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UNIVERSITY PARK - In typical June Jones' style, the SMU coach wanted to close out the game by - what else? - passing for another touchdown. That didn't happen Saturday night against Tulsa.
But the Mustangs did the next best thing, sustaining a clutch drive for the final 6:45 and holding off the Golden Hurricane, 21-18, in front of 19,329 at Ford Stadium.
"I told the guys before going out, if they want to be champions, this is what you've got to do," Jones said. "End the game right now. {ellipsis} I was glad we were able to convert and keep the clock moving."
Big picture: The clutch drive capped an all-around game for the Mustangs, who solidified their standing as legitimate contenders for the Conference USA title. SMU (4-2) is 3-0 in league play for the first time since 1986. It finishes out nonconference play next week at Navy before returning home for a league showdown with Houston.
Sophomore quarterback Kyle Padron passed for a season-high 381 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, enjoying big-play connections with receivers Aldrick Robinson (118 yards), Darius Johnson (102 yards) and Cole Beasley (91 yards). SMU totaled 487 yards of offense, though without finding the end zone as often as it wanted.
But the defense limited Tulsa (3-3, 1-2) and quarterback G.J. Kinne, who entered the game with the No. 8 offense in the Football Bowl Subdivision and averaging almost 40 points per game.
The Mustangs also blocked two field goal attempts - one in the first quarter, one in the fourth - that proved crucial.
Tulsa closed to within three on Kinne's three-yard keeper with 6:53 to play and a two-point conversion pass from Kinne to Charles Clay.
But SMU strung together the all-important 12-play drive that ran out the clock. It featured key third-down conversions on runs by Zach Line and Padron.
SMU had taken control during a stretch when it scored 21-straight points, picking on the 118th-ranked pass defense and building a 21-7 lead early in the second half. Tulsa had taken a 7-0 lead early in the game after starting its first drive with a short field at SMU's 47.
SMU's touchdowns all resulted from binge of big plays, including a 22-yard scoring pass to sophomore Darius Johnson and a 99-yard scoring drive late in the first half capped by a 32-yard catch and run by Beasley.
In the meanwhile, the defense was able to disrupt Kinne's timing. It also made a key stop early in the second quarter on fourth-and-1 from the SMU 23, forcing Kinne to throw the ball out of bounds after the Mustangs failed to bite on the swinging gate trick play.
SMU opened the second half by piling on, adding another immediate scoring drive that included a 53-yard passing completion to Robinson over the top. Padron connected 14 yards with Bradley Haynes for the 21-7 lead.
Sophomore DE blocks another field goal, 6CC
