SMU Defense Smothers UC Davis in 56-10 Statement Win

SMU’s offense will get most of the attention after hanging 56 points on UC Davis, but the bigger long-term takeaway may be what the Mustangs’ defense did in Saturday’s 56-10 win.

SMU held UC Davis to just 233 total yards, forced two turnovers and completely controlled third down.

MORE: Kevin Jennings Torches UC Davis as No. 17 SMU Rolls 56-10

The Aggies converted only 2 of 13 third-down attempts, a 15.4 percent success rate, and never found any consistent rhythm against a defense that played faster and more aggressively than it did a week earlier against Florida State.

UC Davis entered 2-0 after scoring 34 points against Portland State and 49 against San Diego. Quarterback Treynor Cleeland had thrown five touchdown passes the previous week.

SMU erased that momentum.

Cleeland was held to 83 passing yards on 11-of-26 passing and threw an interception before being replaced with the Aggies buried late in the game. SMU also limited UC Davis to 62 rushing yards and 2.6 yards per carry.

The most impressive sequence came late in the second quarter.

With UC Davis pinned near its own goal line, SMU intercepted Cleeland and quickly turned the mistake into points. The defense then forced another 3-and-out, allowing Kevin Jennings and the offense to score again before halftime.

In roughly 90 seconds, SMU turned a comfortable lead into a 42-0 avalanche.

That’s what complementary football looks like.

The Mustangs weren’t simply preventing points. They were creating short fields, getting the offense additional possessions and making UC Davis play from behind before the Aggies could establish anything offensively.

SMU finished without allowing a touchdown until the outcome had long been decided.

There should still be some context applied. UC Davis is an FCS opponent, and SMU had a significant talent advantage across the roster.

The defensive performance becomes much more meaningful if it carries over next week against No. 24 Louisville.

But after allowing Florida State to rush for 199 yards in the opener, Saturday was encouraging.

SMU controlled the line of scrimmage, tackled well and consistently won money downs.

MORE: SMU Injury Questions Linger Ahead of UC Davis Home Opener

Kevin Jennings and the offense may determine how high SMU’s ceiling ultimately reaches.

If the defense continues playing like this, though, the Mustangs could become considerably more complete - and considerably more dangerous - than an explosive offense alone would suggest.