Lashlee Named ACC Coach of the Year
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC/SMU) – SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee has been tabbed as the ACC Coach of the Year, the conference announced on Thursday.
Lashlee is amidst his third season as SMU, and the Mustangs are having historic success in their inaugural year in the ACC.
This season SMU is 8-0 in conference play and 11-1 overall. The 8-0 mark in conference play is the best ever by a team moving up to the power-conference level, and the Mustangs are the second team to finish with a winning record in the ACC after moving up. In addition, the 11-1 record marks the best start for SMU since 1982.
Not only did SMU win, but won decisively in its conference games, with an average margin of victory at 19.3 points, the third highest for any Power-4 team this year, trailing only Indiana and Oregon. The Mustangs and the Ducks were the only two power-conference teams to go undefeated in conference play.
The Mustangs currently rank in the top-25 nationally in 18 different categories in addition to being at the top of the ACC in six different stats. SMU has been dominant on both sides of the ball, ranking in the top five in rushing defense, scoring offense and defensive touchdowns.
Offensively, Kevin Jennings and Brashard Smith are both having breakout seasons under Lashlee. Jennings currently ranks sixth in yards per pass attempt, 10th in passing efficiency and 12th in passing yards per completion. Smith ranks eighth nationally in all-purpose yards per game and 12th in total touchdowns.
Lashlee has the best record through 24 conference games in SMU history with a mark of 21-3. The Mustangs also boast the longest conference winning streak in the FBS at 17 games, and this year marks the first time in program history SMU has gone unbeaten in back-to-back conference campaigns. The Mustangs are just the sixth team in ACC history to go undefeated in the conference play since the league went to an eight-game schedule in 1992.
SMU has also reached new heights in the rankings this season, currently sitting at seventh in the Coaches Poll and eighth in the AP Poll, both the highest since 1985. The Mustangs sit at eighth in the most recent edition of the CFP Rankings, a program high.
The Mustangs set to face Clemson on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the ACC Championship at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The game will air nationally on ACC.
