Louisiana Tech rolls in Frisco Bowl
J’mar Smith threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score, Louisiana Tech’s defense scored twice and the Bulldogs rolled to a 51-10 victory over sloppy Southern Methodist on Wednesday night in the Frisco Bowl in Frisco, Texas.
Smith completed 15 of 23 passes for 216 yards, and Teddy Veal caught four passes for 84 yards for Louisiana Tech (7-6). The Bulldogs led 42-10 at the half, setting a school record for first-half points in a bowl game.
SMU (7-6) fumbled on its first snap and turned it over on its first three drives and six times overall.
It was a disappointing debut for SMU coach Sonny Dykes against his former school.
With most of the staff joining Chad Morris at Arkansas, Dykes elected to coach the bowl game and installed graduate assistant G.J. Kinne as offensive coordinator for the game. It didn’t have the desired effect.
The Bulldogs defense intercepted two passes for touchdowns in the first half.
Players suspended
Notre Dame has indefinitely suspended wide receiver Kevin Stepherson and running back C.J. Holmes from footballrelated activities.
Coach Brian Kelly announced the suspensions Wednesday. The reason was not provided, but WNDUTV reported Stepherson and Holmes were caught shoplifting clothing from a department store. They have not yet been charged or booked into jail.
Big commits
Cade Mays joined offensive guard Jamaree Salyer and defensive end Brenton Cox as previously uncommitted players to choose Georgia. The Bulldogs have commitments from seven of the top 31 prospects, according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports . ... The highestranked previously uncommitted player to sign Wednesday was defensive end Micah Parsons, who chose Penn State . ... Clemson has signed four of the nation’s top 10 prospects, including quarterback Trevor Lawrence and defensive end K.J. Henry . ... Of all the new coaches, Florida’s Dan Mullen arguably produced the biggest recruiting coup as the Gators signed quarterback Emory Jones, who had been committed to Ohio State. Jones is ranked 40th in the 247Sports Composite . ... Other quarterbacks to make switches over the last week include Matt Corral (Florida to Ole Miss), JT Shrout (California to Tennessee), Adrian Martinez (Tennessee to Nebraska) and Spencer Petras (Oregon State to Iowa) . ... The nation’s top-rated tight end, Jeremy Ruckert, and defensive tackle, Taron Vincent, were among the 21 recruits locked up by Ohio State.