1982 SMU Mustangs football team

American college football season August 2023 February 2026 1982 SMU Mustangs football Southwest Conference SWC 2 2 11–0–1 7–0–1 Bobby Collins 1st No-huddle option Bill Clay 1st 3–4 Craig James Gary Moten Texas Stadium Co-national champion (HAF)SWC championCotton Bowl Classic champion Cotton Bowl Classic W 7–3 vs. Pittsburgh The 1982 SMU Mustangs football team represented the Southern Methodist University in the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the first year for the team under head coach Bobby Collins and the Mustangs finished undefeated at 11–0–1,https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rW8RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XuIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4594%2C451463 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon Associated Press Mustangs (11-0-1) cotton to No. 1 January 2, 1983 4Dhttps://www.si.com/vault/1983/01/10/627614/cottoning-on-to-no-2-its-smwho Sports Illustrated Putnam Pat Cottoning on to No. 2, it's SMWho January 10, 1983 21 and were Southwest Conference champions (7–0–1). The Mustangs won their first ten games, the last of which came on a miraculous 91-yard kickoff return lateral-play in the final seconds against Texas TechYards to Glory - ESPN http://www.espn.com/college-football/feature/video/_/id/6805520/yards-glory 2026-01-08 ESPN.com1982-11-14 'Miracle' Lateral Keeps SMU Unbeaten, 34-27 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1982/11/14/miracle-lateral-keeps-smu-unbeaten-34-27/7d269caf-bbc6-4b77-b533-7f3e08e17f20/ 2026-01-08 The Washington Post en-US 0190-8286 to preserve the unbeaten and untied season to that point. In the regular season finale the following week, a tie against No. 9 Arkansas caused the voters in both polls to drop SMU from second to fourth,https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fhVWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JuIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3504%2C5580331 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon wire services Mustangs lose No. 2 position to Penn State November 23, 1982 3B costing the Mustangs the national championship. The tie was attributed in part to a lengthy and highly questionable pass interference call on Arkansas late in the game that allowed SMU to score the game-tying touchdown,https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fBVWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JuIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6582%2C5355027 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon wire services SMU makes a tie as good as a win November 21, 1982 6F a call that announcer Keith Jackson stated on air was a bad call by the officials. Trailing by a point, head coach Collins opted not to go for the two-point conversion and the lead, and they kicked the extra point to knot the score at seventeen with under three minutes remaining. There was no further scoring, as SMU missed a long field goal attempt in the final seconds. Repeating as SWC champions, the Mustangs earned the automatic bid to the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day, where they defeated sixth-ranked Pittsburgh 7–3.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eTMdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=g6UEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6882%2C217690 Tuscaloosa News Alabama Associated Press SMU in high Cotton after stopping Pitt January 2, 1983 4B Played in near-freezing conditions, it was the final college game for the "Pony Express" running back tandem of Eric Dickerson and Craig James, as well as for Pitt quarterback Dan Marino. After SMU's tie to Arkansas, Penn State moved up to second and then defeated No. 1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to secure the top spot in the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, despite a slightly less impressive final record of 11–1.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rm8RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XuIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6518%2C661061 Eugene Register Guard Oregon Only dissent on No. 1 comes from No. 2 AP, UPI January 3, 1983 1Chttps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DdFRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9G0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5657%2C253054 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Associated Press At long last January 3, 1983 23https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LXEjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=B2AEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6316%2C1476438 Pittsburgh Press Donovan Dan National title belongs to players - Paterno January 3, 1983 C1 The Mustangs were runners-up in the final AP Poll, but the Helms Athletic Foundation, in the final year in which it selected a national college football champion, split the honor between SMU and Penn State. On the season, the Mustangs outscored their opponents by a combined score of 354 to 160. Schedule 1982 AP Central September 11 w y 8 Tulane Texas Stadium Irving, TX 51–7 33,814 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87425472/mustangs-run-to-517-victory-over-tulane/ Austin American-Statesman Mustangs run to 51–7 victory over Tulane September 12, 1982 February 20, 2025 Newspapers.com September 18 w y y 6 UTEP Sun Bowl El Paso, TX 31–10 33,509 https://www.newspapers.com/article/waco-tribune-herald-mustangs-zip-miners/166221245/ Waco Tribune-Herald Mustangs zip Miners, 31–10 September 19, 1982 February 20, 2025 Newspapers.com September 25 w 6 TCU Texas Stadium Irving, TX rivalry 16–13 43,321 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-monitor-smu-staves-off-fired-up-tcu/166260252/ The Monitor SMU staves off fired-up TCU September 26, 1982 February 20, 2025 Newspapers.com October 2 6:30 p.m. w y 7 North Texas State Texas Stadium Irving, TX rivalry 38–10 30,118 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87991562/smu-mustangs-trample-north-texas-state/ The Daily Advertiser SMU Mustangs trample North Texas State October 3, 1982 October 29, 2021 Newspapers.com October 9 w y 6 Baylor Baylor Stadium Waco, TX 22–19 30,000 https://www.newspapers.com/article/longview-news-journal-bears-fall-to-must/166260367/ Longview News-Journal Bears fall to Mustang comeback October 10, 1982 February 20, 2025 Newspapers.com October 16 w 5 Houston Texas Stadium Irving, TX rivalry 20–14 31,817 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tyler-courier-times-smu-edges-housto/166260478/ The Tyler Courier-Times SMU edges Houston, 20–14 October 17, 1982 February 20, 2025 Newspapers.com October 23 w y 4 Texas 19 Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX 30–17 80,157 https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-mustangs-roll-b/166260611/ Fort Worth Star-Telegram Mustangs roll by Longhorns October 24, 1982 February 20, 2025 Newspapers.com October 30 w 4 Texas A&M Texas Stadium Irving, TX 47–9 50,008 https://www.newspapers.com/article/corpus-christi-caller-times-mustangs-ove/166260729/ Corpus Christi Caller-Times Mustangs overwhelm Texas A&M, 47–9 October 31, 1982 February 20, 2025 Newspapers.com November 6 w y 2 Rice Rice Stadium Houston, TX rivalry 41–14 25,000 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-post-crescent-smu-pounds-rice/166260877/ The Post-Crescent SMU pounds Rice November 7, 1982 February 20, 2025 Newspapers.com November 13 w y 2 Texas Tech Jones Stadium Lubbock, TX 34–27 45,954 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-galveston-daily-news-smus-wild-kick/166261026/ The Galveston Daily News SMU's wild kickoff return bails out 34–27 victory November 14, 1982 February 20, 2025 Newspapers.com November 20 t 2 Arkansas 9 Texas Stadium Irving, TX 17–17 65,101 https://www.newspapers.com/article/corpus-christi-caller-times-smu-arkansa/166261158/ Corpus Christi Caller-Times SMU, Arkansas tie; Mustangs win SWC November 21, 1982 February 20, 2025 Newspapers.com January 1, 1983 w y y 4 Pittsburgh 6 Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX Cotton Bowl 7–3 60,359 https://www.newspapers.com/article/austin-american-statesman-ponies-cap-big/166131227/ Austin American-Statesman Ponies cap big year with Cotton victory January 2, 1983 February 20, 2025 Newspapers.com Rankings 1982 NCAA Division I-A football rankings AP 0 15 6 8 6 6 7 6 5 4 4 2 2 2 4 4 4 2 Coaches 0 15 11 – 6 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 2 2 4 4 4 2 Game summaries Tulane 1982 Tulane Green Wave football team SMU Mustangs 1982 2 white;text-align:center; autocollapse Tulane Green Wave at No. 8 SMU Mustangs – Game summary September 11, 1982 7:12p.m. CDT Green Wave 0 0 0 7 No. 8 Mustangs 7 17 7 20 Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas 33,814 92 F Superstation WTBS Tulane SMU collapsed 1 SMU RushTD Craig James 42 good Jeff Harrell 0 7 2 13:58 SMU RushTD Eric Dickerson 14 good Jeff Harrell 0 14 2 SMU RushTD Lance McIlhenny 8 good Jeff Harrell 0 21 2 SMU FG 33 Jeff Harrell 0 24 3 5:15 SMU RushTD Eric Dickerson 25 good Jeff Harrell 0 31 4 SMU RushTD Reggie Dupard 3 good Jeff Harrell 0 38 4 7:54 Tulane RushTD Elton Veals 1 good Tony Wood 7 38 4 SMU RushTD Reggie Dupard 46 no good Jeff Harrell 7 44 4 SMU — — — IntTD Jackie Wilson 7 good Jeff Harrell 7 51 7 51 Statistics TulaneSMU First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsTulane Passing Rushing Receiving SMU Passing Rushing Receiving SMU romped to a season-opening victory over Tulane with a school-record 519 yards rushing. Senior Eric Dickerson ran for 183 yards and two touchdowns, and went over 3,000 career rushing yards. Craig James added 110 yards and a touchdown. It was the 10th time Dickerson and James each ran for more than 100 yards in the same game.SMU's Pony Express mauls Green Wave, 51-7 https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/215965902/ Shreveport Times via newspapers.com September 12, 1982 October 6, 2019 At UTEP UTEP Miners football SMU Mustangs 1982 2 white;text-align:center; autocollapse No. 6 SMU Mustangs at UTEP Miners – Game summary September 18, 1982 6:40p.m. CDT No. 6 Mustangs 14 14 3 0 Miners 0 7 3 0 Sun Bowl • El Paso, Texas 33,509 SMU UTEP collapsed 31 10 Statistics SMUUTEP First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsSMU Passing Rushing Receiving UTEP Passing Rushing Receiving TCU 1982 TCU Horned Frogs football team Battle for the Iron Skillet SMU Mustangs 1982 2 white;text-align:center; autocollapse TCU Horned Frogs at No. 6 SMU Mustangs – Game summary September 25, 1982 7:00p.m. CDT Horned Frogs 0 3 10 0 No. 6 Mustangs 0 6 0 10 Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas 43,321 TCU SMU collapsed 13 16 Statistics TCUSMU First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsTCU Passing Rushing Receiving SMU Passing Rushing Receiving In the Battle for the Iron Skillet, SMU beat TCU 16–13. North Texas State North Texas Mean Green football SMU Mustangs 1982 2 white;text-align:center; autocollapse North Texas State Mean Green at No. 7 SMU Mustangs – Game summary October 2, 1982 7:00p.m. CDT Mean Green 0 7 3 0 No. 7 Mustangs 14 10 7 7 Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas 30,118 North Texas State SMU collapsed 10 38 Statistics North Texas StateSMU First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsNorth Texas State Passing Rushing Receiving SMU Passing Rushing Receiving At Baylor 1982 Baylor Bears football team SMU Mustangs 1982 2 white;text-align:center; autocollapse No. 6 SMU Mustangs at Baylor Bears – Game summary October 9, 1982 7:00p.m. CDT No. 6 Mustangs 0 0 14 8 Bears 7 6 0 6 Baylor Stadium • Waco, Texas 30,000 SMU Baylor collapsed 22 19 Statistics SMUBaylor First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsSMU Passing Rushing Receiving Baylor Passing Rushing Receiving Houston 1982 Houston Cougars football team SMU Mustangs 1982 2 white;text-align:center; autocollapse Houston Cougars at No. 5 SMU Mustangs – Game summary October 16, 1982 7:00p.m. CST Cougars 0 7 0 7 No. 5 Mustangs 7 3 7 3 Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas 31,817 USA Houston SMU collapsed 14 20 Statistics HoustonSMU First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsHouston Passing Rushing Receiving SMU Passing Rushing Receiving At Texas 1982 Texas Longhorns football team SMU Mustangs 1982 2 white;text-align:center; autocollapse No. 4 SMU Mustangs at No. 19 Texas Longhorns – Game summary October 23, 1982 2:50p.m. CDT No. 4 Mustangs 0 7 3 20 No. 19 Longhorns 0 0 0 17 Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, Texas 80,157 ABC Keith Jackson (play–by–play), Frank Broyles (color commentator) and Tim Brant (sideline reporter) SMU Texas collapsed 30 17 Statistics SMUTexas First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsSMU Passing Rushing Receiving Texas Passing Rushing Receiving Texas A&M 1982 Texas A&M Aggies football team SMU Mustangs 1982 2 white;text-align:center; autocollapse Texas A&M Aggies at No. 4 SMU Mustangs – Game summary October 30, 1982 11:30a.m. CST Aggies 0 0 3 6 No. 4 Mustangs 16 10 14 7 Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas 50,008 Wendell Shelton CBS Verne Lundquist (play–by–play) and Steve Davis (color commentator) Texas A&M SMU collapsed 9 47 Statistics Texas A&MSMU First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsTexas A&M Passing Rushing Receiving SMU Passing Rushing Receiving Eric Dickerson ran for over 200 yards and 3 touchdowns on 14 carries. At Rice 1982 Rice Owls football team SMU Mustangs 1982 2 white;text-align:center; autocollapse No. 2 SMU Mustangs at Rice Owls – Game summary November 6, 1982 2:00p.m. CST No. 2 Mustangs 0 20 7 14 Owls 0 0 14 0 Rice Stadium • Houston, Texas 25,000 SMU Rice collapsed 41 14 Statistics SMURice First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsSMU Passing Rushing Receiving Rice Passing Rushing Receiving In the Mayor's Cup, SMU beat Rice 41–14. At Texas Tech 1982 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team Arkansas 1982 Arkansas Razorbacks football team SMU Mustangs 1982 2 white;text-align:center; autocollapse No. 9 Arkansas Razorbacks at No. 2 SMU Mustangs – Game summary November 20, 1982 2:50p.m. CST No. 9 Razorbacks 7 0 3 7 No. 2 Mustangs 0 7 3 7 Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas 65,101 ABC Keith Jackson (play–by–play), Lee Grosscup (color commentator) and Tim Brant (sideline reporter) Arkansas SMU collapsed 1 Arkansas RushTD Gary Anderson 3 good Martin Smith 7 0 2 SMU RushTD Eric Dickerson 6 good Jeff Harrell 7 7 3 SMU FG 49 Jeff Harrell 7 10 3 Arkansas FG 27 Martin Smith 10 10 4 Arkansas RushTD Gary Anderson 3 good Martin Smith 17 10 4 SMU RushTD Lance McIlhenny 7 good Jeff Harrell 17 17 17 17 Going into this game, SMU needed a victory or a tie to claim the SWC championship and secure a trip to the Cotton Bowl. Arkansas, on the other hand, needed a victory over the Mustangs plus a win over Texas the following week. The game proved to be marred by controversy due to questionable officiating. Late in the fourth quarter Arkansas led SMU 17-10 with time winding down. From the Mustang 43 yard line, SMU quarterback Lance McIlhenny lofted a pass to receiver Jackie Wilson down the left sideline, with Wilson being defended by Arkansas cornerback Nathan Jones. The pass was long, and Jones was in fact in front of Wilson as both players went to the turf together. Jones was flagged for pass interference, and since that penalty was a spot foul instead of 15 yards at that time in college football, the ball was placed near the Arkansas 15 yard line. SMU would score the game-tying touchdown a few plays later, and the game ended in a 17-17 tie, handing the Mustangs the conference championship. Play-by-play announcer Keith Jackson would even say on live television that the pass interference penalty on Jones was "just a terrible call". The officiating crew was suspended after this game and the NCAA issued an apology to Arkansas. This egregious call directly influenced the NCAA to change the rules for pass interference over the following summer so that a pass interference penalty would be 15 yards and not a spot foul. Statistics ArkansasSMU First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsArkansas Passing Rushing Receiving SMU Passing Rushing Receiving S.M.U. IN BOWL AFTER 17-17 TIE https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/21/sports/smu-in-bowl-after-17-17-tie.html The New York Times November 21, 1983 September 23, 2019 Vs. Pittsburgh (Cotton Bowl) 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic 1982 Pittsburgh Panthers football team SMU Mustangs 1982 2 white;text-align:center; autocollapse No. 6 Pittsburgh Panthers vs. No. 4 SMU Mustangs (Cotton Bowl) – Game summary January 1, 1983 12:30p.m. CST No. 6 Panthers 0 0 3 0 No. 4 Mustangs 0 0 7 0 Cotton Bowl • Dallas, Texas 60,359 Jimmy Harper CBS Lindsey Nelson (play–by–play), Pat Haden (color commentator), and Pat O'Brien (sideline reporter) Pittsburgh SMU collapsed 3 Pittsburgh FG 43 Eric Schubert 3 0 3 SMU RushTD Lance McIlhenny 9 good Jeff Harrell 3 7 3 7 Statistics PittsburghSMU First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession Team Category Player StatisticsPittsburgh Passing Rushing Receiving SMU Passing Rushing Receiving Stout S.M.U. Defense Holds Off Pitt, 7-3 https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/02/sports/stout-smu-defense-holds-off-pitt-7-3.html The New York Times January 2, 1983 September 22, 2019 Roster 1982 SMU Mustangs f 87 Jr Rickey Bolden TE y 67   Andrew Campbell OL   Sr Jeff Courtwright QB 36 Jr Mark Crites RB 19 Sr Eric Dickerson RB y 28 Sr Charles Drayton FB y 21 Fr Reggie Dupard RB y 70 So Dale Hellestrae T y 32 Sr Craig James Craig James (running back) RB y 2 Fr Don King Don King (defensive back) QB y 7 So Bobby Leach WR 11 Jr Lance McIlhenny QB y 13 Fr Keith Brooks DB 74 So Michael Carter Michael Carter (nose tackle) DT y 29 Jr Russell Carter Russell Carter (American football) DB y 46 Sr Wes Hopkins DB y 1 Fr Rod Jones Rod Jones (cornerback) CB y 91 Jr Clarence McDade LB 5 So Reggie Phillips CB y 23 Sr Blane Smith DB 78 Sr Richard Neely DT y 54 Jr Tony Good OLB 3 Jr Jeff Harrell K 32 Sr Craig James Craig James (running back) P y *Bobby Collins Awards and honors Eric Dickerson, consensus All-American,Eric Dickerson: Pro Football Hall of Fame, http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?PLAYER_ID=55 third in the Heisman Trophy voting,'82 Heisman race no Walker in the park https://www.espn.com/dallas/ncf/story/_/page/heisman-dallas-week8/james-dickerson November 1, 2011 October 6, 2019 despite splitting time with Craig James.Eric's College Days at SMU, http://www.ericdickerson29.com/college.htm College 2015-07-30 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030604082837/http://ericdickerson29.com/college.htm 2003-06-04 NFL draft Six Mustangs were selected in the 1983 NFL draft, which lasted 12 rounds (335 selections). 2 SMU Mustangs Player Position Round Pick NFL team Eric Dickerson Running back1 2 Los Angeles RamsRussell Carter Safety1 10 New York JetsWes Hopkins Safety2 35 Philadelphia EaglesGary Moten Linebacker7 175 San Francisco 49ersCraig James Running back7 187 New England Patriots https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1983.htm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071221193403/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1983.htm 2007-12-21 1983 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com Pro-Football-Reference.com References SMU Category:SMU Mustangs football seasons Category:Southwest Conference football champion seasons Category:Cotton Bowl Classic champion seasons Category:College football undefeated seasons SMU Mustangs football