it on fourth down trailing 28-14 early in the fourth quarter.
Herman got conservative moments later, choosing a 19-yard field goal attempt on fourth down from the SMU 2. Ty Cummings hit the right upright for his second miss.
“Immense introspection when you lose a game like that,” Herman said. “We’ll leave no stone unturned to figure out why that happened.”
Hicks was 16 of 31 for 228 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown to a wide-open James Proche for a 28-7 lead in the final seconds of the first half. SMU appeared content to run out the clock before a 40-yard run by Braeden West, who had 115 yards rushing and a punctuating touchdown late.
