The first six games into the regular season, the SMU football team (6-5) was riding high on a wave of momentum, a five-game winning streak and a realistic shot at breaking into the top-25. However, the second half of the season has been on the opposite side of the spectrum for the Mustangs, who were trounced on Saturday by No. 11 Houston, 37-7.

Both SMU and Houston are known for having prolific, high-scoring offenses but the Cougars' offense was the only one that showed up on Saturday. The SMU offense was held scoreless for three quarters, the running game was nonexistent and the passing game couldn't get into a rhythm. In total, the offense racked up 263 total yards, which was barely half of Houston's 513 offensive yards.

The most consistent threat in the Mustangs' arsenal never saw the field on Saturday and won't for the rest of the season. Junior running back Zach Line tore a tendon in his toe in SMU's 24-17 loss to Navy the week before and was pronounced out for the season prior to the game at Houston. Line was one of the top running backs in the nation this season with 1,224 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Without Line in the backfield, SMU had no viable threat on the ground. His replacement, running back Jared Williams, rushed 10 times for 17 yards. In total, the SMU offense mustered 24 net rushing yards against the Cougars, who are ranked No. 77 in the nation in rushing defense and allow 169.5 yards per game on the ground.

The Mustangs' aerial attack was solid but unspectacular. Quarterback J.J. McDermott completed 23 passes for 239 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He was constantly under pressure all game and was sacked four times for 33 yards. After an electrifying start to the season that included strong wins against TCU and UCF, McDermott has cooled off considerably. On the season, he has completed 240 passes for 3,003 yards, 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Houston quarterback Case Keenum completed 30 passes for 318 yards and a touchdown against the Mustangs. Keenum's showing would usually be considered stellar but in comparison to the rest of his record breaking season, he was only average on Saturday. Still, he easily became the NCAA career leader in completions and also tied the NCAA record for 300-yard games with 36.

With the loss to Houston, SMU has now lost four of its last five games. The Mustangs play their final game of the regular season at home against Rice University on Saturday, November with kickoff scheduled for 11:00 a.m.

Photo courtesy of Rob Graham