Mustangs won’t be tamed by Bulldogs
SMU defense overwhelms Fresno State
HONOLULU – SMU coach June Jones walked out of Aloha Stadium with another win Saturday, thanks largely to a disruptive performance by defensive end Margus Hunt that set the tone for the Mustangs’ 43-10 win over Fresno State in the Hawaii Bowl.
Hunt, the 6-foot-8 senior from Estonia with an 82-inch wing span, forced two fumbles that led to field goals and sacked Derek Carr for a safety as SMU (7-6) built a 22-0 halftime lead.
The Mustangs also returned two interceptions for touchdowns, giving them eight for the season to tie the NCAA record set last year by Southern Miss. Hayden Greenbauer picked off Carr and returned it 83 yards with 1:14 left, the final blow to a miserable night for the Bulldogs (9-4). SMU had seven sacks, the most Fresno State has given up all year.
SMU was playing in a school-record fourth straight bowl game, winning three of those bowl games, twice as big underdogs – a 45-10 win over Nevada in 2009 and Saturday against Fresno State, both in the Hawaii Bowl.
Jones was the coach at Hawaii for eight years, leaving after its unbeaten regular season in 2007. He has won 10 straight in Aloha Stadium.
SMU 43, Fresno State 10
| Fresno St. | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | — | 10 |
| SMU | 0 | 22 | 7 | 14 | — | 43 |
SMU—Gilbert 17 run (Hover kick).
SMU—FG Hover 30.
SMU—Hunt Safety.
SMU—Z.Line 8 run (Hover kick).
SMU—FG Hover 48.
Fre—Adams 6 pass from D.Carr (Breshears kick).
SMU—D.Johnson 21 pass from Gilbert (Hover kick).
Fre—FG Breshears 32.
SMU—T.Reed 69 interception return (Hover kick).
SMU—Greenbauer 83 interception return (Hover kick).
A—30,024.
| Fre | SMU | |
| First downs | 21 | 15 |
| Rushes-yards | 22-(-16) | 37-169 |
| Passing | 362 | 212 |
| Comp-Att-Int | 33-55-2 | 14-28-2 |
| Return Yards | 50 | 187 |
| Punts-Avg. | 6-38.0 | 5-35.8 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 2-2 | 1-0 |
| Penalties-Yards | 3-15 | 3-15 |
| Time of Possession | 26:41 | 33:19 |
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Fresno St., Rouse 13-22, Burse 1-3, D.Carr 8-(minus 41). SMU, Gilbert 18-98, Z.Line 19-71.
PASSING—Fresno St., D.Carr 33-54-2-362, Watson 0-1-0-0. SMU, Gilbert 14-28-2-212.
RECEIVING—Fresno St., Adams 13-144, Watson 5-48, Rouse 5-29, Burse 4-89, Evans 3-20, Harris 2-3, Jensen 1-29. SMU, Thompson 5-82, Fuller 4-84, D.Johnson 3-40, Joseph 1-8, Z.Line 1-(minus 2).