# 1997 SMU Mustangs football team

The 1997 Western Athletic Conference Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Mountain Division of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Mike Cavan, the Mustangs compiled an overall record of 6–5 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, tying for second place in the WAC's Mountain Division. Ten years after the NCAA's 1987 "death penalty" on SMU football, SMU's 1997 campaign was the program's first winning season since the football program resumed operations in 1989. The Mustangs played their home games at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 6 | 6:00 p.m. | Ole Miss* | Vaught–Hemingway StadiumOxford, MS | | L 15–23 | 36,521 |
| September 13 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Arkansas* | Independence StadiumShreveport, LA | | W 31–9 | 23,500 |
| September 20 | 7:00 p.m. | Navy* | Cotton BowlDallas, TX | | L 16–46 | 20,011 |
| September 27 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 23 BYU | Cotton BowlDallas, TX | KSL | L 16–19 $^{OT}$ | 23,701 |
| October 4 | 7:05 p.m. | at New Mexico | University StadiumAlbuquerque, NM | | L 15–22 | 33,128 |
| October 11 | 2:05 p.m. | at Utah | Rice StadiumSalt Lake City, UT | | W 20–19 | 26,611 |
| October 25 | 2:00 p.m. | Wyoming | Cotton BowlDallas, TX | | W 22–17 | 22,403 |
| November 1 | 2:00 p.m. | Rice | Cotton BowlDallas, TX (rivalry) | | W 24–6 | 20,024 |
| November 8 | 2:00 p.m. | UTEP | Cotton BowlDallas, TX | | W 28–14 | 21,280 |
| November 15 | 1:30 p.m. | at Tulsa | Skelly StadiumTulsa, OK | | W 42–41 | 15,234 |
| November 20 | 7:05 p.m. | at TCU | Amon G. Carter StadiumFort Worth, TX (rivalry) | ESPN | L 18–21 | 19,094 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Personnel

Mike Cavan succeeded Tom Rossley as SMU head coach. Rossley coached SMU from 1991 to 1996 and left with a 15–48–3 record. Cavan became SMU's third head coach in the post-"death penalty" era for SMU. Cavan was previously head coach at Valdosta State from 1986 to 1991 and East Tennessee State from 1992 to 1996. This is Cavan's first head coaching job at a Division I-A school.
| Name | Position | Seasons at SMU | Alma Mater |
| Mike Cavan | Head coach | 1 | Georgia (1972) |
| Warren Belin | Linebackers | 1 | Wake Forest (1990) |
| Darrell Dickey | Offensive coordinator, quarterbacks | 1 | Kansas State (1984) |
| Derek Dooley | Wide receivers | 1 | Virginia (1991) |
| Troy Douglas | Running backs | 1 | Appalachian State (1988) |
| Steve Malin | Defensive ends | 4 | East Texas State (1993) |
| David McKnight | Tight ends | 1 | Georgia (1969) |
| Eric Schumann | Defensive coordinator, defensive backs | 1 | Alabama (1977) |
| Randy Williams | Offensive line | 1 | Valdosta State (1991) |
| Source: ||||

## After the season
### Coaching changes

Offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey left SMU to take the head coaching job at North Texas in 1998; Greg Briner, previously the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach at Georgia, succeeded Dickey as offensive coordinator. Offensive line graduate assistant Paul Etheridge was promoted to tight ends and offensive tackles David McKnight moved to running backs coach.

### NFL draft

In the 1998 NFL draft, linebacker Chris Bordano was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round and 161st overall.