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SMU stalls Tulsa's defense
Mustangs drive 56 yards for clinching score late in game.

George Clinkscale (8) and the Tulsa defense struggled to contain SMU quarterback Kyle Padron, who threw for 354 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Mustangs' 27-13 victory. Stephen Pingry/Tulsa World
 
By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
Published: 11/1/2009  2:33 AM
Last Modified: 11/1/2009  7:54 AM

 Just as it happened at Texas-El Paso 10 days ago, Tulsa couldn't get SMU's offense off the field in the fourth quarter Saturday.

With a chance to win, the Hurricane allowed the Mustangs to drive 56 yards for the clinching score in a 27-13 stunner that left TU's Conference USA title hopes in a shambles.

The Hurricane's defense was left vulnerable when G.J. Kinne's fourth-down pass on a fake punt was swatted down, giving the Mustangs the ball at their 46.

SMU true freshman quarterback Kyle Padron converted on two third- down plays to get the Mustangs in the end zone. The second was a 35-yard pass to Emmanuel Sanders to the 2, setting up Zach Line's rushing touchdown on the next play.

"You just have to give SMU credit," TU defensive back Kenny D. Sims said. "They executed and we didn't. That's pretty much the bottom line. They came out in the fourth quarter and executed their plays, and we didn't."

TU allowed two scoring drives in the final nine minutes at UTEP and lost 28-24 after leading by 11.

Padron, a true freshman making his first start in place of injured Bo Levi Mitchell, completed 20-of-30 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns.

He was big when it counted. On third down in the second quarter, he scrambled right, forcing TU linebacker Tanner Antle to leave the man he was covering to stop Padron's progress toward the first-down marker.

Padron made a short flip to the receiver Antle left open, and Cole Beasley turned it into a 49-yard TD. That
tied the game at 7-7 after Tulsa had scored on Charles Opeseyitan's 13-yard run.

"Everything about the game was disappointing," TU head coach Todd Graham said. "I thought there were times when we played very well defensively, but we gave up too many big plays in the passing game. We were 3-of-15 on third down and they were better than that. They converted some big third downs and most of their passes were big plays."

Padron made a similar play in the third quarter, capping SMU's 98-yard drive for the go-ahead score. Again, he rolled right, drew a Hurricane defender off his man and then dumped the ball to the receiver left open.

Running back Shawnbrey McNeal turned it into a 36-yard scoring play and SMU was ahead to stay.

SMU struggles span three decades

TU’s loss stings for several reasons, but perhaps none worse than the opponent it lost to. SMU has done virtually nothing since the NCAA hit it with the death penalty. SMU didn’t field a team in 1987-88 and has had just one winning season and no bowl appearances since. The Mustangs haven’t been to a bowl since winning the 1984 Aloha Bowl 27-20 against Notre Dame, though a few of their teams have been close since football resumed:

1997: SMU finished 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the WAC. Close losses (23-15 at Ole Miss, 22-15 at New Mexico, 21-18 at Tulsa) crippled the Mustangs’ chances at a bowl. 2005: Mustangs finished 5-6 (4-4), but lost 28-23 to Baylor, 16-13 at Marshall, 24- 17 to ECU and 20-13 at Tulsa.

2006: Only a handful of teams with six wins didn’t go bowling this season, including SMU, which lost 24-21 at UTEP and 31-27 at Rice during a 6-6 campaign.
Mike Brown 581-8390
mike.brown@tulsaworld.com
By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer

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timber land, (11/1/2009 7:42:17 AM)
Don't worry about the defense! Sect #104 is now calling plays for the Red Zone Offense. We yell "Wild Cat right-side",.. TU runs the play and the other team is ready! Hey gang our Offensive Line really got good after Bower came in,..he never got sacked! I wonder why???
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Shadow Knows, Tucson (11/1/2009 5:11:11 PM)
Only good thing about the day was UTEP lost to UAB-which makes TU's loss to the Miners even more depressing!
 

 
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