1983 SMU Mustangs football team

The 1983 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by second-year head coach Bobby Collins, the Mustangs compiled an overall record 10–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, placing second in the SWC. SMU was invited to the Sun Bowl, there they lost to Alabama.^[1]

1983 SMU Mustangs football
Sun Bowl, L 7–28 vs. vs. Alabama
Conference	Southwest Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 12
AP	No. 12
Record	10–2 (7–1 SWC)
Head coach	Bobby Collins (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	No-huddle option
Defensive coordinator	Bill Clay (2nd season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Texas Stadium
Seasons ← 1982 1984 →

1983 Southwest Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 Texas $	8	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 12 SMU	7	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Baylor	4	–	3	–	1			7	–	4	–	1
Texas A&M	4	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Arkansas	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Texas Tech	3	–	4	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
Houston	3	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
TCU	1	–	6	–	1			1	–	8	–	2
Rice	0	–	8	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3		Louisville*	No. 19	Texas Stadium Irving, TX		W 24–6	23,750	^[2]
September 10		vs. Grambling State*	No. 15	Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA		W 20–13	21,224	^[3]
September 24		at TCU	No. 18	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX (rivalry)		W 21–17	34,405	^[4]
October 1		Texas–Arlington*	No. 13	Texas Stadium Irving, TX		W 34–0	23,578	^[5]
October 8		Baylor	No. 13	Texas Stadium Irving, TX		W 42–26	45,025	^[6]
October 22	2:30 p.m.	No. 2 Texas	No. 9	Texas Stadium Irving, TX	CBS	L 12–15	63,805	^[7]
October 29		at Texas A&M	No. 10	Kyle Field College Station, TX		W 10–7	60,219	^[8]
November 5		Rice	No. 8	Texas Stadium Irving, TX (rivalry)		W 20–6	28,750	^[9]
November 12		Texas Tech	No. 7	Texas Stadium Irving, TX		W 33–7	30,000	^[10]
November 19	11:00 a.m.	at Arkansas	No. 6	War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR	ABC	W 17–0	31,080	^[11]
November 27		vs. Houston	No. 6	National Stadium Tokyo, Japan (Mirage Bowl)		W 34–12	70,000	^[12]
December 24	2:00 p.m.	vs. Alabama*	No. 6	Sun Bowl El Paso, TX (Sun Bowl)	CBS	L 7–28	41,412	^[13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Roster

1983 SMU Mustangs football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class TE 87 Rickey Bolden Sr OT 70 Dale Hellestrae Jr QB 2 Don King So QB 11 Lance McIlhenny Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 1 Rod Jones So CB 5 Reggie Phillips Jr DT 98 Mitch Willis Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 3 Jeff Harrell Sr	Head coach Bobby Collins Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible   Injured   Redshirt

References

1. "2020 Football Media Guide".
2. "SMU hands Louisville 24–6 defeat". Lexington Herald-Leader. September 4, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "SMU scrambles past Grambling". The Shreveport Times. September 11, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Goal-line stumble hands SMU 21–17 win over TCU". Austin American-Statesman. September 25, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "No. 12 SMU coasts by sluggish UTA". The Tyler Courier-Times. October 2, 1983. pp. 3–5. Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.  
6. "SMU breaks Baylor, 42–26". The Tyler Courier-Times. October 9, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Longhorn defense rises to occasion". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 23, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "SMU survives Texas A&M". The Monitor. October 30, 1983. Retrieved December 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "SMU holds off Rice, 20–6". The Tyler Courier-Times. November 6, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Bowl-hungry SMU thumps Red Raiders". Abilene Reporter-News. November 13, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Rain-soaked Ponies find place in the Sun". Austin American-Statesman. November 20, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Southern Methodist wins in Japan". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 28, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Alabama leaves Sun shining 28–7". El Paso Times. December 25, 1983. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.