The SMU football team (5-1, 3-0) is looking to break into the national top-25 rankings after strong victories against TCU and UCF. But the road doesn’t get easier for the Mustangs as they travel to Hattiesburg to play Southern Mississippi University (5-1, 1-1), which has top-25 aspirations of their own.

Currently, the only ranked team in Conference USA is the University of Houston at No. 19. However, in the latest polls, SMU received 19 votes in the AP Poll and 27 in the USA Today Poll. With a strong showing against the Golden Eagles and a few upsets, it isn’t inconceivable that the Mustangs could break through the bubble into the top-25. 

Senior quarterback J.J. McDermott runs head coach June Jones’ Run and Shoot offense and while he started off slow, McDermott has quickly picked up steam, even while facing some of the nation’s top defenses. He is currently No. 10 in the nation in passing yards per game with 306.7. So far, McDermott has thrown for 1840 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions on the season. For his play last week against UCF, McDermott was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week, Rivals.com C-USA Player of the Week and one of eight Manning Award Stars of the Week. 

McDermott’s top two receivers this year have been Cole Beasley and Darius Johnson, both of whom average over 100 yards receiving a game. On the season, Johnson has caught 43 passes for 623 yards and four touchdowns. Beasley is right behind him with 41 passes caught for 510 yards and one touchdown.

The passing game is complemented nicely by running back Zach Line, who is No. 17 in the nation with an average of 110.8 rushing yards per game. On the season, Line has rushed for 679 yards and 13 touchdowns. His production has declined slightly over the past few games but earlier in the season, Line carried the Mustangs while McDermott learned the offense.

The Run and Shoot offense garners most of the media’s attention but the defense has more than done their part during this five game winning streak. The Mustangs are allowing a measly 89.5 yards rushing per game, which is No. 12 in the nation, and are No. 24 in the nation in total defense, allowing only 323.67 yards a game.

But, the Southern Miss offense isn’t made of slouches either. The Golden Eagles are the No. 32 passing offense, No. 19 rushing offense and No. 20 total offense in the nation. It’ll be a good test for the SMU defense to see if they can contain Southern Miss’s dangerous offense.

The game takes place on Saturday, October 22 with kick off scheduled for 7:00 p.m.