SMU presents litmus test for Louisiana Tech defense

Cecil Singleton knows this week, it gets real.

For as encouraging a start as the Louisiana Tech defense had in a 22-17 comeback win in the season opener against FIU — forcing eight punts, giving up only eight first downs and just four passing yards — Singleton and the rest of the Bulldogs know this Saturday against the SMU Mustangs is the first true test they’ll get.

Sure, FIU got ahead early and had an explosive 67-yard touchdown run to start the night, but take away the scamper and the Panthers managed 115 total yards of offense in the loss.

And it shouldn’t come as too big a shock. FIU ranked last in Conference USA in scoring offense (18.7 points per game) and total offense (323.8 yards per game) a season ago. In many respects, the Panthers played to form.

But if Tech’s opponent this week plays to form, it could be a long afternoon for the Bulldogs.

The SMU Mustangs out of the American Athletic Conference finished the 2022 season top 15 among FBS programs in passing offense (7th, 316.7), scoring offense ( 12th, 37.2 points per game), and total offense (14th, 472.8 yards per game).

Singleton, who put up 5 tackles and had the game-sealing interception last week, expects his unit to come ready to play to try and keep it in check.

“We know that they’re (SMU) a better opponent than FIU, so just coming into practice we know we have to lock in way more,” Singleton said. “ It’s not going to be handed to us. They’re a tough opponent so we gotta come out there on our A-game. They definitely have some explosive guys on the outside on the perimeter and their offensive line is good. They’ve got a good quarterback is good as well.”

The good news for Tech is that high-flying offense was last year’s Mustangs.

And with former starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai leaving for Wisconsin and leading receiver Rashee Rice on the Kansas City Chiefs, an opportunity presents itself to be the first live test for new faces on SMU’s 2023 offense.

“It was a rough start for us, but I think we just had to get our feet wet and once we found our identity in that second half, I think that we just continued to stop them and I think feeding off that game it definitely gives us a boost of confidence,” Tech safety Myles Heard said. “We’ll just come in this week with that confidence.”

Preston Stone takes over the quarterback duties for SMU after riding the bench last season. In one start last season while Mordecai was injured, Stone went 11-17 for 211 yards and 1 touchdown.

Stone may be a relatively unknown commodity, but Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie had a brief interest in Stone during his previous stop at TCU.

While serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Horned Frogs in 2020, Cumbie and the coaching staff offered Stone out of Parish Episcopal High School in Dallas.

Cumbie said he’s not as familiar with Stone as other recruits from his past, but certainly believes the Bulldogs will have their hands full Saturday.

“I’m not as familiar with Preston,” Cumbie said. “I know who he is. Yes, we did offer him as I was transitioning from TCU to Texas Tech in the recruitment of him. He’s a really talented player – throws the ball really well and I think he has a lot of grit to him. He’s a competitive kid. Watching him in high school, he’s highly successful and he knows how to win.”

Cumbie doesn’t think already playing a game gives the Bulldogs a distinct advantage going into Saturday, citing the early game as fresh tape for SMU to study with Hank Bachmeier and other new faces playing as part of a real game plan.

But what might serve the Bulldogs well is the reminder of the aching feeling they had the last time SMU was on the schedule in 2021, a game the Mustangs won 39-37 on a last-second hail mary pass into the end-zone.

Only 20 players remain from the 2021 Tech roster, but two years removed hasn’t lessened the sting. Cumbie saw it take shape in preparation for the Mustangs.

“I was just talking to Smoke (Harris) about that and it’s like a wound you really don’t want to pull the Band-Aid off of,” Cumbie said. “Obviously, that was a year before I came and it was a season for that team where they were really close in a lot of games and that being one of them. I’m sure the guys that were on that team and were there remember it and I know there’s been a lot of turnover on each roster so I know both teams are very different than what it looked like two years ago, but anytime you’re able to win a game like that or lose a game like that, that will stick with you.”

Carson Bruno, who was a true freshman for the Bulldogs at the time and now the team’s starting right tackle, had no doubt Saturday is a revenge game for not just those that who played, but newcomers who have been filled in on the stakes.

“Yeah, we did not forget about that at all,” Bruno said. “Everybody who’s been here and the guys who weren’t here, they’ve been informed as well. They’re going to be fighting to get back on that one.”

Louisiana Tech takes on SMU Saturday at 11 a.m. at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.