AUSTIN, Texas — ***NOTE: The video above is an interview with SMU head Coach Sonny Dykes conducted by Dale Hansen, the Sports Director for WFAA, KVUE's sister station in Dallas.***
Former Longhorn quarterback Shane Buechele has led his new team, the SMU Mustangs, to its first AP Top 25 ranking since 1986, and Sam Ehlinger is all for it.
In a press conference held Tuesday, Ehlinger told reporters that he texted Buechele, his former teammate, after SMU's 48-21 blowout win against South Florida.
A 10-yard touchdown run by Buechele in the third quarter capped off a 41-0 start to the game against South Florida. Buechele was 21-for-25 passing, throwing for 226 yards and three passing touchdowns, and then accounted for that extra rushing touchdown.
"They better start building a statue of Shane Buechele,” Ehlinger said in the press conference.
SMU's achievement of starting 5-0 for the first time in more than 30 years is clearly remarkable – especially for a program that once dominated college football in the Eric Dickerson era, but was then given the "death penalty" by the NCAA in 1987. It is widely regarded as one of the NCAA's worst ever sanctions handed down to a university.
"Given our history, SMU's history, being a very successful program for a long time like it was in the '70s and '80s, and then obviously having the death penalty, it's just been a long climb back," SMU head coach Sonny Dykes said Sunday. "I think it probably means more to our fan base and the SMU people than it does to others because it has been a long climb back. I think it gives our program some credibility."
Buechele ranks tenth in the nation in passing yards (1385), tied for 20th in passing touchdowns (10), 24th in completion percentage (69.4%), and leads the nation's tenth highest scoring offense (44.4 points per game).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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