Tanner Mordecai passed for 427 yards and three touchdowns as the 21st-ranked SMU Mustangs remained unbeaten with a 55-26 win over the Tulane Green Wave on Thursday at Ford Stadium.
Mordecai added 34 yards and a touchdown rushing for the Mustangs (7-0, 3-0 American), unbeaten through seven games for the second time in three seasons. SMU started 8-0 in 2019 en route to a 10-3 finish.
The Mustangs amassed 612 yards and scored to cap their first four possessions. After the Green Wave (1-6, 0-3) finally held defensively and SMU kicker Blake Mazza missed a 47-yard field goal midway through the second quarter, Tulane failed to capitalize on the opportunity, committing a penalty on 4th-and-short and subsequently punting the ball back to the Mustangs.
Mordecai followed by engineering a nine-play, 91-yard drive that culminated in his 22-yard pass to Reggie Roberson Jr. That extended SMU’s lead to 31-7 with 53 seconds left in the first half.
SMU dominated the opening 30 minutes, totaling 400 yards on 51 plays while accumulating 22 first downs and possessing the ball for 19:43. Mordecai passed for 300 yards before the break.
The Green Wave showed signs of life in the third quarter, covering 75 yards on seven plays on the opening drive and closing to within 18 points when Michael Pratt connected with Shae Wyatt for an 11-yard score.
Tulane followed with a stop of SMU running back Tre Siggers on fourth down at the Mustangs’ 39, but momentum pivoted when Tulane later attempted a fake field goal. Linebacker Shaine Hailey broke up the pass intended for tight end Will Wallace in the end zone.
SMU responded with an 11-play, 91-yard drive capped by Siggers’ 9-yard scoring run that extended the lead to 38-13. Siggers rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns.
Pratt passed for 234 yards and three touchdowns before departing in the fourth quarter after taking a crushing blow. Mordecai added a 44-yard scoring pass to Tyler Lavine with 6:01 left.
Danny Gray had eight receptions and 140 yards for the Mustangs.
–Field Level Media