Dallas ? Southern Methodist isn’t accustomed to starting a football season this way.
“When we go 0-4 and 0-5 in the past two season, going 1-0 makes all the difference in the world,” SMU quarterback Josh McCown said after the Mustangs’ 31-17 win over Kansas on Saturday night. “It’s the biggest win since I’ve been here.”
McCown, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound junior, played a large role in the Ponies’ first season-opening win since a 17-10 triumph over Tulsa in 1996.
McCown drove the Mustangs right down the field on their first possession, then hit Billy Ford on an 11-yard scoring strike to give SMU a 7-0 lead.
Later Kansas’ punting team self-destructed and the Mustangs scored 17 more points in the first quarter, including a 17-yard McCown scoring pass to tight end John Hampton.
“I knew it was a good quarter when I threw for two TDs,” McCown said. “It took me about a half-season to do that last year.”
Actually, it took four games before McCown threw two TD passes in 1999.
With 2:52 remaining before halftime, McCown raced three yards for a touchdown. It was the Ponies’ last score of the night, but the first quarter had been enough.
SMU fed off the enthusiasm of a sellout crowd in brand-new Ford Stadium.
“We didn’t want to depend on the crowd to win ball games, but it was definitely a difference,” SMU linebacker Vic Viloria said. “I thought coach (Mike) Cavan did a great job of getting us out in the heat, running us, and getting us ready for the heat.”
The kickoff temperature was 107 degrees.
“The important thing to us was that we win,” said running back Kris Briggs who led SMU with 71 yards on 20 carries, including a one-yard TD run following one of KU’s three punting team gaffes.
“Kansas has had trouble on the road in the past,” Briggs continued, “and we wanted to get the jump on them early. We did that and took them out of the game.”
Coach Cavan wasn’t thrilled the Mustangs failed to score in the second half.
“At certain times, we looked good,” Cavan said. “We just need to get in better shape for the games. We aren’t satisfied with everything we did. We have to be a better football team to win more ball games.”
