RENO, Nev. — Preston Stone connected on a 35-yard touchdown pass to RJ Maryland with 1:18 left in the fourth quarter and Southern Methodist avoided an upset to open the season, defeating Nevada 29-24 on Saturday night.
A near four-touchdown favorite, SMU needed a fourth-quarter comeback to survive the first game of its inaugural season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“I think as a collective we struggled in the first half,” Stone said. “The defense did a good job in the first half of getting stops. We (the offense) were stalling.”
He added: “Unfortunately for Nevada they played man against RJ, and they just can’t do that.”
Down 24-13, the SMU comeback started with 10 minutes left and the Mustangs pinned at their own 10-yard line. On third down and short, Stone connected on a 49-yard pass to Maryland. SMU finished the drive with a Brashard Smith 4-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion to pull within 24-21.
On Nevada’s next possession, SMU defensive lineman Anthony Booker Jr. tackled Nevada quarterback Brendon Lewis in the end zone for a safety to pull the Mustangs within a point with eight minutes left in the game.
SMU began its winning drive on its own 17-yard line with 3:31 left.
The nine play, 83-yard drive ended with Maryland’s winning catch. SMU’s 6-foot-4 junior tight end and son of former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Russell Maryland finished the game with eight receptions for 162 yards.
Stone completed 17 of 30 passes for 254 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Penalties plagued the Mustangs and forced them to play from behind into the fourth quarter. The Mustangs had 11 penalties for 125 yards, including one unsportsmanlike penalty for spitting that led to an ejection for cornerback Brandon Crossley in the third quarter.
“It’s not who we are and who we want to be,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “I will look at the film… anything out of character will be addressed.”
The penalty opened the door for the Wolf Pack to continue a 15-play drive and take a 24-13 lead with 3:23 left in the third.
“That’s probably the most undisciplined game we’ve played since I’ve been here,” Lashlee said. “Self-inflicted wounds that made it really hard on our offense in the first half to get anything going.”
Lewis led the Wolf Pack in its near upset, completing 14 passes on 26 attempts for 132 yards. He also led the Wolf Pack with 77 rushing yards and found success throughout the game on quarterback draw plays.
“I give a lot of credit to SMU,” first-year Nevada head coach Jeff Choate said. “That’s what a championship team does with their backs to the wall. They found ways to make plays with a veteran group like that. I really felt like there were a ton of positives to come out of this experience for our guys, but I think we have some strides to make in terms of competitive maturity.”
Nevada opened the scoring with Lewis’ 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jace Henry with a minute left in the first quarter. SMU responded with a 10-play drive to open the second quarter, capped by a one-yard run from L.J. Johnson Jr.
Nevada and SMU both made field goals in the second quarter before Lewis’ 10-yard touchdown pass to Cortez Braham Jr. with nine seconds left in the first half gave the Wolf Pack a 17-10 lead at the break.
