Tulane @ Southern Methodist preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 20, 2018 ) Southern Methodist 27, Tulane 23

SMU's chance at a spot in the American Athletic Conference championship game fell away after losses at Memphis and at Navy in two of the last three games, but the team still has a shot at its first 10-win campaign since 1984. The Mustangs will try to hit double figures in the win column when they close the regular season by hosting Tulane on Saturday.

SMU climbed as high as No. 14 in the polls before letdowns on the defensive end saw it surrender a total of 140 points in the last three games, with losses to Memphis and Navy wrapped around a win over East Carolina. "It is something that takes a toll, having the defense out there for a long time," Mustangs linebacker Delano Robinson told the Dallas Morning News after the defense spent nearly 40 minutes on the field in the 35-28 loss at Navy. "But at the end of the day, we're a team, we're a defense. No matter how many times we're out there, we've still gotta get the (job done). No matter if we're tired or not, every play counts." Tulane had its own hopes to compete in the AAC before dropping four of its last five games and suffered its first home loss with a 34-31 setback against UCF last week. "We are close," Green Wave coach Willie Fritz told reporters after the loss. "That does not make it feel any better. We are not to the point, talent level, where we can just roll the ball out and beat people. We have to be on point, and I did not feel like we were today. There were some mistakes that were self-inflicted, and we have to do better."

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPNU. LINE: SMU -3.5

ABOUT TULANE (6-5, 3-4 AAC): The Green Wave fell behind early in each of their last four losses and could not dig all the way out of the hole, and eliminating early mistakes is a focus. "Just the offense as a whole," wide receiver Jalen McCleskey told reporters. "We got to be better. We can't get explosive plays and then always have a penalty. We got to execute, do our assignments. As an offense as a whole, we need to start the game better. We can't wait until the second half to start scoring with the ball, that puts our defense in a tough situation and so, we just need to be better at the beginning of the game." Quarterback Justin McMillan led the team with 102 rushing yards last week but went 13-of-27 passing and is 24-of-54 over the last two contests.

ABOUT SMU (9-2, 5-2): The Mustangs took a 21-10 lead into the half against Navy but were outscored 25-7 after the break and failed to put up points over the final 12 minutes. "I was not happy with the way we coached or played," SMU coach Sonny Dykes told reporters. "I'm very disappointed. If you want to have a great season, if you want to make a run, then you've got to do a better job than we did." The Mustangs, who last won 10 games before the NCAA leveled the death penalty on the program in the mid-1980's, are averaging 43.5 points behind quarterback Shane Buechele (3,446 yards, 30 TDs).

EXTRA POINTS

1. Tulane rushed for at least 200 yards in nine of its 11 games.

2. SMU needs 14 points to break the team season record of 492 set in 2017.

3. The Mustangs own a four-game winning streak in the series, beating the Green Wave by four or fewer points in each of the last three seasons.

PREDICTION: SMU 45, Tulane 38