– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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DALLAS — Before the SMU Mustangs got their hands on the Iron Skillet, they sizzled on the football field and cooked their fiercest rival in every way possible.
Running back Brashard Smith scored four total touchdowns while the Mustangs also hit paydirt three times with the offense on the sidelines as SMU clobbered TCU 66-42 to snap a two-game losing streak in the 98th edition of the rivalry. SMU also scored two touchdowns on defense, a fumble return and an interception return, and on special teams on a punt return as the Mustangs put up the most points any school has put up in a single game in the all-time matchup.
““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,” SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee said. “That was literally our only thought process coming into game on offense, defense, special teams and credit our guys for carrying it out.”
The Mustangs scored the first 17 points of the game and never looked back, with the first two touchdowns coming with their offense on the sidelines. The Horned Frogs, while down 3-0, decided to go for a fourth-and-1 from midfield and quarterback Josh Hoover fumbled while being tackled short of the line to gain. The ball was picked up by Brandon Crossley, who returned the fumble 51-yards for a touchdown and a 10-0 SMU lead.
SMU forced a three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and then Roderick Daniels Jr. returned the punt down the right sideline for a 69-yard touchdown, the second touchdown for the Mustangs in the span of 58 seconds.
TCU quarterback Josh Hoover went 28-for-43 for 396 yards and three touchdowns, and he brought the Horned Frogs back to within three points, 17-14 and 24-21, during the second quarter. Yet Hoover also committed four turnovers — two fumbles and two interceptions. His first interception was reeled in by a leaping Ahmaad Moses, who then returned it 60 yards down the far sideline for the Mustangs’ third non-offensive touchdown of the half.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Saturday evening’s game, with photos taken by ALOST staff photographer Ross James. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page. Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 14 pictures in total.
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