A TOUGH HOME STRETCH
Grueling final month awaits Mustangs after their quarterback battle settles
Can Reggie Roberson Jr. stay healthy?
How valuable is Roberson? SMU has not lost with the dynamic receiver in the lineup the past two seasons. In 22 career games on the Hilltop, Roberson has caught 117 passes for 2,079 yards and 17 touchdowns. But he’s been sidelined by foot and knee injuries the past two seasons. Fortunately, there is no shortage of depth at wide receiver with Danny Gray, Rashee Rice and Arizona State transfer Jordan Kerley.
Who will start at quarterback?
For the first time since 2016, the Mustangs enter the season with open competition for the quarterback spot. Coach Sonny Dykes was expected to wait until the week of the season opener to make a decision between Tanner Mordecai, highly touted Preston Stone and Derek Green. Mordecai, a former four-star recruit who transferred from Oklahoma in the offseason, began camp with the first-team offense and told the Dallas Morning News he was “completely confident” 8he would be the Week 1 starter. In three seasons with the Sooners, Mordecai completed 50 of 70 passes for 639 yards and four touchdowns.
How will defense look under Jim Leavitt?
When Sonny Dykes went looking for a defensive coordinator this offseason, he turned to Jim Leavitt. Leavitt, who turns 65 this season, takes over a Mustangs defense that allowed 30.9 points and 422.2 yards per game, which ranked 75th and 78th nationally last season. Leavitt promises to do it all, whether odd or even front, zone or man coverage. It’s hard to argue with the approach. He led a top-10 scoring defense at Florida Atlantic last season.
Can the Mustangs survive November?
No AAC team has a tougher final month stretch than SMU, which must navigate a four-game gantlet that includes three straight games — at Memphis, Central Florida, at Cincinnati — against the last three league
champions and Tulsa. Toss-in an Oct. 30 trip to the University of Houston and the Mustangs’ final
five opponents were all picked in the top half of the AAC preseason poll. While wins might be difficult
to come by late in the season, the good news is SMU could be 7-1 or 6-2 heading into the make-or-break finish.
Will Grant Calcaterra give AAC defenses problems?
It’s been a roller coaster ride for Calcaterra, who was an AllBig 12 tight end with early-round NFL potential at Oklahoma who played sparingly in 2019 and sat out the 2020 season to recover from concussions suffered earlier in his career. He transferred to SMU in January with hopes of reviving his career. In three seasons at OU, Calcaterra caught 41 passes for 637 yards and nine touchdowns. If healthy, Calcaterra’s speed and excellent hands should fit nicely as another playmaker in SMU’s offense.