# 2023 SMU Mustangs football team

The 2023 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mustangs played their home games at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University Park, Texas, a separate city within the city limits of Dallas, and competed in the American Athletic Conference (The American). They were led by second-year head coach Rhett Lashlee.
For the first time since 2019, the Mustangs won six conference games. The Mustangs finished the regular season going 8–0 in conference play to qualify for the AAC Championship Game, for the Mustangs' first appearance in a conference championship game since the 2010 CUSA Championship Game. SMU defeated Tulane 26–14 in the title game for the program's first conference title since 1984 when the Mustangs won a share of the Southwest Conference title. After defeating Tulane, SMU accepted a bid to compete in the 2023 Fenway Bowl against Boston College. In the final CFP rankings, SMU fell one spot behind undefeated C-USA champion Liberty University, narrowly missing the opportunity to play in the Fiesta Bowl against Oregon on New Year's Day. This was SMU's final season in the American before they moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024.
The SMU Mustangs football team drew an average home attendance of 22,616 in 2023.

## Preseason
### Media poll

The American Athletic Conference preseason poll was released on July 25. The Mustangs were predicted to finish third in the conference.
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Tulane | 457 (20) |
| 2 | UTSA | 440 (9) |
| 3 | SMU | 397 (3) |
| 4 | Memphis | 362 (1) |
| 5 | Florida Atlantic | 312 |
| 6 | East Carolina | 303 |
| 7 | North Texas | 261 |
| 8 | UAB | 209 (1) |
| 9 | Navy | 199 |
| 10 | Temple | 182 |
| 11 | Tulsa | 160 |
| 12 | Rice | 138 |
| 13 | South Florida | 86 |
| 14 | Charlotte | 64 |

## Schedule

SMU and the American Athletic Conference (AAC) announced the 2023 football schedule on February 21, 2023. The Mustangs' regular season schedule consisted of six home games and six away games.
SMU played three of the six new conference members, hosting Charlotte and North Texas and traveled to Rice. Additionally, SMU hosted AAC foes Tulsa and Navy and traveled to East Carolina, Temple, and Memphis.
For non-conference play, SMU hosted Louisiana Tech from Conference USA and FCS Prairie View A&M from the Southwestern Athletic Conference and traveled to Oklahoma and TCU, both from the Big 12 Conference.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 11:00 a.m. | Louisiana Tech* | | Gerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TX | ESPNU | W 38–14 | 21,490 |
| September 9 | 5:00 p.m. | at No. 18 Oklahoma* | | Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK | ESPN+ | L 11–28 | 84,186 |
| September 16 | 6:00 p.m. | Prairie View A&M* | | Gerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TX | ESPN+ | W 69–0 | 24,489 |
| September 23 | 11:00 a.m. | at TCU* | | Amon G. Carter StadiumFort Worth, TX (Battle for the Iron Skillet) | FS1 | L 17–34 | 51,243 |
| September 30 | 6:30 p.m. | Charlotte | | Gerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TX | ESPNU | W 34–16 | 25,385 |
| October 12 | 6:30 p.m. | at East Carolina | | Dowdy–Ficklen StadiumGreenville, NC | ESPN | W 31–10 | 33,444 |
| October 20 | 6:00 p.m. | at Temple | | Lincoln Financial FieldPhiladelphia, PA | ESPN | W 55–0 | 11,232 |
| October 28 | 11:00 a.m. | Tulsa | | Gerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TX | ESPNU | W 69–10 | 20,800 |
| November 4 | 6:30 p.m. | at Rice | | Rice StadiumHouston, TX (Battle for the Mayor's Cup) | ESPNU | W 36–31 | 21,632 |
| November 10 | 8:00 p.m. | North Texas | | Gerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TX (Safeway Bowl) | ESPN2 | W 45–21 | 22,043 |
| November 18 | 11:00 a.m. | at Memphis | | Simmons Bank Liberty StadiumMemphis, TN | ESPN2 | W 38–34 | 30,313 |
| November 25 | 11:00 a.m. | Navy | | Gerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TX (Gansz Trophy) | ESPN2 | W 59–14 | 21,490 |
| December 2 | 4:00 p.m. | at No. 22 Tulane | | Yulman StadiumNew Orleans, LA (AAC Championship Game) | ABC | W 26–14 | 25,206 |
| December 28 | 10:00 a.m. | vs. Boston College* | No. 24 | Fenway ParkBoston, MA (Fenway Bowl) | ESPN | L 14–23 | 16,238 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 31) released prior to gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 17 | 22 |
| Coaches | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 24 | 19 | 24 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | Not released |

## Game summaries
### Louisiana Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Mustangs | 14 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 38 |
at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, Texas
* Date: September 2
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 86 °F (30 °C)
* Game attendance: 21,490
* Referee: Tim Rich
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Brian Custer, Rod Gilmore, and Lauren Sisler
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | LT | SMU |
| First downs | 11 | 24 |
| Total yards | 269 | 457 |
| Rushing yards | 28 | 209 |
| Passing yards | 241 | 248 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 26:03 | 33:57 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Hank Bachmeier | 21/33, 241 yards, TD, INT |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Charvis Thornton | 8 rushes, 24 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Koby Duru | 3 receptions, 55 yards, TD |
| SMU | Passing | Preston Stone | 23/37, 248 yards, 3 TD |
| SMU | Rushing | L. J. Johnson Jr. | 14 rushes, 128 yards, TD |
| SMU | Receiving | Jordan Hudson | 2 receptions, 72 yards, TD |
SMU opened the season by defeating Louisiana Tech 38–14. The previous day, SMU had announced that it would join the Atlantic Coast Conference starting in the 2024 season.

### At No. 18 Oklahoma

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mustangs | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11 |
| No. 18 Sooners | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma
* Date: September 9
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 91 °F (33 °C)
* Game attendance: 84,186
* Referee: Michael VanderVelde
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Shawn Kenney, Ryan Leaf, and Tori Petry
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SMU | OU |
| First downs | 21 | 22 |
| Total yards | 367 | 365 |
| Rushing yards | 117 | 189 |
| Passing yards | 250 | 176 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 32:20 | 27:40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| SMU | Passing | Preston Stone | 26/45, 250 yards, TD, INT |
| SMU | Rushing | Jaylan Knighton | 15 rushes, 76 yards |
| SMU | Receiving | Jake Bailey | 7 receptions, 73 yards |
| Oklahoma | Passing | Dillon Gabriel | 19/27, 176 yards, 4 TD |
| Oklahoma | Rushing | Tawee Walker | 21 rushes, 117 yards |
| Oklahoma | Receiving | Andrel Anthony | 7 receptions, 76 yards, TD |
During the 2022 season, SMU signed a contract with the University of Oklahoma to play a two game series non-conference series, which would consist of one home game for each team in the 2023 and 2027 series. The Sooners defeated SMU 28–11 in Norman.

### Prairie View A&M

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mustangs | 14 | 28 | 21 | 6 | 69 |
at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, Texas
* Date: September 16
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 80 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 24,489
* Referee: Scott Hardin
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Ted Emrich and Stanford Routt
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | PV | SMU |
| First downs | 10 | 28 |
| Total yards | 156 | 566 |
| Rushing yards | 94 | 177 |
| Passing yards | 62 | 389 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 34:14 | 25:46 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Prairie View A&M | Passing | Trazon Connley | 6/14, 51 yards |
| Prairie View A&M | Rushing | Ronald Young Jr. | 7 rushes, 32 yards |
| Prairie View A&M | Receiving | Khristopher Simmons | 3 receptions, 25 yards |
| SMU | Passing | Preston Stone | 15/20, 300 yards, 5 TD, INT |
| SMU | Rushing | Camar Wheaton | 16 rushes, 75 yards, TD |
| SMU | Receiving | Roderick Daniels Jr. | 3 receptions, 96 yards, TD |

### At TCU

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mustangs | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Horned Frogs | 7 | 7 | 13 | 7 | 34 |
at Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas
* Date: September 23
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 89 °F (32 °C)
* Game attendance: 51,243
* Referee: Nate Black
* TV announcers (FS1): Eric Collins and Devin Gardner
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SMU | TCU |
| First downs | 21 | 25 |
| Total yards | 416 | 457 |
| Rushing yards | 158 | 192 |
| Passing yards | 258 | 265 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 30:12 | 29:48 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| SMU | Passing | Preston Stone | 16/35, 258 yards, 2 INT |
| SMU | Rushing | Camar Wheaton | 16 rushes, 73 yards, TD |
| SMU | Receiving | Jordan Kerley | 1 reception, 51 yards |
| TCU | Passing | Chandler Morris | 23/32, 261 yards, 3 TD |
| TCU | Rushing | Emani Bailey | 25 rushes, 126 yards, TD |
| TCU | Receiving | Chase Curtis | 2 receptions, 55 yards, TD |
Prior to the start of the 2023 season, TCU announced it was indefinitely suspending the Battle for the Iron Skillet after the 2025 season. TCU defeated SMU 34–17.

### Charlotte

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| 49ers | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 16 |
| Mustangs | 14 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 34 |
at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, Texas
* Date: September 30
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 92 °F (33 °C)
* Game attendance: 25,385
* Referee: Kevin Randall
* TV announcers (ESPNU): John Schriffen, Rocky Boiman, and Dawn Davenport
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | CLT | SMU |
| First downs | 23 | 19 |
| Total yards | 331 | 363 |
| Rushing yards | 167 | 228 |
| Passing yards | 164 | 135 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 35:25 | 24:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Charlotte | Passing | Trexler Ivey | 10/17, 107 yards, TD, INT |
| Charlotte | Rushing | Terron Kellman | 9 rushes, 69 yards |
| Charlotte | Receiving | Jack Hestera | 7 receptions, 81 yards, TD |
| SMU | Passing | Preston Stone | 14/23, 135 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| SMU | Rushing | Jaylan Knighton | 11 rushes, 150 yards, 2 TD |
| SMU | Receiving | Jake Bailey | 3 receptions, 34 yards |
SMU defeated Charlotte 34–16. Former President George W. Bush attended the game and participated in the coin toss.

### At East Carolina

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mustangs | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 31 |
| Pirates | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, North Carolina
* Date: October 12
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT/7:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 62 °F (17 °C)
* Game attendance: 33,444
* Referee: Luke Richmond
* TV announcers (ESPN): Matt Barrie, Dan Mullen, and Harry Lyles Jr.
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SMU | ECU |
| First downs | 14 | 15 |
| Total yards | 333 | 290 |
| Rushing yards | 57 | 97 |
| Passing yards | 276 | 193 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 25:40 | 34:20 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| SMU | Passing | Preston Stone | 19/38, 276 yards, 3 TD |
| SMU | Rushing | Jaylan Knighton | 11 rushes, 26 yards |
| SMU | Receiving | Jordan Kerley | 3 receptions, 69 yards |
| East Carolina | Passing | Mason Garcia | 12/26, 155 yards |
| East Carolina | Rushing | Mason Garcia | 12 rushes, 38 yards, TD |
| East Carolina | Receiving | Chase Sowell | 7 receptions, 120 yards |

### At Temple

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mustangs | 14 | 10 | 17 | 14 | 55 |
| Owls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Date: October 20
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT/7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 63 °F (17 °C)
* Game attendance: 11,232
* Referee: Tim Rich
* TV announcers (ESPN): Anish Shroff, Andre Ware, and Paul Carcaterra
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SMU | TEM |
| First downs | 36 | 12 |
| Total yards | 563 | 131 |
| Rushing yards | 205 | 24 |
| Passing yards | 358 | 107 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 35:02 | 24:58 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| SMU | Passing | Preston Stone | 23/36, 300 yards, 2 TD |
| SMU | Rushing | Jaylan Knighton | 15 rushes, 64 yards, TD |
| SMU | Receiving | Romello Brinson | 5 receptions, 87 yards |
| Temple | Passing | Forrest Brock | 7/15, 60 yards, INT |
| Temple | Rushing | Joquez Smith | 4 rushes, 19 yards |
| Temple | Receiving | Zae Baines | 2 receptions, 27 yards |

### Tulsa

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Hurricane | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Mustangs | 28 | 24 | 14 | 3 | 69 |
at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, Texas
* Date: October 28
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
* Game weather: Rain, 60 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 20,800
* Referee: Kevin Randall
* TV announcers (ESPNU): John Schriffen, Rocky Boiman, and Dawn Davenport
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TLSA | SMU |
| First downs | 14 | 26 |
| Total yards | 247 | 638 |
| Rushing yards | 123 | 192 |
| Passing yards | 124 | 446 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 30:13 | 29:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tulsa | Passing | Braylon Braxton | 10/20, 92 yards, 2 INT |
| Tulsa | Rushing | Anthony Watkins | 15 rushes, 50 yards |
| Tulsa | Receiving | Devan Williams | 3 receptions, 57 yards |
| SMU | Passing | Preston Stone | 15/20, 371 yards, 3 TD |
| SMU | Rushing | Camar Wheaton | 9 rushes, 80 yards, 2 TD |
| SMU | Receiving | RJ Maryland | 2 receptions, 95 yards, TD |
SMU defeated Tulsa 69–10, attaining bowl eligibility. They scored over 50 points in the first half, doing so for the first time since their 77–63 victory over Houston the previous season.

### At Rice

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mustangs | 14 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 36 |
| Owls | 7 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
at Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: November 4
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 75 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 21,632
* Referee: Scott Hardin
* TV announcers (ESPNU): John Schriffen, Charles Arbuckle, and Dawn Davenport
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SMU | RICE |
| First downs | 28 | 13 |
| Total yards | 477 | 290 |
| Rushing yards | 223 | 124 |
| Passing yards | 254 | 166 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 31:31 | 28:29 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| SMU | Passing | Preston Stone | 15/28, 217 yards, 2 TD |
| SMU | Rushing | Preston Stone | 8 rushes, 81 yards, TD |
| SMU | Receiving | Jake Bailey | 4 receptions, 73 yards |
| Rice | Passing | Chase Jenkins | 10/16, 85 yards, INT |
| Rice | Rushing | Dean Connors | 7 rushes, 77 yards, TD |
| Rice | Receiving | Rawson MacNeill | 2 receptions, 68 yards |
SMU defeated Rice 36–31, winning the Mayor's Cup. SMU quarterback Preston Stone and Rice quarterback JT Daniels both suffered from concussions during the game. Stone's concussion put his start against UNT the next week into question, while Daniels did not play again for the rest of the season, announcing his retirement after its conclusion.

### North Texas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mean Green | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Mustangs | 14 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 45 |
at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, Texas
* Date: November 10
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Cloudy, 57 °F (14 °C)
* Game attendance: 22,043
* Referee: Nate Black
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Anish Shroff, Andre Ware, and Paul Carcaterra
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | UNT | SMU |
| First downs | 18 | 28 |
| Total yards | 372 | 552 |
| Rushing yards | 132 | 318 |
| Passing yards | 240 | 234 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 26:34 | 33:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| North Texas | Passing | Chandler Rogers | 18/31, 240 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| North Texas | Rushing | Oscar Adaway III | 11 rushes, 90 yards, TD |
| North Texas | Receiving | Trey Cleveland | 3 receptions, 72 yards, TD |
| SMU | Passing | Preston Stone | 11/20, 234 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| SMU | Rushing | Jaylan Knighton | 17 rushes, 129 yards, TD |
| SMU | Receiving | Moochie Dixon | 3 receptions, 99 yards, TD |
Quarterback Stone cleared concussion protocol prior to the game against UNT, allowing him to lead the team to a 45–21 victory in the Safeway Bowl.

### At Memphis

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mustangs | 7 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 38 |
| Tigers | 10 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 34 |
at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee
* Date: November 18
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 55 °F (13 °C)
* Game attendance: 30,313
* Referee: Luke Richmond
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison, and Stormy Buonantony
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SMU | MEM |
| First downs | 23 | 24 |
| Total yards | 444 | 464 |
| Rushing yards | 158 | 62 |
| Passing yards | 286 | 402 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 28:10 | 31:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| SMU | Passing | Preston Stone | 15/23, 286 yards, 2 TD |
| SMU | Rushing | L. J. Johnson Jr. | 21 rushes, 115 yards, TD |
| SMU | Receiving | Keyshawn Smith | 3 receptions, 63 yards |
| Memphis | Passing | Seth Henigan | 35/51, 402 yards, 2 TD |
| Memphis | Rushing | Blake Watson | 10 rushes, 41 yards, TD |
| Memphis | Receiving | Roc Taylor | 8 receptions, 146 yards |
Both SMU and Memphis were undefeated in conference play prior to the game, meaning the loser would likely be eliminated from contention to play in the conference championship. SMU defeated Memphis 38–34.

### Navy

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Midshipmen | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Mustangs | 28 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 59 |
at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, Texas
* Date: November 25
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 55 °F (13 °C)
* Game attendance: 21,490
* Referee: Tim Rich
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Roy Philpott, Roddy Jones, and Taylor McGregor
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | NAVY | SMU |
| First downs | 14 | 21 |
| Total yards | 253 | 487 |
| Rushing yards | 182 | 118 |
| Passing yards | 71 | 369 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 32:04 | 27:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Navy | Passing | Braxton Woodson | 9/18, 71 yards, INT |
| Navy | Rushing | Braxton Woodson | 18 rushes, 104 yards, TD |
| Navy | Receiving | Alex Tecza | 3 receptions, 34 yards |
| SMU | Passing | Preston Stone | 14/19, 322 yards, 3 TD |
| SMU | Rushing | Tyler Lavine | 7 rushes, 49 yards, 3 TD |
| SMU | Receiving | Moochie Dixon | 4 receptions, 125 yards, 2 TD |
SMU defeated Navy 59–14 to win the Gansz Trophy and guarantee a spot in the conference championship game. SMU scored over 50 points in the first half, and quarterback Preston Stone threw for the most yards in the first quarter of an FBS game since 2019, but he suffered a broken leg late in the first half, leaving him unable to play for the rest of the season.

### At No. 22 Tulane (AAC Championship Game)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mustangs | 7 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 26 |
| No. 22 Green Wave | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Yulman Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: December 2
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Rain, 72 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 25,206
* Referee: Luke Richmond
* TV announcers (ABC): Roy Philpott, Roddy Jones, and Taylor McGregor
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SMU | TULN |
| First downs | 21 | 12 |
| Total yards | 396 | 269 |
| Rushing yards | 193 | 31 |
| Passing yards | 203 | 238 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 34:07 | 25:53 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| SMU | Passing | Kevin Jennings | 19/33, 203 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| SMU | Rushing | Jaylan Knighton | 15 rushes, 75 yards, TD |
| SMU | Receiving | R. J. Maryland | 5 receptions, 56 yards |
| Tulane | Passing | Michael Pratt | 21/36, 238 yards, TD, INT |
| Tulane | Rushing | Makhi Hughes | 11 rushes, 44 yards |
| Tulane | Receiving | Yulkieth Brown | 5 receptions, 90 yards, TD |
Backup quarterback Kevin Jennings made his first career start against Tulane in the championship game. On the first play of the game, Jennings fumbled the ball, allowing Tulane to return it to the 1-yard line and score immediately afterwards. Despite this and two interceptions, SMU led Tulane 14–7 at the end of the first half thanks to its strong defense, which forced Tulane to punt the ball nine times over the course of the game. In the second half, Jennings continued to lead SMU down the field, allowing kicker Collin Rogers to score four field goals. Near the end of the fourth quarter, safety Isaiah Nwokobia intercepted the ball to seal SMU's 26–14 victory over Tulane, winning SMU its first conference championship since 1984. After the game, Nwokobia was awarded the Most Outstanding Player award, becoming the first defensive player to win such an award in an AAC title game.

### Vs. Boston College (Fenway Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 24 Mustangs | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Eagles | 3 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 23 |
at Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
* Date: December 28
* Game time: 10:00 a.m. CST/11:00 a.m. EST a.m.
* Game weather: Rain, 45 °F (7 °C)
* Game attendance: 16,238
* Referee: Kevin Mar
* TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich, and Sherree Burruss
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SMU | BC |
| First downs | 22 | 20 |
| Total yards | 309 | 364 |
| Rushing yards | 118 | 262 |
| Passing yards | 191 | 102 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 29:00 | 31:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| SMU | Passing | Kevin Jennings | 24/48, 191 yards, TD |
| SMU | Rushing | Kevin Jennings | 10 rushes, 51 yards |
| SMU | Receiving | Jake Bailey | 6 receptions, 54 yards |
| Boston College | Passing | Thomas Castellanos | 11/18, 102 yards, INT |
| Boston College | Rushing | Thomas Castellanos | 21 rushes, 156 yards, 2 TD |
| Boston College | Receiving | Jaeden Skeete | 2 receptions, 40 yards |