Ninety-seven times.

When it’s all said and done tomorrow at Amon G. Carter Stadium, that’s how many times TCU and SMU will have played football against each other. For SMU, there’s no other school they’ve played more than TCU. And no other team they’d love to beat more. This is SMU’s most talented and weapon-laden team since the death penalty put the Ponies out of business in 1987 and ’88. More on them later.

It is fun to think back on this series and ponder the history. They’ve been playing since 1915. In 1918, heavy rains in Fort Worth and Dallas left the roads impassable. TCU had to forfeit because the team’s bus got stuck in the mud before reaching Dallas. TCU’s own Dan Jenkins ’53 is still not over the heartbreak of that 20-14 SMU victory in the 1935 “Game of the Century,” as it was known. Facing fourth and seven, SMU punter Bobby Finely dropped back as if to punt, but threw a long pass to running back Bobby Wilson between two Horned Frogs at the goal line. The “$85,000 Pass” as it became known, sent the Mustangs to the Rose Bowl. Frog fans were stunned. SMU’s Doak Walker won the Heisman Trophy in 1948 – he’s the reason they put upper decks on the Cotton Bowl stadium. Then there’s “Mustang Mania” (the brain child of marketing guru Brad Thomas) from the late 1970s and early ’80s, when SMU moved to Texas Stadium in Irving to give the program some “splash.” Head coach Ron Meyer built a power house that featured Craig James and Eric Dickerson in the backfield. SMU nearly won the national championship before the wheels came off in the mid-’80s

Then there’s the 1997 TCU-SMU game. A 21-18 TCU win that didn’t decide anything other than SMU wouldn’t be going to a bowl and the Frogs wouldn’t end the season without a win. Freshman running back LaDainian Tomlinson ’05 popped onto the scene in that game. I point to that game because it was a pivotal point in the divergent paths that these programs would take over the next 20 years. The next year, Dennis Franchione showed up at TCU and brought a defensive coordinator named Gary Patterson with him. The Frogs beat the University of Southern California in the 1998 Sun Bowl. TCU was launched on a trajectory that, years later, landed the Frogs in the Big 12. SMU went 5-7 and won just 14 games over the next five years, including 0-12 in 2003.

Chad Morris is SMU’s fifth head coach since that 1997 game and his third edition looks like the best SMU squad in quite some time. They’ve scored 112 points in their first two wins.

On SMU’s offense, the one guy you need to keep an eye on is wide receiver #16 Courtland Sutton. He’s a tall, rangy wideout who is SMU’s version of Josh Doctson ’15. And a projected first-rounder in next year’s National Football League draft. Last week, Sutton passed SMU legend Jerry Levias on the all-time SMU receiving touchdown list. SMU’s other weapons include wideouts #15 Alex Honey (another 6-4 receiver) and #3 James Proche. Running backs #6 Braeden West and #5 Xavier Jones are capable, but the offensive line has not opened holes consistently for them in the first two games.

Defensively, SMU leads with its defensive line. Ends #40 Dimarya Mixon and #99 Jason Lawler anchor the defense and give SMU a pressure component. The linebackers are led by #11 Kyran Mitchell who plays the STAR position (hybrid linebacker/safety) in SMU’s 4-3 scheme. The secondary is young with just two upperclassmen in the depth chart.

Quarterback Kenny Hill prepares for another play in the season opener against Jackson State. Photo by Glen E. Ellman

The Frogs will need to control SMU’s defensive line and allow Kenny Hill to get off to another good start. Hill settled in last week at Arkansas and the Frog offense took over the game in the second quarter, allowing Arkansas to run just six plays in the quarter. Six! A continuation of the power running game will offset the SMU edge rush.

On defense, the Frogs need to pressure Ponies’ quarterback Ben Hicks and make him uncomfortable early. Courtland Sutton is a great wide receiver who can take over a game. Rest assured he will have a lot of passes aimed his way. He’s strong with the ball. Great coverage will be key as Hicks will work to get rid of the ball in a hurry to counter the Frogs’ pressure. Sacks will have to come as a result of great coverage in the back half that forces Hicks to hold the ball. I remind you that SMU has multiple playmakers that bear watching as well.

Did You Know:

• SMU’s head coach in that 1935 game was Matty Bell, who was in his first season at SMU. He was head coach at TCU from 1923-28.
• In 1994, TCU running back Andre Davis ran for 179 yards vs SMU– a TCU record vs. SMU. Current Frog running back Darius Anderson reminds me a lot of Andre Davis– a back who runs larger than his size, finds a way to get up field and loves to break tackles and outrun defenders.
• This is the first time since 1985 that TCU and SMU meet as undefeated teams.
• The “$85,000 Pass” was named so because that’s the payout SMU received for playing in the 1936 Rose Bowl.

See you at “The Carter.” Don’t forget to wear white.

Kick ‘Em High!