SMU and Missouri State played the exact same game two years in a row
· Yahoo Sports
Casey Woods was an integral part of SMU’s rise into a perennial conference championship contender. Woods spent four seasons as offensive coordinator at SMU, directing three top-12 scoring offenses and leading the Mustangs to an American championship, two conference title game appearances, a College Football Playoff berth, and a bowl win.
On Saturday, Woods was in a familiar environment of Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, except this time, he wasn’t donning the iconic Mustang emblem. Instead, he was serving his fourth game as head coach of Missouri State, competing against his former mentor and friend Rhett Lashlee as heavy underdogs.
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Woods’ role in the game was different, and Missouri State’s coaching staff was overhauled. Yet, the game felt eerily similar to SMU’s prior outing against the Bears last September. For the second-straight year, SMU struggled out of the gate against the Conference USA opponent before ultimately holding on for a closer-than-comfort win. Last year, the final score in Springfield was 28-10. This time, SMU prevailed in 34-24 fashion over its former offensive coordinator.
Missouri State led 10-0 after the first quarter in the 2025 matchup, but SMU led 14-10 at halftime and 21-10 heading into the fourth quarter.
Missouri State led 10-0 after the first quarter in the 2026 matchup, but SMU led 14-10 at halftime and 21-10 heading into the fourth quarter.
Yes, the box scores were exact duplicates through 75 percent of the action. The only difference was a higher-scoring fourth quarter in the 2026 edition, as Missouri State outscored the Mustangs 14-13 over the final 15 minutes, when last year, SMU won the fourth quarter 7-0.
For the second year in a row, SMU failed to score on each of its first three drives against Missouri State, plagued by a fumble and an interception over that span. The Mustangs also went 0-of-1 on their lone field goal attempt of the first half in both matchups.
The similarities almost felt supernatural. SMU was severely plagued by penalties in 2025 and 2026 alike, committing exactly 12 for over 110 yards in each contest. On Saturday night, the Mustangs finished a minus-1 in the turnover battle but out-gained the Bears by over 200 yards — two more statistics that resurfaced from the 2025 meeting. And defensively, SMU produced at least five sacks for the second-straight outing against Missouri State, getting to the quarterbacks seven times in the latter edition.
There were some differences. Kevin Jennings skyrocketed his passing totals from 281 yards and one touchdown to 464 and three, allowing him to climb to the No. 1 spot in FBS passing yards per game. The Mustangs also featured two 100-yard receivers this year, as Yamir Knight exploded for 164 yards, while Jalen Cooper added 125. Additionally, Missouri State possessed the ball in the fourth quarter with the opportunity to take the lead, but SMU’s defense forced a quick punt to stave off the upset.
The end result was déjà vu from last year: Missouri State (1-3, 0-0 CUSA) remained a one-win team after giving SMU all it could handle, while SMU (3-1, 1-1 ACC) remained a one-loss team after the double-digit comeback win.
Woods heads back to Springfield in hopes of replicating the Bears’ 2025 midseason surge, while Lashlee remains in Dallas, ready to attack the remainder of his ACC schedule.