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SMU Football: Can Mustangs challenge for the AAC crown in 2020?

By Zach Bigalke

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 21: The Southern Methodist Mustangs celebrate beating the TCU Horned Frogs 41-38 at Amon G. Carter Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 21: The Southern Methodist Mustangs celebrate beating the TCU Horned Frogs 41-38 at Amon G. Carter Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Explosive offense returns major production

So much of SMU’s explosive surge out of the gate last season was predicated on the success of their offense. The Mustangs finished last season ranked in the top 10 nationally in both yards and points per game as they averaged 41.8 points and 489.8 yards each outing. Offering hope for more of the same in 2020, that offense returns 75 percent of its production from last year.

That includes quarterback Shane Buechele, who arrived at SMU last season as a graduate transfer from Texas and immediately took the AAC by storm. Buechele led the league in passing touchdowns and yards per game, finishing the year just under 4,000 passing yards with 34 scores. While James Proche is gone from the receiving corps, Reggie Roberson Jr. will look to take over once again as the top threat after injury cut an effective 2019 campaign short.

The biggest question marks for this team come in the backfield, where Xavier Jones exhausted his eligibility after racking up 1,273 yards and 23 rushing touchdowns last year. Second-leading rusher Ke’Mon Freeman also graduated, making sophomore TJ McDaniel the most experienced runner on the team heading into the new year.

Focusing on new SMU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley

The biggest loss to the offense comes not on the field but rather on the sideline. Last year’s offensive coordinator, Rhett Lashlee, headed to Miami in the offseason to take over leadership of the Hurricanes offense. In comes Garrett Riley, the younger brother of Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley, who SMU snatched away from Appalachian State before the Mountaineers could elevate their running backs coach to their own vacant coordinator position.

The 30-year-old Riley has bounced around college football’s coaching ranks since his playing days ended at FCS Stephen F. Austin. Riley started his coaching odyssey at the high school ranks before taking his first college job at Division III Augustana College in Illinois in 2012. Since then he has served on the offensive staff at East Carolina and Kansas before his last stop in Boone.

Riley has a strong pedigree in Texas, having spent two years at Texas Tech before transferring to Stephen F. Austin. The hope is that Riley can get the team moving even faster on offense and bolster their rushing ability while continuing to stick to the system that yielded so many dividends in 2019.

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