MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It has taken Sonny Dykes less than two seasons to do at SMU what his seven predecessors could not do: bring the program back to prominence with a rushing attack that would make the "Pony Express" proud. The 14th-ranked Mustangs look to maintain their hopes for a New Years' Day bowl game Saturday when they visit No. 23 Memphis in a showdown between two of the top teams in the West Division of the American Athletic Conference.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC. LINE: Memphis -5.5.
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Dykes has SMU, which is off to its best start since Eric Dickerson and Craig James ran wild in the Southwestern Conference while opening 10-0 in 1982, relying heavily on a running game that is tied for sixth in FBS with 24 touchdowns and averaging 202.8 yards. The rushing attack didn't quite meet Dykes' standards last weekend at Houston, but the Mustangs never trailed and managed to hold on for a 34-31 victory for their first 4-0 start in conference play since 1986. The Tigers guaranteed themselves a sixth consecutive winning season after holding on for a 42-41 comeback victory last weekend when Tulsa's Jacob Rainey missed a 29-yard field-goal attempt as time expired. The nation's leading freshman rusher, Kenneth Gainwell, posted his sixth consecutive 100-yard game and scored a season-high three touchdowns.
ABOUT SMU (8-0, 4-0 American): Xavier Jones, who ranks second in the conference behind Gainwell among running backs in rushing (110.5 yards), is in the middle of a four-game streak with at least 100 yards on the ground, and he's tied for sixth in FBS with 14 rushing touchdowns. Junior Reggie Roberson Jr. (team-high 803 receiving yards) was spotted in a walking boot after leaving the Houston game with a foot injury and is considered questionable versus the Tigers. His potential absence could mean an even heavier workload for senior James Proche (conference-best 61 catches - third in the nation - for 692 yards and a team-high nine receiving TDs) but make things more challenging for Shane Buechele (AAC-best 290.6 yards per game).
ABOUT MEMPHIS (7-1, 3-1): One week after becoming the first player since 1997 with 100 yards rushing and 200 yards receiving in a game, Gainwell maintained his FBS-best average of 177.4 scrimmage yards with 149 yards rushing and found the end zone for a seventh straight contest. Junior receiver Damonte Coxie became the seventh Tiger ever to surpass 2,000 career receiving yards after tying a season high with 112 yards versus the Golden Hurricane, leaving him 70 shy of tying Damien Dodson (1,914) for sixth in school history. Senior Joey Magnifico scored a 5-yard touchdown on his only catch against Tulsa, moving within 24 yards and two TDs of matching Alan Cross (1,050, 14) for the most receiving yards and touchdowns ever by a Memphis tight end.
EXTRA POINTS
1. SMU has scored at least 34 points in every game and ranks sixth nationally in scoring offense (43 points per game). Memphis has scored 35 or more points in six of its seven wins and ranks 10th in the country in scoring offense (38.5).
2. Gainwell broke loose for a 62-yard touchdown run against Tulsa and is tied for the FBS lead with five scrimmage plays of 50 yards or longer this season.
3. The Mustangs already have their most victories in a season since 2011 (8-5) and are riding a four-game road winning streak for the first time since 1984-85.
PREDICTION: Memphis 45, SMU 38