SMU's Rhett Lashlee Watching For Mustangs 'Response' vs. Virginia Tech

We know that the SMU Mustangs are a good football team under Rhett Lashlee, and at 6-2, their record seems to suggest that.

But as we often say, the good hallmark of a great team is how they respond to adversity, and the Mustangs went through it last week.

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Having seemingly had the game in hand, Syracuse scored a touchdown in the final 17 seconds to clinch victory. Ouch.

The Mustangs thought they had the game won, only for the defense to fail to get the stop it needed, and SMU dropped its second game of the season.

But now comes Virginia Tech, who at 6-2, boast a superb defense and an offense that can score in a hurry.

And for Lashlee, he's looking for one thing on Friday night from his team.

"Sometimes a short turnaround is helpful," Lashlee said. "It makes you get back to it quicker because no one is more disappointed, hurt or upset than our coaches and players when we lose. We had a couple guys crying in the locker room because they felt like they were the reason we lost the game. That's not true. So, for all the people who may wonder, yeah, it matters to our guys a lot.

"I think we got a great opportunity against a really good football team, night game, Ford Stadium, to respond. That's the key. It's how are we going to respond, and that's the key, and that's what we're focused on.”

The response is crucial.

Oftentimes, we see that when a team has a bad ending to a game, it can bleed over into their next contest.

They start the game slow, and then before you know it, they are in a big hole.

Lashlee will be hoping that isn't the case for his team.

We know the defensive monsters Virginia Tech has, with three players having at least 9.0 TFLs, while also having four players with at least 3.5 sacks this year. So offensively, it will be a tough outing.

Defensively, we've already spoken of the weapons Virginia Tech has, and quarterback Ethan Grunkemyer has thrown for over 2,000 yards, 17 TDs, and just two interceptions.

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So, this is going to be a true test of SMU's mentals on Friday night.

Will they answer the call, or will they shrink? We're about to find out.