UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas — The drive stood out simply because it was so uncharacteristic.
SMU ran 13 plays. It went 97 yards. It didn’t record a penalty and, methodically, it meandered its way to a 10-yard, second-quarter Rashee Rice touchdown.
For an offense that is accustomed to big plays, this drive may have been startling. But it was fitting for the type of day SMU had.
Four scoring drives went over 10 plays. It wasn’t necessarily how it wanted to win, but how SMU did what it had to in order to grind out a 41-17 win over USF.