Ranking OU football's opponents in 2023: SMU

Editor’s note: This is part five in a series previewing each of the Sooners’ opponents in 2023. OUInsider will rank all 12 games by their significance, difficulty and entertainment value on a 1-10 scale. The previous installments focused on Arkansas State, Tulsa, Iowa State and West Virginia. This article previews SMU, which is ranked No. 8.

Oklahoma shouldn’t have many issues before conference play begins in 2023. But if there’s potential for the Sooners to slip up during non-conference play, it’s easily in Week 2.

That’s when the Sooners will host SMU at Owen Field. The two teams scheduled a home-and-home series last September after the Sooners’ non-conference game against Georgia was canceled.

SMU certainly isn’t on Georgia’s level, but it’ll propose a challenge. The Mustangs finished 7-6 last season, but four of their losses came by single digits. They fell 42-34 against TCU — the eventual national title runner-up — and narrowly lost 24-23 to BYU in the New Mexico Bowl.

Their calling card is their explosive offense led by head coach Rhett Lashlee’s pass-first system. In 2022, the Mustangs averaged 37.2 points per game and finished 14th nationally in total offense, 12th in scoring offense and seventh in passing offense. There’s reason to believe the Mustangs will be just as dangerous in 2023, particularly after bringing in an impressive transfer portal class.

Here’s a look at what the Sooners can expect from SMU in Week 2:

Significance: 5

Difficulty: 5

Entertainment value: 7

Total score: 17/30

* It’s a non-conference game in September, and the Sooners will be at home. But this game has shootout potential written all over it, and it’s easily the biggest early test for OU. Plus, the two teams have only played seven times and the last meeting came almost 30 years ago.

All time: OU leads 5-1-1

Last meeting: Sept. 16, 1995, Norman, Oklahoma (OU won 24-10).

2022 stats

Offense: 37.2 points per game (12th nationally)

Defense: 33.8 points allowed (119th nationally)

Key departures (2022 stats):

QB Tanner Mordecai (3,524 passing yards, 65% completion, 33 TDs, 10 INTs)

WR Rashee Rice (96 catches, 1,355 yards, 10 TDs)

LB Jimmy Phillips Jr. (85 tackles, 7.5 TFLS, 1 sack)

DL Isaac Slade-Matauia (67 tackles, 4 TFLs, 3 sacks)

Key returners (2022 stats):

QB Preston Stone (*2022 four-star)

RB Tyler Lavine (142 carries, 764 total yards, 10 TDs)

RB Velton Gardner (70 carries, 368 yards, 1 TD)

WR Jordan Kerley (37 catches, 588 yards, 6 TDs)

TE RJ Maryland (28 catches, 296 yards, 6 TDs)

Key additions (2022 stats):

WR Jordan Hudson, TCU, 2022 four-star (14 catches, 174 yards, 3 TDs)

CB Kyron Chambers, TCU, 2022 three-star

CB Keyshon Mills, Colorado, 2022 three-star

* Can the OU defense stop the SMU offense: The Mustangs’ offense last season, quite simply, was one of the best in college football. Nearly all of their stats ranked near the top of the country and they played at one of the fastest paces, ranking fourth in plays per game (79.9) while posting an average time of possession of 27:31.

A big reason for that success, however, was Mordecai, who ranked in the top 15 nationally in passing yards and touchdowns. But Mordecai is gone, and the presumed starter for next season is Stone. The former four-star recruit didn’t see the field a ton last season — he attempted 48 passes in six games — but he was a standout at Parish Episcopal in Dallas, racking up nearly 4,000 total yards and 48 touchdowns as a senior.

The Mustangs did lose their No. 1 wideout in Rice, but they return plenty of talent from last season. If the Sooners can’t find a way to limit the SMU offense, they could be in trouble.

* Will the Sooners’ offense have any issues against SMU’s defense?: As good as the Mustangs’ offense was in 2022, the defense was just as bad. They surrendered 30 points or more in eight games, including 59 and 63 to Tulane and Houston, respectively. The defense also lost its two leading tacklers, though the team managed to add some solid pieces through the transfer portal.

Despite some ups and downs last season, the Sooners’ offense averaged 32.8 points per game. At home against a mediocre defense, it’d be surprising if they can’t rack up points against SMU.

Dillon Gabriel and the Sooners should be able to score in bunches, so the main question will center around the OU defense. If it can slow down the SMU offense, the Sooners should stroll to an easy win in Week 2. If they can’t, the Sooners may have to survive a high-scoring affair on their home field.