SMU beats TCU 66-42 after Dykes ejected
DALLAS — Brashard Smith ran for 127 yards and three of his four scores while SMU also had three non-offensive touchdowns for the first time in 12 years on Saturday in a 66-42 win over TCU and former coach Sonny Dykes, who got ejected after two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
Dykes drew an automatic ejection after the two quick penalties at the start of the second half after a holding call negated an apparent kickoff return for a touchdown. He kept chirping at the officials and was flagged a second time right after the Horned Frogs (2-2) had gained 22 yards on their first snap after that.
"Two penalties from two different officials. I understood why I got the first one, I thought I deserved it," Dykes said. "The second one, I really don't know where it came from. The first one I deserved."
It was the first career ejection for Dykes, who is in his 15th season as a college head coach and was in his 165th game.
ACC newcomer SMU (3-1) had scored 17 points in the final 1:28 of the first half for a 41-21 lead, the most points the Mustangs ever scored in a half during the series that was played for the 103rd time. That quick scoring spurt included Ahmaad Moses' 69-yard interception return for a touchdown.
"The sequence of events right before half was huge," SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said.
The Mustangs jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the game's first nine minutes, including Brandon Crossley's 51-yard fumble return for a TD and Roderick Daniels Jr.'s 69-yard punt return only 58 seconds later. Their 66 points were the most scored by either team in a series that doesn't have another game scheduled after next year.
"We felt like to win, from the first play to the last play we needed to just leave no doubt that we're the most physical team on the field," Lashlee said. "That was literally our only thought process coming into the game on offense, defense, special teams and credit our guys for carrying it out."
TCU's Josh Hoover threw for 396 yards and three touchdowns on 28-of-43 passing, but also had four turnovers — two interceptions and two fumbles. His first fumble was the one Crossley returned and the second was recovered at the Frogs' 1-yard line, setting up the first of Smith's two 1-yard TDs in the second half.
Hoover threw into double coverage when Daniels got his pick-6 that was his first interception this year. It came on his 143rd attempt, the most in the nation before throwing one.
Smith also had a 25-yard TD run and caught a 24-yard scoring pass from Kevin Jennings, who made his first start this season.
Jennings was 14-of-19 passing for 137 yards and two touchdowns. and ran 10 times for 41 yards. The Mustangs finished with 375 total yards, 238 on the ground.
Dykes had been the winning coach in each of the previous four games in the series. The Horned Frogs had won the last two times, after Dykes had led SMU to back-to-back wins in the series for the first time since 1992-93. Dykes is now 20-11 at TCU, including an appearance in the national championship game two seasons ago. Lashlee is 21-10 at SMU since replacing him. ... TCU had two 100-yard receivers, Jack Bech (8 catches for 166 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Eric McAlister (6-114-1).
The defense forced five turnovers, making it three games in a row with at least three takeaways. The last time they had at least three non-offensive TDs was in 2012 against Houston. ... Collin Rogers made field goals of 51, 49 and 45 yards. He has made 11 field goals this season, four of at least 50 yards.
TCU plays Saturday at Kansas (1-3, 0-1 Big 12) in its first Big 12 road game, two weeks after the Frogs opened league play at home with a loss to UCF.
SMU is at home for its ACC opener against Florida State on Saturday night.