1996 SMU Mustangs football team

The 1996 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Mountain Division of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Tom Rossley in his sixth and final season as head coach, the Mustangs compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, placing fourth in the WAC's Mountain Division. This was SMU's first season as a member of the WAC after playing in the Southwest Conference (SWC) since 1918.

1996 SMU Mustangs football
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Division	Mountain Division
Record	5–6 (4–4 WAC)
Head coach	Tom Rossley (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Clovis Hale (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Run and shoot
Defensive coordinator	David Knaus (2nd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Cotton Bowl
Seasons ← 1995 1997 →

1996 Western Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Mountain Division
No. 5 BYU x$		8	–	0					14	–	1
Utah		6	–	2					8	–	4
Rice		6	–	2					7	–	4
SMU		4	–	4					5	–	6
New Mexico		3	–	5					6	–	5
TCU		3	–	5					4	–	7
Tulsa		2	–	6					4	–	7
UTEP		0	–	8					2	–	9
Pacific Division
No. 22 Wyoming x		7	–	1					10	–	2
San Diego State		6	–	2					8	–	3
Colorado State		6	–	2					7	–	5
Air Force		5	–	3					6	–	5
Fresno State		3	–	5					4	–	7
San Jose State		3	–	5					3	–	9
Hawaii		1	–	7					2	–	10
UNLV		1	–	8					1	–	11
Championship: BYU 28, Wyoming 25 ^OT
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	7:00 p.m.	Tulsa	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX		W 17–10	12,177
September 7	2:00 p.m.	at Arkansas*	Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR		W 23–10	44,695	^[1]
September 14	7:00 p.m.	Utah	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX		L 17–21	22,614
September 21	6:00 p.m.	at Navy*	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD		L 17–19	26,798
September 28	1:00 p.m.	at No. 24 BYU	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT		L 3–31	62,537
October 5	7:00 p.m.	Missouri*	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX		L 26–27	23,132
October 19	2:00 p.m.	at Rice	Rice Stadium Houston, TX (rivalry)		L 17–35	20,100
October 26	7:00 p.m.	New Mexico	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX		W 52–31	24,024
November 2	2:00 p.m.	at No. 17 Wyoming	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY		L 17–59	17,268
November 9	8:00 p.m.	at UTEP	Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, TX		W 30–0	14,590
November 21	8:00 p.m.	TCU	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (rivalry)	ESPN	W 27–24	21,141
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Roster

1996 SMU Mustangs football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class C 70 Austin Adami So RB 21 Kelsey Adams So QB 8 Ramon Flanigan   Sr OL 78 Bill Holder   Fr OT 77 Jason Holz Sr QB 7 Mark Humble Jr WR 5 Albert Johnson So RB 46 Jeff Pennington Fr RB 28 Rodnick Phillips Fr QB 12 Chris Sanders Fr WR 83 Kevin Thornal Sr WR 11 David Visinsky Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 18 Steve Bancroft Jr LB 42 Chris Bordano Jr DB 25 Chris Campbell Jr CB 26 Donald Mitchell So CB 3 Coby Rhinehart So LB 97 Jon Wilson Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 10 Daniel Hernandez Jr	Head coach Tom Rossley Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible   Injured   Redshirt

References

1. "SMU runs away from Arkansas, 23–10". The Odessa American. September 8, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.