Hartford Courant Game Capsule
Site: Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas
Time: 4 p.m., Saturday
Line: SMU by 17½. O/U 73½.
Series: SMU, 3-0.
Last meeting: SMU, 27-20, Dec. 6, 2014, Rentschler Field. Matt Davis ran for 191 yards and a touchdown and threw for 145 yards, leading SMU to a comeback victory. UConn led 20-6 at halftime and was outscored 21-0 in the second half.
Weather: 85 degrees. Partly cloudy. 5-10 MPH wind.
TV: ESPNews (Shawn Kenney, Rene Ingoglia)
Radio: WTIC-AM 1080 AM (Joe D'Ambrosio, Wayne Norman, Ken Sweitzer)
Injuries: UConn — LB E.J. Levenberry (knee), out; C Ryan Crozier (knee), out; WR Hergy Mayala (ankle), out; DB Jordan Swann (concussion), doubtful; LS Nick Zecchino (undisclosed), out; DE James Atkins (calf), out; SMU — CB Christian Davis (ankle), questionable; CB Cedric Lancaster (elbow), out; CB Jordan Wyatt (shoulder), questionable.
>>"We basically run the same offense. It's pretty much identical. You've got misdirection tied in with a play-action shot game down the field. You can't get lulled to sleep with your eyes on the backfield. This is a two-back, run-oriented offense that believes in taking shots. That's what they do. To see him taking that team over the first three weeks, as they build that offense and continue to get confidence — they were effective throwing the ball [against ECU] and also effective running the ball. It's a process, step by step. He's as good an offensive coach as there is in the country. I think you see that as he's moving forward with this team." —SMU coach Chad Morris on the UConn offense and coordinator Rhett Lashlee. Morris and Lashlee have known each other for many years and have shared ideas, particularly when Lashlee was at the coordinator at Auburn and Morris was the coordinator at Clemson.<<