SMU Seeks 1st Win Against Montana State
DALLAS (AP) -- Montana State (1-0) at SMU (0-1), 7 p.m. CT Saturday (ESPN3)
Series record: First meeting.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
SMU is looking for its first victory in its first season as a member of a BCS-AQ conference (the American Athletic Conference, the former Big East Conference). This is the only Mustangs opponent this season not from a BCS-AQ conference. Montana State, No. 3 in the FCS polls, will try to do what the top two teams (North Dakota State and Eastern Washington) and six other FCS teams did in the opening week of the season and beat a team from the upper-tier FBS.
KEY MATCHUP
SMU receivers Jeremy Johnson (12 catches for 131 yards) and Darius Joseph (11-103) against Montana State secondary. The Mustangs rolled 490 total yards in their opener, 388 through the air. Montana State has three senior starters and a junior in the secondary, including Texas transfer Eryon Barnett.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Montana St.: DE Brad Daly had four tackles for losses in the season opener. He also had a sack, the 21st of his career, the most among FCS active players.
SMU: Another Line for the Mustangs. Freshman RB Prescott Line gets his first start, after redshirting last year while his brother Zach wrapped up a standout career at SMU (4,185 yards and 47 touchdowns). Line got in the opener after starter Traylon Shead sustained a strained knee.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Mustangs have an open week after the Montana State game, then play back-to-back road games against Top 25 teams in No. 7 Texas A&M from the SEC and No. 24 TCU from the Big 12. Their next home game is their AAC opener against Rutgers. --- DeNarius McGhee, the fourth-year Montana State starting quarterback, has a 31-8 record. The 31 wins are a school record. --- Seven players on the Montana State two-deep roster are from Texas.
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