BYU Football Holds Perfect Record All-Time Against SMU
Sep 2, 2024, 4:32 PM | Updated: 4:34 pm
Looking back at the history of BYU football against the SMU Mustangs. (Photo courtesy of Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)
(Photo courtesy of Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)
DALLAS – BYU football will look to keep its undefeated record against the SMU Mustangs intact when the two meet this Friday night.
These two programs are squaring off as power conference foes for the first time. SMU is a new member of the ACC, while BYU is in its second year as a Big 12 Conference team.
Both programs lined up this game last year as part of a home-and-home series.
BYU will play in Dallas this Friday, and SMU will travel to Provo in 2027.
The 2024 campaign marks the 100th season of BYU football. Throughout the season, we will look back at BYU’s history against its 2024 opponents weekly.
RELATED: “A Century of Cougar Football:” Looking at the history of BYU Football
When was the last time BYU and SMU faced each other in football?
You don’t have to go back too far to find the last time these two programs faced off against one another. They last met in the 2022 New Mexico Bowl. BYU leads the all-time series 4-0.
Here’s a rundown of the history between BYU and SMU in football.
1980 Holiday Bowl: BYU 46, Southern Methodist 45
The 1980 Holiday Bowl needs no explanation. It’s one of the all-time great wins in BYU football history and one of the greatest comebacks in college football history.
Down by 20 late in the fourth quarter, Jim McMahon leads BYU to a miracle comeback that was capped off by a last-second 41-yard touchdown pass from McMahon to tight end Clay Brown.
The Mustangs were in the beginning stages of their dynasty as the “Pony Express,” with Eric Dickerson and Craig James in the same backfield.
Everything had to go BYU’s way to pull off that comeback, and somehow, it all fell into place. The victory was BYU’s first bowl win in program history.
Few people have tweeted at me that today in 1980 #BYU completed the #miraclebowl comeback. I always tease my guys and say “Clay was our slowest guy on the field and he beat u all 2 the end zone.” Thx 4 making that catch kid @BYUfootball https://t.co/x4RPfCfu5d pic.twitter.com/opnMdXak3n
— Jim McMahon (@JimMcMahon) December 19, 2017
1996: BYU 31, SMU 3
When the two schools met again on the football field 16 years after the Miracle Bowl, it was under many different circumstances. To start with, BYU and SMU were in the same league.
After the Southwest Conference dissolved, with power brokers Texas, Texas A&M, and others forming the Big 12, the SWC’s leftovers were left to fend for themselves. SMU, less than a decade removed from the death penalty that shut down the program for two years, landed in the 16-team WAC.
BYU QB Steve Sarkisian passed for 358 yards as No. 24 BYU cruised to a blowout win over the Mustangs. The 1996 team was one of BYU’s best: they finished 14-1 with a Cotton Bowl win and ranked No. 5 in the final Top 25 rankings.
1997: BYU 19, SMU 16 (OT)
Eight months after BYU playing in the Cotton Bowl, the Cougars returned to Dallas to face SMU in the historic venue. It was under far less fanfare than the New Year’s Day spectacle of the Cotton Bowl.
#BYU’s last game versus SMU was in 1997 at the historic Cotton Bowl in Dallas.#BYUFootball #NewMexicoBowl
pic.twitter.com/2zguYkfGWy— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 16, 2022
Only 23,701 fans were on hand to watch No. 23 BYU defeat SMU in a hard-fought game that extended to overtime.
Brian McKenzie scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime to give BYU the victory. Moments after McKenzie found the endzone, the man to greet him? Kalani Sitake.
2022 New Mexico Bowl: BYU 24, SMU 23
Although the 2022 New Mexico Bowl lasted only two years, in many respects, it feels like a lifetime ago when you consider how much has changed between these two programs.
#BYU: 2022 New Mexico Bowl Champs 🏆 pic.twitter.com/qKpqDjC57D
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 18, 2022
For BYU, star and current Seattle Seahawk Jaren Hall was out of this game due to an injury. Wide receiver Puka Nacua didn’t play either.
BYU started a run-heavy attack with Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters at quarterback. The plan worked, as Maiava-Peters and Christopher Brooks led the way on the ground. Then, the BYU defense, which had newly hired defensive coordinator Jay Hill lending his expertise heading into the matchup, did its part.
Ben Bywater had a 76-yard interception off former SMU QB Tanner Mordecai to earn defensive MVP honors.
2024: BYU at SMU
Date: Friday, September 6, 2024
Kickoff: 5 p.m. (MDT)
TV: ESPN2
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM)
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
