1982 SMU Mustangs football team

1982 SMU Mustangs football
Co-national champion (HAF)
SWC champion
Cotton Bowl Classic champion
ConferenceSouthwest Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 2
Record11–0–1 (7–0–1 SWC)
Head coach
Offensive schemeNo-huddle option
Defensive coordinatorBill Clay (1st season)
Base defense3–4
Captains
Home stadiumTexas Stadium
1982 Southwest Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 $ 7 – 0 – 1 11 – 0 – 1
No. 17 Texas 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
No. 9 Arkansas 5 – 2 – 1 9 – 2 – 1
Houston 4 – 3 – 1 5 – 5 – 1
Baylor 3 – 4 – 1 4 – 6 – 1
Texas Tech 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Texas A&M 3 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
TCU 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Rice 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 11 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1982 SMU Mustangs football team represented the Southern Methodist University in the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the first year for the team under head coach Bobby Collins and the Mustangs finished undefeated at 11–0–1,[1][2] and were Southwest Conference champions (7–0–1).

A tie in their regular season finale against No. 9 Arkansas on November 20 caused the voters in both polls to drop SMU from second to fourth,[3] costing the Mustangs the national championship. The tie was attributed in part to a lengthy and highly questionable pass interference call on Arkansas late in the game that allowed SMU to score the game-tying touchdown,[4] a call that announcer Keith Jackson stated on air was a bad call by the officials. Trailing by a point, head coach Collins opted not to go for the two-point conversion and the lead, and they kicked the extra point to knot the score at seventeen with under three minutes remaining. There was no further scoring, as SMU missed a long field goal attempt in the final seconds.[2][4]

Repeating as SWC champions, the Mustangs earned the automatic bid to the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day, where they defeated sixth-ranked Pittsburgh 7–3.[1][5] Played in near-freezing conditions, it was the final college game for the "Pony Express" running back tandem of Eric Dickerson and Craig James, as well as for Pitt quarterback Dan Marino.

After SMU's tie to Arkansas, Penn State moved up to second and then defeated No. 1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to secure the top spot in the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, despite a slightly less impressive final record of 11–1.[6][7][8]

The Mustangs were runner-up in the final AP Poll, but the Helms Athletic Foundation, in the final year in which it selected a national college football champion, split the honor between SMU and Penn State. On the season, the Mustangs outscored their opponents by a combined score of 354 to 160.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 11Tulane*No. 8
W 51–733,814[9]
September 18at UTEP*No. 6
W 31–1033,509[10]
September 25TCUNo. 6
W 16–1343,321[11]
October 26:58 p.m.North Texas State*No. 7
W 38–1030,118[12]
October 9at BaylorNo. 6
W 22–1930,000[13]
October 16HoustonNo. 5
W 20–1431,817[14]
October 23at No. 19 TexasNo. 4
W 30–1780,157[15]
October 30Texas A&MNo. 4
  • Texas Stadium
  • Irving, TX
W 47–950,008[16]
November 6at RiceNo. 2
W 41–1425,000[17]
November 13at Texas TechNo. 2
W 34–2745,954[18]
November 20No. 9 ArkansasNo. 2
  • Texas Stadium
  • Irving, TX
T 17–1765,101[19]
January 1, 1983vs. No. 6 Pittsburgh*No. 4
W 7–360,359[20]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time

Rankings

See also: 1982 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP6866765442224442
Coaches11—68765443224442

Game summaries

Tulane

See also: 1982 Tulane Green Wave football team
Tulane Green Wave at No. 8 SMU Mustangs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Green Wave 0 0 077
No. 8 Mustangs 7 17 72051

at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas

  • Date: September 11
  • Game time: 7:12 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 92 °F (33 °C)
  • Game attendance: 33,814
  • TV: Superstation WTBS
Statistics Tulane SMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Tulane Passing
Rushing
Receiving
SMU Passing
Rushing
Receiving

SMU romped to a season-opening victory over Tulane with a school-record 519 yards rushing. Senior Eric Dickerson ran for 183 yards and two touchdowns, and went over 3,000 career rushing yards. Craig James added 110 yards and a touchdown. It was the 10th time Dickerson and James each ran for more than 100 yards in the same game.[21]

At UTEP

See also: UTEP Miners football
No. 6 SMU Mustangs at UTEP Miners – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 6 Mustangs 14 14 3031
Miners 0 7 3010

at Sun Bowl • El Paso, Texas

  • Date: September 18
  • Game time: 6:40 p.m. CDT
  • Game attendance: 33,509
Statistics SMU UTEP
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
SMU Passing
Rushing
Receiving
UTEP Passing
Rushing
Receiving

TCU

See also: 1982 TCU Horned Frogs football team and Battle for the Iron Skillet
TCU Horned Frogs at No. 6 SMU Mustangs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Horned Frogs 0 3 10013
No. 6 Mustangs 0 6 01016

at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas

  • Date: September 25
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game attendance: 43,321
Statistics TCU SMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
TCU Passing
Rushing
Receiving
SMU Passing
Rushing
Receiving

In the Battle for the Iron Skillet, SMU beat TCU 16–13.

North Texas State

See also: North Texas Mean Green football
North Texas State Mean Green at No. 7 SMU Mustangs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Mean Green 0 7 3010
No. 7 Mustangs 14 10 7738

at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas

  • Date: October 2
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game attendance: 30,118
Statistics North Texas State SMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
North Texas State Passing
Rushing
Receiving
SMU Passing
Rushing
Receiving

At Baylor

See also: 1982 Baylor Bears football team
No. 6 SMU Mustangs at Baylor Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 6 Mustangs 0 0 14822
Bears 7 6 0619

at Baylor Stadium • Waco, Texas

  • Date: October 9
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game attendance: 30,000
Statistics SMU Baylor
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
SMU Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Baylor Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Houston

See also: 1982 Houston Cougars football team
Houston Cougars at No. 5 SMU Mustangs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cougars 0 7 0714
No. 5 Mustangs 7 3 7320

at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas

  • Date: October 16
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST
  • Game attendance: 31,817
  • TV: USA
Statistics Houston SMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Houston Passing
Rushing
Receiving
SMU Passing
Rushing
Receiving

At Texas

See also: 1982 Texas Longhorns football team
No. 4 SMU Mustangs at No. 19 Texas Longhorns – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 4 Mustangs 0 7 32030
No. 19 Longhorns 0 0 01717

at Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, Texas

Statistics SMU Texas
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
SMU Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Texas Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Texas A&M

See also: 1982 Texas A&M Aggies football team
Texas A&M Aggies at No. 4 SMU Mustangs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Aggies 0 0 369
No. 4 Mustangs 16 10 14747

at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas

  • Date: October 30
  • Game time: 11:30 a.m. CST
  • Game attendance: 50,008
  • Referee: Wendell Shelton
  • TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (play–by–play) and Steve Davis (color commentator)
Statistics Texas A&M SMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Texas A&M Passing
Rushing
Receiving
SMU Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Eric Dickerson ran for over 200 yards and 3 touchdowns on 14 carries.

At Rice

See also: 1982 Rice Owls football team
No. 2 SMU Mustangs at Rice Owls – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 2 Mustangs 0 20 71441
Owls 0 0 14014

at Rice Stadium • Houston, Texas

  • Date: November 6
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
  • Game attendance: 25,000
Statistics SMU Rice
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
SMU Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Rice Passing
Rushing
Receiving

In the Mayor's Cup, SMU beat Rice 41–14.

At Texas Tech

See also: 1982 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team

Arkansas

See also: 1982 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
No. 9 Arkansas Razorbacks at No. 2 SMU Mustangs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 9 Razorbacks 7 0 3717
No. 2 Mustangs 0 7 3717

at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas

Going into this game, SMU needed a victory or a tie to claim the SWC championship and secure a trip to the Cotton Bowl. Arkansas, on the other hand, needed a victory over the Mustangs plus a win over Texas the following week. The game proved to be marred by controversy due to questionable officiating.

Late in the fourth quarter Arkansas led SMU 17-10 with time winding down. From the Mustang 43 yard line, SMU quarterback Lance McIlhenny lofted a pass to receiver Jackie Wilson down the left sideline, with Wilson being defended by Arkansas cornerback Nathan Jones. The pass was long, and Jones was in fact in front of Wilson as both players went to the turf together. Jones was flagged for pass interference, and since that penalty was a spot foul instead of 15 yards at that time in college football, the ball was placed near the Arkansas 15 yard line. SMU would score the game-tying touchdown a few plays later, and the game ended in a 17-17 tie, handing the Mustangs the conference championship. Play-by-play announcer Keith Jackson would even say on live television that the pass interference penalty on Jones was "just a terrible call". The officiating crew was suspended after this game and the NCAA issued an apology to Arkansas. This egregious call directly influenced the NCAA to change the rules for pass interference over the following summer so that a pass interference penalty would be 15 yards and not a spot foul.

Statistics Arkansas SMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Arkansas Passing
Rushing
Receiving
SMU Passing
Rushing
Receiving

[22]

Vs. Pittsburgh (Cotton Bowl)

See also: 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic and 1982 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
No. 6 Pittsburgh Panthers vs. No. 4 SMU Mustangs (Cotton Bowl) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 6 Panthers 0 0 303
No. 4 Mustangs 0 0 707

at Cotton Bowl • Dallas, Texas

  • Date: January 1
  • Game time: 12:30 p.m. CST
  • Game attendance: 60,359
  • Referee: Jimmy Harper
  • TV announcers (CBS): Lindsey Nelson (play–by–play), Pat Haden (color commentator), and Pat O'Brien (sideline reporter)
Statistics Pittsburgh SMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Pittsburgh Passing
Rushing
Receiving
SMU Passing
Rushing
Receiving

[23]


Roster

1982 SMU Mustangs football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
TE 87 Rickey Bolden Jr
OL 67 Andrew Campbell
QB   Jeff Courtwright Sr
RB 36 Mark Crites Jr
RB 19 Eric Dickerson Sr
FB 28 Charles Drayton Injured Sr
RB 21 Reggie Dupard Fr
OT 70 Dale Hellestrae So
RB 32 Craig James Sr
QB 2 Don King Fr
WR 7 Bobby Leach So
QB 11 Lance McIlhenny Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 13 Keith Brooks Fr
DT 74 Michael Carter So
DB 29 Russell Carter Jr
DB 46 Wes Hopkins Sr
CB 1 Rod Jones Fr
LB 91 Clarence McDade Jr
CB 5 Reggie Phillips So
DB 23 Blane Smith Sr
DT 78 Richard Neely Sr
OLB 54 Tony Good Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K 3 Jeff Harrell Jr
P 32 Craig James Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Awards and honors

NFL draft

Six Mustangs were selected in the 1983 NFL draft, which lasted 12 rounds (335 selections).

Player Position Round Pick NFL team
Eric Dickerson Running back 1 2 Los Angeles Rams
Russell Carter Safety 1 10 New York Jets
Wes Hopkins Safety 2 35 Philadelphia Eagles
Gary Moten Linebacker 7 175 San Francisco 49ers
Craig James Running back 7 187 New England Patriots

[27]

References

  1. ^ a b "Mustangs (11-0-1) cotton to No. 1". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 2, 1983. p. 4D.
  2. ^ a b Putnam, Pat (January 10, 1983). "Cottoning on to No. 2, it's SMWho". Sports Illustrated: 21.
  3. ^ "Mustangs lose No. 2 position to Penn State". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. November 23, 1982. p. 3B.
  4. ^ a b "SMU makes a tie as good as a win". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. November 21, 1982. p. 6F.
  5. ^ "SMU in high Cotton after stopping Pitt". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). Associated Press. January 2, 1983. p. 4B.
  6. ^ "Only dissent on No. 1 comes from No. 2". Eugene Register Guard. (Oregon). AP, UPI. January 3, 1983. p. 1C.
  7. ^ "At long last". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 3, 1983. p. 23.
  8. ^ Donovan, Dan (January 3, 1983). "National title belongs to players - Paterno". Pittsburgh Press. p. C1.
  9. ^ "Mustangs run to 51–7 victory over Tulane". Austin American-Statesman. September 12, 1982. Retrieved February 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Mustangs zip Miners, 31–10". Waco Tribune-Herald. September 19, 1982. Retrieved February 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "SMU staves off fired-up TCU". The Monitor. September 26, 1982. Retrieved February 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "SMU Mustangs trample North Texas State". The Daily Advertiser. October 3, 1982. Retrieved October 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Bears fall to Mustang comeback". Longview News-Journal. October 10, 1982. Retrieved February 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "SMU edges Houston, 20–14". The Tyler Courier-Times. October 17, 1982. Retrieved February 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Mustangs roll by Longhorns". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 24, 1982. Retrieved February 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Mustangs overwhelm Texas A&M, 47–9". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. October 31, 1982. Retrieved February 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "SMU pounds Rice". The Post-Crescent. November 7, 1982. Retrieved February 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "SMU's wild kickoff return bails out 34–27 victory". The Galveston Daily News. November 14, 1982. Retrieved February 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "SMU, Arkansas tie; Mustangs win SWC". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. November 21, 1982. Retrieved February 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Ponies cap big year with Cotton victory". Austin American-Statesman. January 2, 1983. Retrieved February 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "SMU's Pony Express mauls Green Wave, 51-7". Shreveport Times via newspapers.com. September 12, 1982. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  22. ^ "S.M.U. IN BOWL AFTER 17-17 TIE". The New York Times. November 21, 1983. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  23. ^ "Stout S.M.U. Defense Holds Off Pitt, 7-3". The New York Times. January 2, 1983. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  24. ^ Eric Dickerson: Pro Football Hall of Fame, http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?PLAYER_ID=55
  25. ^ "'82 Heisman race no Walker in the park". November 1, 2011. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  26. ^ Eric's College Days at SMU, "College". Archived from the original on June 4, 2003. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  27. ^ "1983 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.
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