SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee met with the media after the 40-10 win for the Mustangs over Stanford to get bowl eligible. Here’s what he had to say as his team moved to 6-1.
Opening statement: “Obviously we’re really happy to get win No. 6 and be 3-0 in the league, come on the road, get a road conference win. Those are always good. So, really was pleased with how fast we started. I was kind of worried about that coming off the bye week. We started really fast, obviously the first play of the game. I thought our defense was strong throughout. In the middle, wasn’t pleased with … we had two turnovers on a special team. We had another pick that led to a touchdown inside our own 10. It’s kind of sloppy with a lot of holding penalties and things like that. At the end of the day, really a lot of respect for Troy (Taylor) and his unit. I think he’s going to do a really good job here. They play the game the right way, and we’re very fortunate to get out here and win.
On bowl eligibility: “It’s awesome. Seven games in to say we’re bowl eligibile that’s something you’ve got to check off every year. That’s your hope. If you want to go somewhere, you’ve got to get to that point. To do it in our first year in the league is humbling. I think our guys do know we’ve just put ourselves in position to play for stuff continually down the stretch, but I don’t think we’re going to sit around and be satisfied with that’s the end result that we want, but it is a big deal, and so we’re really proud of us for that.”