Houston Cougars vs Southern Methodist Mustangs Box Score on Oct 22, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Oct 22, 2016

SMU quarterback Ben Hicks threw three touchdown passes and the Mustangs' defense sacked No. 11 Houston seven times en route to a 38-16 upset victory over the visiting Cougars in an American Athletic Conference game Saturday in Dallas.

SMU (3-4, 1-2 AAC) was 0-12 previously against ranked teams, losing by an average of 27.6 points in that span since upsetting No. 20 TCU 40-33 in overtime in 2011.

Houston (6-2, 3-2) lost for the second time in its last three games. The Cougars, held to only 62 yards rushing on 35 carries, had its six-game streak snapped of scoring at least 35 points.

SMU linebacker Jarvis Pruitt had a team-high three sacks for a defense that held Houston to 303 yards of total offense, 202.1 under its average. Fellow linebackers Demerick Gary and Justin Lawler each had two sacks.

The Mustangs capitalized on Houston's failed fourth-and-5 attempt at its own 40 with 14:15 remaining in the fourth quarter to build on their lead. Cougars quarterback Greg Ward Jr. was sacked for a loss of 18 yards on the play by Lawler.

SMU was stopped on three plays and Josh Williams made a 26-yard field goal with 12:27 remaining to take a 31-14 lead.

A 19-yard field goal attempt by Ty Cummings on Houston's next possession bounced off the right upright and was no good with 9:50 left.

The Cougars failed to take advantage of a 51-yard pass from Ward to receiver Duke Catalon on that possession. Catalon was forced out at the SMU 4.

SMU's last touchdown was a 10-yard run by running back Braden West with 3:50 left, increasing the lead to 38-14. The Mustangs took a safety with 48 seconds left rather than punt to end the scoring.

Houston's offense averaged 86 plays a game before Saturday. The Cougars only had 12 in the first quarter when they fell behind 7-0, due in part to two lost fumbles.

Hicks accounted for all four of the Mustangs' touchdowns in the first half when they mounted a 28-7 lead.

Hicks rushed for a 1-yard touchdown run, capping an 11-play drive in SMU's first possession of the game. In the second quarter, he completed touchdown passes of 31 yards to Jeremiah Gaines, 2 yards to Courtland Sutton and 28 yards to James Proche.

The 21-point lead for SMU became the largest deficit of the season for Houston.

Cougers linebacker Emeke Egbule recovered a fumble by Ke'Mon Freeman and returned the ball 13 yards to the Mustangs' 10-yard line with 9:25 left in the second quarter.

Houston was stretched to a fourth-and-goal play at the 5 and coach Tom Herman went for the potential score. Quarterback Steve Dunbar delivered with a pass to Ward, who made a leaping catch in the end zone between defenders with 7:59 left in the half.

Houston had a chance to cut into the 21-7 lead but Cummings missed a 47-yard field goal with 1:12 left in the half.

Hicks engineered a three-play, 70-yard drive that culminated with the scoring pass to Proche with 13 seconds left in the half to take the 28-7 lead.

The Mustangs averaged only 20.8 points a game before Saturday, which ranked No. 112 among FBS teams.

NOTES: Entering the game, SMU had three players -- Jordan Wyatt (four interceptions), Horace Richardson (four), and Darrion Millines (three) -- with three or more interceptions. SMU was the only FBS school with three players with three or more interceptions this season. ... Houston's six-game streak with 35-plus points was the fourth-longest active streak entering the game. The Cougars were 11th nationally in scoring offense (42.7 points per game) and 16th in total offense (505.1 yards). ... SMU was tied for fourth in the nation in takeaways with 15 (including two fumble recoveries) before Saturday. Last season, SMU gained 10 turnovers all season.