# 2008 SMU Mustangs football team

The 2008 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member the West Division of Conference USA (C-USA) during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by first-year head coach June Jones, the Mustangs compiled an overall record of 1–11 with a mark of 0–8 in conference play, placing last of out of six teams in C-USA's West Division. SMU played their home games at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University Park, Texas.

## Previous season

The 2007 team finished with an overall record of 1–11; the team's only win was against North Texas. The Mustangs went 0–8 in conference play, finishing in last place in the Conference USA's West Division. Sixth year head coach Phil Bennett was fired following the team's last game of the season. Bennett finished his tenure at SMU with a record of 18–52 and never had a winning season.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes

SMU hired June Jones as the program's 17th head coach on January 7, 2008. Jones's contract was worth $2 million, making him the highest paid coach in Conference USA.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 29 | 7:00 p.m. | at Rice | Rice StadiumHouston, TX (rivalry) | ESPN | L 27–56 | 23,164 |
| September 6 | 7:00 p.m. | Texas State* | Gerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TX | | W 47–36 | 22,218 |
| September 13 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 12 Texas Tech* | Jones AT&T StadiumLubbock, TX | FSN | L 7–43 | 53,383 |
| September 20 | 7:00 p.m. | TCU* | Gerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TX (rivalry) | CBSSN | L 7–48 | 30,923 |
| September 25 | 7:00 p.m. | at Tulane | Louisiana SuperdomeNew Orleans, LA | CBSSN | L 27–34 | 25,643 |
| October 4 | 2:30 p.m. | at UCF | Bright House Networks StadiumOrlando, FL | CBSSN | L 17–31 | 43,147 |
| October 11 | 2:00 p.m. | Tulsa | Gerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TX | | L 31–37 | 13,020 |
| October 18 | 7:00 p.m. | Houston | Gerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TX (rivalry) | | L 38–44 | 18,972 |
| October 25 | 2:30 p.m. | at Navy* | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MD (Gansz Trophy) | CBSSN | L 7–34 | 31,698 |
| November 8 | 2:00 p.m. | Memphis | Gerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TX | | L 26–31 | 18,224 |
| November 15 | 8:05 p.m. | at UTEP | Sun Bowl StadiumEl Paso, TX | | L 10–36 | 30,271 |
| November 29 | 2:00 p.m. | Southern Miss | Gerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TX | | L 12–28 | 13,020 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### At Rice

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mustangs | 13 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Owls | 14 | 14 | 28 | 0 | 56 |
at Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: August 29
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 23,164
* TV: ESPN
* Recap, Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SMU – Aldrick Robinson 26-yard pass from Bo Levi Mitchell (Thomas Morstead kick), 10:55. Mustangs 7–0. Drive: 1 plays, 26 yards, 0:09.
SMU – Bradley Haynes 19-yard pass from Bo Levi Mitchell (kick failed), 2:00. Mustangs 13–0. Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:28.
RICE – James Casey 7-yard pass from Chase Clement (Clark Fangmeier kick), 0:52. Mustangs 13–7. Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards, 1:08.
RICE – Patrick Randolph 35-yard pass from Chase Clement (Clark Fangmeier kick), 0:00. Owls 14–13. Drive: 1 play, 35 yards, 0:04.
Second quarter
RICE – Jarrett Dillard 21-yard pass from Chase Clement (Clark Fangmeier kick), 9:11. Owls 21–13. Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 3:54.
RICE – Corbin Smiter 12-yard pass from Chase Clement (Clark Fangmeier kick), 4:26. Owls 28–13. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 2:25.
Third quarter
SMU – Aldrick Robinson 22-yard pass from Bo Levi Mitchell (Thomas Morstead kick), 13:57. Owls 28–20. Drive: 3 plays, 23 yards, 0:56.
RICE – Jarrett Dillard 9-yard pass from Chase Clement (Clark Fangmeier kick), 9:08. Owls 35–20. Drive: 11 plays, 74 yards, 4:49.
RICE – James Casey 1-yard run (Clark Fangmeier kick), 8:41. Owls 42–20. Drive: 1 play, 1 yard, 0:04.
RICE – Andrew Sendejo 55-yard interception return (Clark Fangmeier kick), 7:31. Owls 49–20.
RICE – Jarrett Dillard 8-yard pass from Chase Clement (Clark Fangmeier kick), 0:33. Owls 56–20. Drive: 1 play, 8 yards, 0:04.
Fourth quarter
SMU – Emmanuel Sanders 32-yard pass from Logan Turner (Thomas Morstead kick), 2:10. Owls 56–27. Drive: 8 plays, 88 yards, 3:43.
Top passers
SMU – Bo Levi Mitchell – 25/43, 244 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
RICE – Chase Clement – 24/37, 258 yards, 6 TD
Top rushers
SMU – DeMyron Martin – 8 rushes, 28 yards
RICE – Chase Clement – 13 rushes, 87 yards
Top receivers
SMU – Emmanuel Sanders – 8 receptions, 121 yards, TD
RICE – Jarrett Dillard – 7 receptions, 89 yards, 3 TD :

### Texas State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bobcats | 0 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 36 |
| Mustangs | 14 | 16 | 3 | 14 | 47 |
at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, Texas
* Date: September 6
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 22,218
* Recap, Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SMU – Emmanuel Sanders 21-yard pass from Bo Levi Mitchell (Thomas Morstead kick), 11:18. Mustangs 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 57 yards, 3:42.
SMU – Aldrick Robinson 32-yard pass from Bo Levi Mitchell (Thomas Morstead kick), 4:26. Mustangs 14–0. Drive: 3 plays, 38 yards, 1:01.
Second quarter
SMU – Emmanuel Sanders 8-yard pass from Bo Levi Mitchell (Thomas Morstead kick), 11:45. Mustangs 21–0. Drive: 1 play, 8 yards, 0:20.
TXST – Karrington Bush 2-yard run (kick blocked), 3:33. Mustangs 21–6. Drive: 17 plays, 80 yards, 8:12.
SMU – Derrius Bell 98-yard defensive 2-point conversion, 3:33. Mustangs 23–6.
SMU – Emmanuel Sanders 35-yard pass from Bo Levi Mitchell (Thomas Morstead kick), 2:45. Mustangs 30–6. Drive: 3 plays, 56 yards, 0:48.
TXST – Cameron Luke 9-yard pass from Clint Toon (Andrew Ireland kick), 0:02. Mustangs 30–13. Drive: 14 plays, 76 yards, 2:43.
Third quarter
TXST – Cameron Luke 17-yard pass from Clint Toon (kick failed), 9:31. Mustangs 30–19. Drive: 3 plays, 67 yards, 1:15.
SMU – Thomas Morstead 30-yard field goal, 5:44. Mustangs 33–19. Drive: 13 plays, 47 yards, 3:47.
TXST – Andrew Ireland 34-yard field goal, 2:14. Mustangs 33–22. Drive: 7 plays, 57 yards, 3:23.
Fourth quarter
SMU – DeMyron Martin 7-yard run (Thomas Morstead kick), 14:00. Mustangs 40–22. Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:09.
TXST – Cameron Luke 29-yard pass from Clint Toon (Andrew Ireland kick), 10:38. Mustangs 40–29. Drive: 6 plays, 56 yards, 3:22.
SMU – Aldrick Robinson 34-yard pass from Bo Levi Mitchell (Thomas Morstead kick), 7:12. Mustangs 47–29. Drive: 6 plays, 72 yards, 3:26.
TXST – Karrington Bush 5-yard pass from Clint Toon (Andrew Ireland kick), 2:41. Mustangs 47–36. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:31.
Top passers
TXST – Clint Toon – 19/27, 225 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
SMU – Bo Levi Mitchell – 24/37, 370 yards, 5 TD
Top rushers
TXST – Karrington Bush – 15 rushes, 111 yards, TD
SMU – DeMyron Martin – 7 rushes, 44 yards, TD
Top receivers
TXST – Cameron Luke – 6 receptions, 123 yards, 3 TD
SMU – Aldrick Robinson – 8 receptions, 172 yards, 2 TD :

### At No. 12 Texas Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mustangs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| No. 12 Red Raiders | 15 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 43 |
at Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, Texas
* Date: September 13
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 53,383
* Referee: Adrian Hill
* TV: FSN
* Recap, Box score
Game information :
First quarter
TTU – Donnie Carona 35-yard field goal, 12:29. Red Raiders 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 30 yards, 2:19.
TTU – Baron Batch 43-yard run (kick failed), 6:36. Red Raiders 9–0. Drive: 2 plays, 46 yards, 0:45.
TTU – Michael Crabtree 23-yard pass from Graham Harrell (pass failed), 5:39. Red Raiders 15–0. Drive: 2 plays, 21 yards, 0:37.
Second quarter
TTU – Michael Crabtree 47-yard pass from Graham Harrell (Donnie Carona kick), 8:51. Red Raiders 22–0. Drive: 6 plays, 98 yards, 2:09.
Third quarter
TTU – Michael Crabtree 50-yard pass from Graham Harrell (Donnie Carona kick), 13:30. Red Raiders 29–0. Drive: 4 plays, 72 yards, 1:30.
TTU – Edward Britton 7-yard pass from Graham Harrell (Donnie Carona kick), 3:52. Red Raiders 36–0. Drive: 7 plays, 88 yards, 3:32.
Fourth quarter
TTU – Detron Lewis 44-yard pass from Graham Harrell (Donnie Carona kick), 13:04. Red Raiders 43–0. Drive: 11 plays, 84 yards, 4:48.
SMU – Aldrick Robinson 7-yard pass from Logan Turner (Thomas Morstead kick), 3:29. Red Raiders 43–7. Drive: 15 plays, 86 yards, 6:09.
SMU – Bo Levi Mitchell – 13/24, 155 yards, 5 INT
TTU – Graham Harrell – 31/48, 418 yards, 5 TD
Top rushers
SMU – DeMyron Martin – 10 rushes, 33 yards
TTU – Baron Batch – 10 rushes, 98 yards, TD
Top receivers
SMU – Emmanuel Sanders – 8 receptions, 125 yards
TTU – Michael Crabtree – 8 receptions, 164 yards, 3 TD :

### TCU

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Horned Frogs | 14 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 48 |
| Mustangs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, Texas
* Date: September 20
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 30,923
* TV: CBSSN
* Recap, Box score
Game information :
First quarter
TCU – Joseph Turner 4-yard run (Ross Evans kick), 12:21. Horned Frogs 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards, 1:39.
TCU – Jerry Hughes 24-yard interception return (Ross Evans kick), 9:15. Horned Frogs 14–0.
Second quarter
TCU – Ross Evans 19-yard field goal, 6:04. Horned Frogs 17–0. Drive: 15 plays, 67 yards, 7:29.
TCU – Ross Evans 23-yard field goal, 0:19. Horned Frogs 20–0. Drive: 14 plays, 62 yards, 3:31.
Third quarter
TCU – Joseph Turner 4-yard run (Ross Evans kick), 10:37. Horned Frogs 27–0. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 4:23.
TCU – Andy Dalton 5-yadr run (Ross Evans kick), 7:06. Horned Frogs 34–0. Drive: 4 plays, 35 yards, 1:12.
SMU – Cole Loftin 4-yard pass from Bo Levi Mitchell (Thomas Morstead kick), 5:25. Horned Frogs 34–7. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 1:41.
Fourth quarter
TCU – Evan Frosch 1-yard pass from Marcus Jackson (Ross Evans kick), 9:33. Horned Frogs 41–7. Drive: 15 plays, 83 yards, 7:44.
TCU – Marcus Jackson 79-yard run (Ross Evans kick), 4:00. Horned Frogs 48–7. Drive: 3 plays, 86 yards, 1:38.
Top passers
TCU – Andy Dalton – 16/25, 210 yards
SMU – Bo Levi Mitchell – 20/36, 218 yards, TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
TCU – Marcus Jackson – 7 rushes, 115 yards, TD
SMU – Chris Butler – 2 rushes, 5 yards
Top receivers
TCU – Aaron Brown – 4 receptions, 60 yards
SMU – Aldrick Robinson – 4 receptions, 70 yards :