Patrick Engel

Contributor @SMUMustangsOn3 | Former Notre Dame beat reporter | @SMU and @MedillSchool alum

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

SMU QB Kevin Jennings' career-best interception-less streak ends at 182 pass attempts--on a throw that hit a jumping defensive tackle's helmet and was tipped in the air.

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

On the other side of SMU special teams: Kicker Brendan Baird missed his first career FG attempt Sept. 26.

Since then, he's made 8 in a row, including four from 40+ yards. He also has an FBS-best 94.6% touchback rate on kickoffs.

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

Yamir Knight has returned 16 punts this year. Six have of those been impacted by penalties, which have wiped out 226 return yards.

Saturday’s wiped-out 60-yarder that would’ve given MSU 1st-and-goal felt like the most impactful and critical https://t.co/YiuLgEwJNo

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

SMU*

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

Yamir Knight has returned 16 punts this year. Six have of those been impacted by penalties, which have wiped out 226 return yards.

Saturday’s wiped-out 60-yarder that would’ve given MSU 1st-and-goal felt like the most impactful and critical https://t.co/YiuLgEwJNo

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

Louisville buried SMU with 3 long TD runs in the second half.

Since then, SMU has given up 0 rushing TDs to RBs and just 2 overall. In the last 15 quarters, its longest run allowed to an RB is 10 yards.

The run defense now looks like a strength https://t.co/tDQsi40zoA

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

SMU QB Kevin Jennings has not thrown an interception in his last 116 pass attempts, the longest streak of his career.

He has gone three straight starts without an INT, which has not happened since his first three games after supplanting Preston Stone in Sept. 2024.

[Josh Dubow @JoshDubowAP]

SMU trailed Cal 20-17 at half and won 59-20. The last time a team trailed at half and won by 39+ points came on Nov. 8, 2003 when Texas trailed Oklahoma State 16-14 at half and won 55-16

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

Unlike any expansion before or even realignment, a 24-team playoff fundamentally changes how we value and process on Saturdays from August through November.

Nobody was asking for that kind of
change to the regular season.

[Pete Thamel @PeteThamel]

Sources: The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams, per sources. The new format will start in 2027 and is expected to come together in the near future, pending final approvals.

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

In short, these graphs from an SMU perspective:

SMU is a pretty efficient offense, a good anti-efficiency defense, good at generating explosive plays but below average at preventing them.

[💫🅰️♈️🆔 @ADavidHaleJoint]

Just as I'm sure I predicted before the season, the best explosive play rate differentials in the country belong to... Northwestern and Wake Forest.

Explosives vs. success + offense and defense splits...

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

Marques White, SMU’s sack leader, enrolled in college when Chad Morris was still at Arkansas. He and fellow SMU DE Aakil Washington have 15(!) combined years of CFB experience.

They’re also two big seasons why SMU’s defense ranks top-15 in havoc rate https://t.co/DNzMi5W23K

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

SMU had 567 yards on its own against Missouri State last week.

Today, the Mustangs and Boston College combined for 540. If you love sloppy execution, whew was this the game for you.

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

Yes, this is real.

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

SMU is the only FBS team without a win when scoring under 24 points since 2014.

Its most recent was beating UTEP 17-0 on Oct. 6, 2012. If you want to remember some guys, take a look at the box score from that day.

[Stick to the Model @StickToTheModel]

"We're not in the entertainment business"

No one wins like Iowa

[Billy Embody @BillyEmbody]

.@PatrickEngel_ breaks down how SMU is the most explosive offense in college football so far this season.

Great look in his ‘Stangs Snaps and Stats: https://t.co/MZ6LyDWteK

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

SMU is 1st in FBS in yards per pass attempt, 1st in 20+ and 30+ yard plays, 2nd in comp. % and 5th in yards per play.

…but 35th in points per game and 52nd in points per drive.

Might be the most explosive offense in CFB. The scoring needs to reflect it https://t.co/dvZSVlrt5f

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

SMU outgained Missouri State by 353 yards and averaged nearly four more yards per play. It had 10 plays of at least 20 yards.

The Mustangs only won by 10.

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

For the second time this season, SMU went an entire half without punting (first half against Florida State being the other).

Those two halves featured 12 combined possessions. Only four ended in touchdowns. That’s a lot of empty yards.

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

After last week, SMU needed Louisville to find at least one loss on what appears to be a pretty light ACC schedule. All it took was one week.

Louisville is now 1-3 in the four games (all against unranked teams) following its top-20 wins under Jeff Brohm.

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

In two Power 4 games, SMU has allowed 6.1 yards per rush (when removing kneeldowns, sacks and bad snaps). Its three runs of 50+ yards allowed are more than all but one FBS team this year.

Big-play prevention starts with more playmaking from the front 7 https://t.co/6JxzwAmZfM

[Patrick Engel @PatrickEngel_]

Through 2 full weeks, no FBS team has more 50+ yard passing plays than SMU (5). The team right behind with 4? It's Louisville. They're both top-5 in yards per pass.

Points and passing yards feel like they'll be plentiful this afternoon.

[OnThePonyExpress - SMU Mustangs @SMUMustangsOn3]

New: The @SMUMustangsOn3 staff makes their picks ahead of No. 16 SMU’s trip to face No. 23 Louisville.

Can the Mustangs notch another big ACC road win?

Story: https://t.co/mOpp0otdLG