Coming out of SMU's loss to TCU, head coach Chad Morris was not pleased with the Mustangs' third-down defense.
The SMU defense had allowed TCU to convert eight of its 13 attempts on third down, a 61.5-percent rate. Morris wanted to see his team do better, and it did just that the following week in its 44-21 win over Arkansas State.
SMU forced a fourth down on nine of 12 Arkansas State third-down attempts, a 25-percent conversion rate for the Red Wolves. Morris attributed the change to improved tackling by his defense.
"I though we tackled better -- much better -- in space," Morris said on the American Conference coaches call Monday.