UNIVERSITY PARK -- SMU's game-day clock began winding on November 27, the day after the Mustangs' season-ending loss to Navy. It's been counting down, minute by minute, second by second, for 279 days. Now, the timer's finally reached its last hours before SMU can try to redeem its 5-7 record from 2016.
There's a slightly different vibe around this program leading into the season opener, Saturday against Stephen F. Austin, than there was a year ago.
"I think there's a little bit more of an excitement just for the fact that we know that this is one of the best teams that we've had here in a very long," wide receiver Courtland Sutton says.