QB CHRONICLES: SMU VS WAKE FOREST RECAP
Listen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/b2rH9ZS7xPs
INTRODUCTION
Speaker 1 (Garrett Gilbert):
Welcome to the QB Chronicles, an SMU football podcast with Garrett Gilbert and Kyle Padrone. Join former SMU quarterbacks Garrett and Kyle as they break down each week’s game, offering insights from their own experiences on the field. We’ll also feature special episodes with past and present SMU players, sharing their stories and perspectives. Whether you’re a diehard Mustang fan or just love football, this podcast is your go-to source for all things SMU football. Pony up!
OPENING THOUGHTS: A TOUGH ROAD LOSS
Speaker 2 (Kyle Padrone):
Welcome back to the QB Chronicles. I’m Kyle Padrone, joined as always by my good buddy, Garrett Gilbert. We’re feeling a little sorry for ourselves this week after SMU’s trip to Wake Forest. Quite honestly, we laid an egg.
It wasn’t our best performance—particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The defense played well enough to win, but offensively we just couldn’t get out of our own way.
DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS
Garrett:
You’re right, KP—“licking our wounds” is the right phrase. The defense played their best game of the year by far. They created turnovers, tackled well, and shut down a strong running back.
They deserved better, but football’s a team sport. Despite the loss, it was easily their most complete performance.
OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES
Garrett:
Now to the rough stuff—the offense. It was tough to watch. Wake Forest played downhill and aggressive, and we didn’t capitalize by throwing over the top.
Kevin’s dealing with an ankle injury, and while I don’t want to judge too harshly, it limited his mobility. The offensive line got pushed around, and our running backs couldn’t find space. No one really stepped up to spark momentum.
Garrett:
It felt like the offense just kept hoping something would eventually pop—but it never did. You can survive poor play in one phase, but not in two. And with special teams issues added in, it was a long day.
SPECIAL TEAMS WOES
Garrett:
Even though special teams forced a turnover, we also handed Wake a short field with a shanked punt and missed both a field goal and an extra point. Those mistakes add up.
Kyle:
Yeah, I think that extra point was blocked—but it looked like it hit our own lineman’s back. That’s on the kicker; those have to get higher. Special teams just weren’t sharp.
BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS
Kyle:
Offensively, it was rough. We averaged only 2.7 yards per carry, and we’ve been saying all year we need to be closer to 4.
The offensive line got beat at the point of attack. Linebackers were flowing to the ball untouched. As a fan, it was embarrassing. As a player, that film session on Sunday had to hurt.
Kevin wasn’t efficient—21 of 39 passing, one deep completion to RJ for 49 yards. Outside of that, there were no explosive plays.
We went 4 for 17 on third down—that’s just not winning football.
TURNOVERS AND MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
Garrett:
And a lot of those third downs were long—third and sevens, eights, nines. The offense never gave the defense a breather.
Kyle:
Right, and we had three turnovers—two by Kevin and one by Jordan. A couple deep in our own territory, putting pressure on the defense.
Despite that, the defense held Wake to just 13 points. With five forced turnovers, we should’ve won.
Garrett:
Exactly. When you force five turnovers, you shouldn’t lose. The defense did their job. The offense and special teams didn’t hold up their end.
CRUCIAL MISTAKES LATE
Garrett:
Even after everything, the defense gave us a chance late. But we couldn’t get a first down to ice the game. That’s twice this year—against Baylor and now Wake—where one first down could’ve sealed it.
We’ve got to find a way to stay on the field when it matters. Those are the plays that separate a 5–3 team from a 7–1 team.
Kyle:
Yeah, and then Wake nails a 50-yard field goal at the end to win it. Brutal way to lose, but credit to them—they made plays when it mattered.
LOOKING AHEAD TO MIAMI
Garrett:
Now, it’s time to regroup. A ranked Miami team comes to town next. Every player has to take ownership—this performance wasn’t the SMU standard.
Kyle:
My high school coach used to say, “The next play is the most important one.” Same goes here—the next game is the most important one. Learn from this, flush it, and move forward.
Garrett:
Shoutout to Sakara Tequila for sponsoring the Padrone Shot of the Game and to Rhone—use code PONY20 for 20% off.
PADRONE SHOT OF THE GAME
Kyle:
This week’s Padrone Shot of the Game—probably the only offensive highlight—was Kevin’s deep ball to RJ for 49 yards. Unfortunately, we settled for a field goal, but that was the lone spark.
AROUND COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Garrett:
Quick look around the country—
- Texas A&M wins big, 49–25, and Brian Kelly gets fired at LSU (and takes home a $59M buyout).
- Ole Miss wins a thriller at Oklahoma, 34–26.
- Miami, our next opponent, struggled early vs. Stanford before pulling away late.
- Vanderbilt upset Missouri, 17–10.
- Texas survived a scare in overtime, 45–38 over Mississippi State.
Kyle:
And Houston upset #24 Arizona State, breaking their 10-game home streak. Virginia barely beat UNC, 17–16, in overtime.
Garrett:
Belichick’s college team nearly pulled that one off—they went for two in OT to win it. Gutsy call.
LOOKING AHEAD: WEEK 10 SLATE
Kyle:
Next week’s big games:
- #10 Miami at SMU
- #9 Vanderbilt at Texas
- #12 Texas Tech at Kansas State (upset alert!)
- #18 OU at #14 Tennessee
- #17 Cincinnati at #24 Utah
Garrett:
A lot of great matchups. We’ll be back soon with our Pat and Go preview episode.
CLOSING
Garrett:
A somber Pony Up to close this week. Time to move on, refocus, and get ready for Miami.