The SMU Mustangs (2-3, 0-1) are on the road looking to even their record as they travel to face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (3-1, 0-0) in an AAC West Division matchup Friday night. The kickoff from Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma is at 8 pm ET. National television coverage for the contest is brought to you by ESPN2. The latest line has Tulsa favored by 17 points in this contest with the over/under set at 64 points.
SMU lost their second straight as they were clubbed 45-20 in their conference opener by Temple on the road last week. Tulsa won their second in a row with a 48-41 win over Fresno State two weeks ago. The Golden Hurricane had a bye last week. This is the 23rd all-time meeting between the schools in history. SMU holds a 13-9 edge but Tulsa took the last two meetings. That includes a 40-31 road win last year. SMU’s last win in the series was a 35-27 home triumph in 2012.
SMU moves the ball pretty well: they are 67th in the FBS in passing (236.2 ypg) and tied for 55th (179.8 ypg) in rushing. Chad Morris’s team doesn’t do well putting points on the board: the Mustangs are tied for 115th in scoring offense with 20.2 points a game. SMU is 88th in scoring defense as they allow 30.6 points per contest.
Ben Hicks is 82 of 162 for 1,026 yards with four touchdowns and nine picks. He took over for Matt Davis, who was lost for the year with a torn ACL. Braeden West leads the team with 75 carries for 397 yards and a pair of scores. Ke’Mon Freeman (58 carries, 250 yards) and Xavier Jones (15 carries, 140 yards, TD) are solid. James Proche leads the team with 27 catches for 316 yards and a touchdown. Courtland Sutton chips in 22 grabs for a team high 492 yards and four scores. Xavier Castille (17 catches, 156 yards) is a capable third receiver. Josh Williams hit all nine extra points and 7 of 9 field goal attempts but his long is 29 yards.
Tulsa is 59th in the FBS in passing offense (243.3 ypg) and 39th in rushing with 206.8 yards per game. The Golden Hurricane is 38th in scoring offense with 38.5 points per contest. Tulsa is 83rd in scoring defense as they allow 30 points a game. Dane Evans is 70 of 118 for 888 yards with eight touchdowns and six picks. D’Angelo Brewer is Tulsa’s leading rusher with 524 yards and three scores. James Flanders (258 yards, 3 TD) is a good second back. Keevan Lucas (24 catches, 395 yards, 5 TD) and Josh Atkinson (21 grabs, 239 yards, TD) provide a good top two receivers for Evans. Justin Hobbs (18 catches, 241 yards, 2 TD) is a solid contributor as well. Redford Jones booted all 19 extra points and seven of nine field goal attempts with a long of 37.
The Mustangs can move the ball but they tend to self-destruct. The QB duo of Hicks and Davis combined to throw 10 picks this year already. That won’t work against a Tulsa team that can score points quickly. Ask Fresno State, who led 31-0 in the second quarter before losing in double overtime. The Golden Hurricane is an underrated team. They took a beating by Ohio State on the road but most teams lose in Columbus. Tulsa is playing at home here and that works in their favor. Give the points as Tulsa gets a big win to improve to 4-1. To see more of our picks for the week 6 slate, click here!
Tulsa is 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game. SMU is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 conference games and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games in October.