SMU faces its first real test of the 2025 season in Week 2 when former Southwest Conference rival Baylor comes to town.
The 16th-ranked Mustangs cruised to a 42-13 victory over East Texas A&M Saturday, while Baylor fell 38-24 to Auburn in its Week 1 matchup Friday.
The two teams have faced off over 80 times in their history, but haven’t played since 2016. SMU hasn’t beaten Baylor since 1986.
Here are three keys for the Mustangs when the Bears come to town:
Sports Roundup
Limiting Sawyer Robertson
Expectations were high for the senior quarterback from Lubbock, who threw for 3,071 yards and 28 touchdowns as the starter last year.
Despite the Week 1 loss and some inconsistencies, Robertson still finished with 419 yards passing and three touchdowns against Auburn on 27-of-48 passing.
SMU’s secondary will have its hands full, and while the Mustangs came away with two pick-sixes in their season opener, their Week 2 matchup won’t be as easy.
They’ll also have to watch out for wide receiver Kole Wilson and tight end Michael Trigg, who combined for 15 catches, 233 yards and a touchdown against Auburn.
Capitalizing on the QB draw
Baylor’s defense struggled to limit Denton Guyer product Jackson Arnold on the ground.
While Arnold threw for just 108 yards on 11 completions, he rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Six of his rushes went for at least 10 yards.
SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings has a similar dual-threat nature, and the Mustangs should try to capitalize. Jennings only rushed six times for 12 yards and a touchdown against East Texas A&M. He and his coaches have said while he is known for his ability to make plays with his feet, he is trying to work on delivering from the pocket and being smarter with the ball.
Still, his running abilities could come in handy this week.
Third- and fourth-down defense
Baylor’s offense was aggressive on fourth down last week, going 3-for-6 on attempts. The Bears did score two touchdowns on fourth down, one from Alabama transfer Kobe Prentice and the other from true freshman running back Caiden Knighten.
However, their failed attempts led to 10 Auburn points.
SMU held East Texas A&M to just 6-of-20 on third down but was unable to make a fourth-down stop on three tries.
The Mustang defense had a solid first outing, especially considering only one player who started all 14 games last year returned, but it’ll need to work harder to get off the field against a more skilled Baylor opponent.
On Twitter/X: @Lassimak
Best in Texas (9/1): Longhorns hang on at No. 1; Texas Tech, Texas A&M closely followAfter adversity-filled 2024, SMU’s Romello Brinson shows he’s poised for a breakthrough
Find more SMU coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.