Baylor heads up to Dallas on Saturday to face former SWC rival SMU on the Hilltop, here is everything you need to know about the Ponies.
Garrett Ross
Baylor (0-1) looks to rebound this week on the Hilltop against former SWC rival No. 17 SMU (1-0). The Ponies are coming off a 42-13 thrashing of East Texas A&M, where they were never really tested. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and the game will be televised on the CW.
Here is a look at everything you need to know about SMU.
Meet the Staff
• SMU is led by head coach Rhett Lashlee, who is in his third season leading the Mustangs, and has posted a strong 30-12 mark over his career. He took over the program after two seasons as the OC at Miami (Fla.), two seasons as the OC at SMU (2018-19), a season as the OC at UConn (2017), four seasons as the OC at Auburn (2013-16), a season as the OC at Arkansas State (2012) and a season as the OC at Samford (2011). A former Arkansas QB, Lashlee led the Mustangs to the CFP Playoffs last year, with an 11-3 record and posted an 8-0 mark in ACC play. It marked SMU's second consecutive 11-3 record, with Lashlee also leading SMU to a 7-6 mark in his debut season in 2022.
• SMU has posted a record of 26-2 during Lashlee's three seasons in charge when they score 30-or-more points in a game. Lashlee boasts a 21-3 conference record in his career. His 21-3 record in his first 24 league games on the Hilltop is the best in SMU history.
• Lashlee is assisted by DC Scott Symons, OC/Chief of Staff Casey Woods and special teams coordinator Kyle Cooper, along with Associate Head Coach Rob Likens. Symons is in his fourth year as the DC, previously leading the Liberty defense from 2019-21, which followed a 2018 season at Memphis coaching inside linebackers and a 2014-17 run as the DC at West Georgia (NCAA D2). Woods, who also coaches tight ends, is in his fourth season as SMU, spending two years at Missouri (2021-22), which followed three years at UAB, and a pair of stints with Lashlee at Auburn and Arkansas State. Cooper is in his third season at SMU after two seasons at Miami (2020-21) and two seasons in a previous stint at SMU (2018-19). Likens has been on the SMU staff since the 2022 season, with previous stints at Miami, Arizona State - including as OC from 2018-19 - as the OC at Kansas (2015-16) and Cal (2013-14).
About Last Season
• SMU went 11-3 and 8-0 in the ACC last year, its first in the league, including resounding wins over TCU and Louisville. The Mustangs return six starters on offense and two on defense, including QB Kevin Jennings, three on the offensive line and its tight end, and a pair in the secondary defensively.
Wrapping up Last Week
• The Mustangs posted a 42-13 win over East Texas A&M on Saturday in Dallas, taking an early 21-0 lead before allowing a score from East Texas A&M. SMU rolled to 400 yards of total offense, including 140 rushing and 260 passing, holding ETA to 351 yards, with 107 rushing and 244 passing. QB Kevin Jennings was 22-for-30 with two scores, RB Chris Johnson rushed for 44 yards on six carries with a TD, and TJ Harden rushed eight times for 42 yards. Romello Brinson caught seven balls for 121 yards and a TD. Jalen Cooper added five catches for 73 yards and a TD. Brandon Miyazono had a team-high eight tackles and Ahmaad Moses had a 95-yard interception return for a TD.
Series History
• Baylor leads the all-time series with SMU, 39-36-7, including a 19-18-4 mark in games played in Dallas.
• The Bears have won 13 straight vs. the Mustangs, with the last loss coming in 1986 in Waco. Baylor and SMU played annually from 1916-1995, and then six times in the 21st century.
• Over the 13-game win streak in the series, the Bears have outscored SMU, 556-151, an average score of 42.8-11.6.
Home Field Advantage
• SMU is 31-5 at home since the start of the 2019 season, which included a 6-1 record in 2024, 6-0 in 2023, 5-1 in 2021 and a 6-0 record in 2019.
• Attendance of 33,044 for the season-opening win against East Texas A&M was the largest for an SMU home opener since 2014.
• SMU set a record for student attendance with 5,176 at the game.
• Four of the top five student attendances in Ford Stadium history have come since the start of the 2024 season.
• The Mustangs improved their current home winning streak to six games dating back to Sept. 21, 2024 with the win against the Lions.
