Wikipedia

Houston–SMU rivalry

The Houston–SMU rivalry is a college rivalry between the University of Houston Cougars and Southern Methodist University Mustangs. When Houston joined the Southwest Conference in 1972, the two schools were conference mates until the conference dissolved in 1996. After a brief hiatus, SMU would join Conference USA in 2005 and the rivalry would continue when both schools moved to the American Athletic Conference in the midst of 2010–2014 NCAA conference realignment. Later, with Houston's move to the Big 12 Conference as a result of 2021–22 NCAA conference realignment, the future of the rivalry was put in doubt.

Houston–SMU rivalry
Houston Cougars
SMU Mustangs
Map
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SMU
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Locations of Houston and SMU

Football

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See also: Houston Cougars football and SMU Mustangs football
Houston–SMU football rivalry
SportFootball
Teams
First meetingSeptember 27, 1975
Houston 16, SMU 27
Latest meetingNovember 21, 2022
SMU 77, Houston 63
Next meetingTBD
Statistics
Meetings total37
All-time seriesHouston leads, 22–14–1
Largest victoryHouston, 95–21 (1989)
Longest win streakHouston, 6 (2006–11)
Current win streakSMU, 1 (2022–present)
Football Comparison
Houston SMU
First Season 1946 1915
NCAA Championships 0 3
Bowl Appearances 30 21
Bowl Wins 13 7
Conference Titles 11 12
All-Americans 10 17
Heisman Winners 1 1

Series history

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The first game took place on September 27, 1975, in Houston, Texas, and the two schools played each other with few interruptions until Houston departed for the Big 12 in 2023. As of the end of the 2023 season, Houston leads the series 22–14–1.[1]

Notable games

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November 26, 1983: The Tokyo bowl known as the Mirage Bowl was the longest road trip for both schools in their school history. A crowd of 62,000 watched as Lance McIlhenny led the Mustangs with two touchdown passes and along with the mistakes of the Cougars, which helped SMU take the victory 34–12.[2][3]

October 20, 1984: No. 6 SMU entered the game looking for an easy win over the 3–2 Cougars. However, Houston would pull of the upset, handing the Mustangs an unlikely 29–20 loss.[4]

October 21, 1989: SMU was playing in its first season back from the death penalty while Houston was coming off of a strong 9-3 campaign in 1988. However, Houston was hit with a two year bowl ban starting in 1989 for recruiting violation, so the Cougars were out for blood during the regular season. Eventual Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware would throw for 517 yards, only playing in the first half. No. 16 Houston would break a number of NCAA records, finally embarrassing the sanction weakened Mustangs 95–21.[5]

November 9, 2011: In Houston's last home conference game of the season, they were selected to host College GameDay by ESPN in what would be the first ever appearance on the program for both schools.[6] Houston entered the week 10–0 and ranked No. 10/11 in the AP Poll and BCS while SMU were 6–4, having lost the week prior at home to Navy. During the broadcast, Olympic gold medalist former Houston track and field star Carl Lewis was the guest picker and Lee Corso put on Shasta's headgear to indicate he predicted Houston to win the game.[7] Led by star quarterback Case Keenum, Houston would cruise to a 37–7 victory at the Robertson Stadium.[8]

October 22, 2016: The 2016 Houston team were picked by many experts to obtain the Group of Five's New Year's Six bowl bid, having only one close loss to Navy earlier in the season. However, the #11-ranked Cougars were upset by SMU 16 to 38 and the Cougars dropped out of the AP Poll the following week. It represented the Mustangs' first win over a ranked team since 2011.[9]

October 30, 2021: The 2021 match-up between the two schools would prove to be season changing. SMU entered the game ranked No. 19 in the AP Poll and undefeated at 7–0, while Houston only had bounced to a 6–1 record following their opening week loss to Texas Tech. In the first quarter, Houston would have a great start after Clayton Tune threw two touchdown passes to Tank Dell and take a 17–0 lead. In the second and third quarters, SMU fought back to lead 34–30 and make the game more competitive. Houston took the lead again early in the 4th quarter when Tune threw a short pass to KeSean Carter in the endzone. The Mustangs tied the game 37–37 with 30 seconds remaining after a 46-yard field goal, but during the ensuing kickoff Marcus Jones returned the ball 100 yards to win the game and pull the ranked upset.[10] The Cougars would go on to make the conference championship game, the only other game they lost that season to end with a 12–2 record and ranked No. 17, while SMU lost three of their remaining four games to end the season 8–4.

November 5, 2022: In what would prove to be their last match-up as members of The American, Houston entered the season as favorites to win the conference, but slumped to a 5–3 record while SMU were 4–4 under new coach Rhett Lashlee. The game would prove to be a high-scoring affair with a scoreline more common in basketball as SMU won 77–63 and both teams scored a combined 140 points, breaking the record for most points scored between two teams in an FBS football game in regulation time six years after Pittsburgh beat Syracuse 76–61.[11] Every point scored between both teams was a touchdown followed by an extra point and SMU scored in each of their first nine drives.[12]

Game results

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Houston victoriesSMU victoriesTie games
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 September 27, 1975 Astrodome SMU 27–16
2 October 16, 1976 Cotton Bowl No. 19 Houston 29–6
3 October 15, 1977 Astrodome SMU 37–23
4 October 21, 1978 Cotton Bowl No. 11 Houston 42–28
5 October 20, 1979 Astrodome No. 5 Houston 37–10
6 October 18, 1980 Texas Stadium Houston 13–11
7 October 17, 1981 Astrodome No. 10 SMU 38–22
8 October 16, 1982 Texas Stadium No. 5 SMU 20–14
9 November 26, 1983A National Stadium No. 6 SMU 34–12
10 October 20, 1984 Texas Stadium Houston 29–20
11 October 19, 1985 Astrodome SMU 37–13
12 October 18, 1986 Texas Stadium No. 20 SMU 10–3
13 October 21, 1989 Astrodome No. 16 Houston 95–21
14 October 20, 1990 Ownby Stadium No. 9 Houston 44–17
15 October 19, 1991 Astrodome Houston 49–20
16 November 7, 1992 Ownby Stadium SMU 41–16
17 October 16, 1993 Astrodome Tie28–28
18 October 15, 1994 Ownby Stadium Houston 39–33
19 October 21, 1995 Astrodome Houston 38–15
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
20 September 30, 2000 Robertson Stadium Houston 17–15
21 November 19, 2005 Robertson Stadium SMU 29–24
22 November 11, 2006 Gerald J. Ford Stadium Houston 37–27
23 November 4, 2007 Robertson Stadium Houston 38–28
24 October 18, 2008 Gerald J. Ford Stadium Houston 44–38
25 October 24, 2009 Robertson Stadium No. 17 Houston 38–15
26 October 23, 2010 Gerald J. Ford Stadium Houston 45–20
27 November 19, 2011 Robertson Stadium No. 11 Houston 37–7
28 October 18, 2012 Gerald J. Ford Stadium SMU 72–42
29 November 29, 2013 Reliant Stadium Houston 34–0
30 November 28, 2014 Gerald J. Ford Stadium Houston 35–9
31 October 8, 2015 TDECU Stadium Houston 49–28
32 October 22, 2016 Gerald J. Ford Stadium SMU 38–16
33 October 7, 2017 TDECU Stadium Houston 35–22
34 November 3, 2018 Gerald J. Ford Stadium SMU 45–31
35 October 24, 2019 TDECU Stadium No. 16 SMU 34–31
36 October 30, 2021 TDECU Stadium Houston 44–37
37 November 5, 2022 Gerald J. Ford Stadium SMU 77–63
Series: Houston leads 22–14–1[1]

Notes

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A 1983 Mirage Bowl

Wins by location and venue

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Men's basketball

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See also: Houston Cougars men's basketball and SMU Mustangs men's basketball
Houston–SMU men's basketball rivalry
SportBasketball
Teams
First meetingMarch 16, 1956
SMU 89 – Houston 74
Latest meetingFebruary 16, 2023
Houston 80 – SMU 65
Next meetingTBD
Statistics
Meetings total92
All-time seriesHouston leads, 58–34
Largest victoryHouston, 95–55 (February 13, 1978)
Longest win streakHouston, 9 (February 11, 2006–February 13, 2010)
Current win streakHouston, 3 (February 27, 2022–present)

Series history

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Men's Basketball Comparison
Houston SMU
First Season 1945–46 1916–17
NCAA Final Fours 6 1
NCAA Tournament Appearances 25 12
Conference Championships 12 16
Conference tournament Championships 8 3
Consensus 1st Team All-Americans 6 1
Conference Player of the Year 7 11

Houston and SMU would meet three times in the NCAA Tournament before playing in a regular season game, first in 1972. Throughout their shared time in the Southwest Conference, the Cougars and Mustangs would meet seven times in the Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament, with SMU leading 4–3 in their meetings then. The teams have also been conference mates in Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference, meeting once each in the tournaments for each conference. As of the end of the 2023–24 season, Houston led the all-time series 58–34.

Notable games

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March 16, 1956: In the teams' first ever meeting, they first played at Allen Fieldhouse in the 1956 NCAA Sweet Sixteen. All–American Jim Krebs would score 27 points to lead the No. 7 Mustangs to victory 89–74 and an eventual Final Four.[13]

March 13, 1965: In the teams' second meeting, Houston and SMU met to play in the 1965 NCAA Regional third place Game. Behind the 27 points of Carroll Hooser, the Mustangs would again pull out a win against the Cougars, 89–87.[14]

March 18, 1967: In the third meeting in the NCAA Tournament, a Final Four was on the line as the teams met in the 1967 NCAA Elite Eight. This time, fortune would favor the Cougars. Led by 31 points from Elvin Hayes, Houston would gain their first series win by a score of 83–75.[15]

January 16, 1982: In the first year of Phi Slama Jama, SMU visited No. 10 Houston and upset the Cougars 67–66. Houston would go onto the 1982 Final Four, while SMU had a 6–21 record.

March 12, 1983: After beating the Mustangs twice in the regular season, Houston would meet SMU once again in the 1983 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament semifinals. Houston would maintain their streak against SMU, winning 75–59. Houston would win the Conference tournament and make an NCAA run before finally losing to North Carolina State in the 1983 NCAA Finals.

March 3, 1985: The days of Phi Slama Jama behind them, the tables turned in favor of SMU with the Mustangs beating No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 5 North Carolina during the 1984-85 season. The No. 13 Mustangs headed to Houston for the final regular season game, only to be handed a 79–76 upset loss.

February 1, 2016: No. 12 SMU seemed to be heading in the right direction under the leadership of coach Larry Brown, visiting the Cougars with a 19–1 record on the season and having beaten the Cougars already on the season. Coach Kelvin Sampson would earn his first win against SMU, when the Cougars pulled the upset to win 71–68. It was the Cougars' biggest victory since January 1996, when they defeated No. 3 Memphis.[16]

Game results

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Rankings are from the AP Poll released prior to the game.

Houston victoriesSMU victoriesTie games
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 March 16, 1956A Allen Fieldhouse #7 SMU 89–74
2 March 13, 1965B Ahearn Field House SMU 89–87
3 March 18, 1967C Allen Fieldhouse #7 Houston 83–75
4 December 29, 1972 Hofheinz Pavilion #13 Houston 115–102
5 January 26, 1976 Moody Coliseum SMU 87–75
6 February 24, 1976 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 100–98
7 January 29, 1977 Moody Coliseum Houston 103–102
8 February 10, 1977 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 115–83
9 January 23, 1978 Moody Coliseum SMU 76–75
10 February 13, 1978 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 95–55
11 January 22, 1979 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 82–78
12 February 12, 1979 Moody Coliseum Houston 101–94
13 February 24, 1979D Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 74–67
14 January 12, 1980 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 96–81
15 February 2, 1980 Moody Coliseum Houston 71–70
16 January 13, 1981 Moody Coliseum SMU 72–70
17 February 3, 1981 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 96–81
18 January 16, 1982 Hofheinz Pavilion SMU 67–66
19 February 6, 1982 Moody Coliseum Houston 73–71
20 January 8, 1983 Hofheinz Pavilion #19 Houston 105–71
21 February 9, 1983 Moody Coliseum #6 Houston 85–68
22 March 12, 1983E Reunion Arena #1 Houston 75–59
23 January 4, 1984 Moody Coliseum #7 Houston 60–59
24 February 4, 1984 Hofheinz Pavilion #6 Houston 76–57
25 January 30, 1985 Moody Coliseum #4 SMU 85–78
26 March 3, 1985 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 79–76
27 March 8, 1985F Reunion Arena #20 SMU 84–72
28 January 25, 1986 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 71–66
29 February 26, 1986 Moody Coliseum SMU 78–71
30 January 21, 1987 Moody Coliseum Houston 75–65
31 February 22, 1987 Hofheinz Pavilion SMU 79–73
32 January 19, 1988 Hofheinz Pavilion SMU 69–65
33 February 20, 1988 Moody Coliseum SMU 87–84
34 March 12, 1988G Reunion Arena SMU 98–76
35 January 21, 1989 Moody Coliseum Houston 84–83
36 February 22, 1989 Hofheinz Pavilion SMU 88–85
37 January 24, 1990 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 64–47
38 February 24, 1990 Moody Coliseum Houston 71–63
39 January 26, 1991 Moody Coliseum SMU 81–75
40 February 27, 1991 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 85–58
41 March 8, 1991H Reunion Arena SMU 65–62
42 February 5, 1992 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 67–50
43 March 7, 1992 Moody Coliseum Houston 69–62
44 March 13, 1992I Reunion Arena Houston 73–62
45 January 23, 1993 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 85–75
46 January 30, 1993 Moody Coliseum SMU 70–60
47 January 26, 1994 Moody Coliseum SMU 70–64
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
48 February 24, 1994 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 89–80
49 January 28, 1995 Moody Coliseum Houston 73–71
50 March 4, 1995 Hofheinz Pavilion SMU 79–74
51 January 8, 1996 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 63–62
52 February 28, 1996 Moody Coliseum Houston 62–59
53 March 7, 1996J Reunion Arena SMU 62–57
54 November 27, 1999 Hofheinz Pavilion SMU 94–80
55 December 17, 2000 Moody Coliseum SMU 94–69
56 February 11, 2006 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 69–57
57 January 13, 2007 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 82–67
58 February 7, 2007 Moody Coliseum Houston 64–49
59 January 16, 2008 Moody Coliseum Houston 99–71
60 February 16, 2008 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 69–47
61 February 11, 2009 Moody Coliseum Houston 69–56
62 March 7, 2009 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 89–77
63 March 11, 2009K FedExForum Houston 85–76
64 February 13, 2010 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 66–60
65 February 27, 2010 Moody Coliseum SMU 94–83
66 January 15, 2011 Moody Coliseum Houston 70–68
67 February 16, 2011 Hofheinz Pavilion SMU 65–51
68 January 18, 2012 Moody Coliseum SMU 70–54
69 February 25, 2012 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 62–59
70 January 9, 2013 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 78–67
71 February 2, 2013 Moody Coliseum Houston 84–80 OT
72 January 26, 2014 Hofheinz Pavilion SMU 75–68
73 February 19, 2014 Moody Coliseum SMU 68–64
74 March 13, 2014L FedExForum Houston 68–64
75 January 24, 2015 Moody Coliseum SMU 80–59
76 February 12, 2015 Hofheinz Pavilion #25 SMU 75–69
77 January 19, 2016 Moody Coliseum #8 SMU 77–73
78 February 1, 2016 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 71–68
79 January 21, 2017 Moody Coliseum SMU 85–64
80 February 18, 2017 Hofheinz Pavilion #19 SMU 76–66
81 February 2, 2018 H&PE Arena Houston 67–58
82 February 28, 2018 Moody Coliseum #25 Houston 69–56
83 January 16, 2019 Moody Coliseum #21 Houston 69–58
84 March 7, 2019 Fertitta Center #12 Houston 90–79
85 January 15, 2020 Fertitta Center Houston 71–62
86 February 15, 2020 Moody Coliseum SMU 73–72 OT
87 January 3, 2021 Moody Coliseum #5 Houston 74–60
88 January 31, 2021 Fertitta Center #6 Houston 70–48
89 February 9, 2022 Moody Coliseum SMU 85–83
90 February 27, 2022 Fertitta Center #14 Houston 75–61
91 January 5, 2023 Fertitta Center #2 Houston 87–53
92 February 16, 2023 Moody Coliseum #2 Houston 80–65
Series: Houston leads 58–34

[17]

Notes

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A 1956 NCAA basketball tournament
B 1965 NCAA University Division basketball tournament
C 1967 NCAA University Division basketball tournament
D 1979 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament
E 1983 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament
F 1985 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament
G 1988 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament
H 1991 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament
I 1992 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament
J 1996 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament
K 2009 Conference USA men's basketball tournament
L 2014 American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament

Wins by location and venue

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Winsipedia - Houston Cougars vs. SMU Mustangs football series history". Winsipedia. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  2. ^ "S.M.U. Turns Back Houston in Tokyo". New York Times. November 28, 1983.
  3. ^ "Pony Express goes to Japan in 1983". New York Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  4. ^ "Houston at SMU Box Score, October 20, 1984". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  5. ^ Andrew Nostvick (October 6, 2017). "Remember When: Houston Dropped 95 on SMU in the Astrodome". The Open Man.
  6. ^ Godfrey, Steven (November 18, 2011). "Houston Vs. SMU: ESPN Gameday Makes Their First-Ever Visit To UH". SB Nation. Retrieved August 1, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ O'Gara, Connor (February 17, 2022). "Chris Fowler tells the backstory of when Lee Corso dropped an F-bomb on College GameDay". Saturday Down South. Retrieved August 1, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "Houston 37–7 SMU". ESPN. November 19, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Tom Herman made fun of SMU. Months later, SMU shocked Houston by 22 points". SB Nation. Oct 22, 2016.
  10. ^ Selbe, Nick (October 30, 2021). "SMU Suffers First Loss on Last-Minute Kick Return TD by Houston". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 1, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ "Record-Setting Night for Mordecai, SMU as Mustangs Win 77-63 Shootout With Houston". The American. November 5, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ Duarte, Joseph (November 7, 2022). "Dana Holgorsen on Houston's defensive debacle vs. SMU: 'I don't think that's who we are'". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 1 August 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ "Southern Methodist vs. Houston Box Score, March 16, 1956". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  14. ^ "Southern Methodist vs. Houston Box Score, March 13, 1965". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  15. ^ "Southern Methodist vs. Houston Box Score, March 18, 1967". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  16. ^ Bill Nichols. "Nichols: Raucous crowd wills Houston to overcome 11-point deficit, upset No. 12 SMU". Dallas News. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  17. ^ "Matchup Finder". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
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