SMU And TCU Meet Up For 104th Battle For Iron Skillet | Saturday At 11 AM

Saturday, September 20, 2025 – 11 a.m. CT

[RV/RV] SMU (2-1, ACC) vs. TCU (2-0, Big 12)

Gerald J. Ford Stadium – Dallas, Texas

TV: ESPN 2

Radio: The Ticket – KTCK 96.7 FM/1310 AM | Sirius XM 382

Streaming: SMU App (Google Play | Apple App Store)

Gameday Central | Live Stats | Tickets 

SMU Notes | TCU Notes | ACC Notes 

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SETTING THE SCENE

• The Mustangs hit the street to face TCU within the 104th version of the Battle for the Iron Skillet on Saturday. 

• SMU is coming off 28-10 victory at Missouri State on Sept. 13. 

• TJ Harden continued his sizzling begin to the 12 months, ending with 96 speeding yards and two touchdowns, upping his season whole to 5.  

• Yamir Knight loved his greatest sport but as a Mustang, recording a season-best 107 all-purpose yards within the win. 

• The Mustangs completed with 448 yards of whole offense, the third straight sport this season with over 400. 

• SMU’s protection continued to thrive in creating turnovers, recording three interceptions within the win. 

• The Mustangs racked up a season-best 5 sacks towards the Bears. 

• SMU held Missouri State to 0-for-12 on third down. 

QUICK HITS

• SMU has gained its final 10 regular-season street contests relationship again to 2023. 

• The Mustangs have been explosive this 12 months, recording six offensive scoring drives in 2025 which have resulted in touchdowns in underneath two minutes.

• The SMU protection has been opportunistic to start out 2025, rating first in FBS in defensive touchdowns (2), first in turnovers gained (8), sixth in passes intercepted (5), eighth in fumbles recovered (3), twelfth in purple zone protection (.667) and sixteenth in sacks (9).

• Jennings has gotten off to a robust begin, rating within the high 4 within the ACC in passing effectivity (third, 165.9), passing yards (4th, 836) and passing yards per sport (4th, 278.7).

• Harden has discovered his groove in his first season as a Mustang, rating within the high 10 within the FBS in speeding touchdowns (sixth, 5) and whole touchdowns (seventh, 5) whereas averaging 84.3 speeding yards per sport on 6.0 yards per carry.

• Brinson at the moment ranks within the high 10 within the nation in receiving yards (seventh, 314), and receiving yards per sport (ninth, 104.7), each additionally lead the ACC.

• SMU’s 56 wins within the final six years are probably the most by any FBS Texas staff. In addition, the Mustangs have gained 25 of these on the street, tops for any staff within the state since 2019.

• The Mustangs are 22-5 of their final 27 video games, and 21-2 of their final 23 regular-season contests.

• SMU has posted a file of 27-3 throughout Lashlee’s 4 seasons in cost once they rating 30-or-more factors in a sport.

• The Mustangs have had at the very least seven receivers catch a move in 31 of the previous 34 video games.

• Rhett Lashlee boasts a 21-3 convention file in his profession. His 21-3 file in his first 24 league video games on the Hilltop is one of the best in SMU historical past.

• SMU entered the 12 months ranked sixteenth in each the US LBM Coaches and Associated Press Preseason Polls, its highest preseason rank since 1985.

• Isaiah Nwokobia has been acknowledged as one of many premier safeties within the nation heading into 2025, being named preseason All-America by a number of publications (Athlon Sports, Phil Steele, Sporting News and Walter Camp). 

• Nwokobia has additionally appeared on quite a few watch lists together with the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, Bronco Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl. 

• Kevin Jennings appears to construct on his breakout marketing campaign final 12 months, being chosen to a number of premier watch lists that embrace the Maxwell Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Davey O’Brien Award, Manning Award, East-West Shrine Bowl and the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.

THE SERIES

• This is the 104th assembly between SMU and TCU, relationship all the way in which again to their first sport in 1915.

• The two groups final met on Sept. 21, 2024, when SMU claimed a 66-42 victory over TCU, the very best scoring sport in sequence historical past.

ABOUT THE HORNED FROGS

• TCU completed the 2024 season with a 9-4 file, posting a 6-3 mark in convention play.

• The Horned Frogs have gone 2-0 in 2025, defeating North Carolina, 48-14, on the street and Abilene Christian, 42-21, at house this previous weekend. 

THE COACHES

• Rhett Lashlee is in his fourth season as the top coach at SMU and has a 31-13 profession file, with 29 wins the second most for a head coach in his first three years in program historical past. Lashlee, who served as offensive coordinator for the Mustangs for 2 seasons (2018-19), additionally served because the offensive coordinator at Miami in 2020 and 2021. A one-time finalist (2013) and two-time semifinalist (2019, 2020) for the Broyles Award, Lashlee has the excellence of being the one coach ever nominated for the Broyles Award 4 completely different occasions at 4 completely different colleges (Arkansas State, Auburn, SMU, Miami).

• Lashlee was named a finalist final season for the distinguished Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award, handed out the nation’s high coach as voted on by the National Sports Media Association, the Bryant Awards’ Executive Leadership Team, and the Bryant Family. The Arkansas native was additionally named Coach of the Year by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football publication, a finalist of the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, and a semi-finalist for the George Munger National Coach of the Year.

• Sonny Dykes is in his fourth season at TCU and has a file 29-13 with this system and a 100-76 general profession file. 

THE IRON SKILLET

During the post-World War II school soccer increase, the SMU and TCU scholar our bodies created a touring trophy referred to as the Iron Skillet that was introduced to the winner of the annual soccer sport between the archrivals. The custom ultimately died, and the skillet was misplaced.

In 1993, nevertheless, the custom was revived because the president of the SMU scholar physique painted the face of the TCU scholar physique president purple and blue following the Mustangs’ 21-15 victory in Fort Worth. The engraved skillet is introduced to the profitable staff after every sport.

I WANNA GO FAST

• The Mustangs have confirmed this 12 months to attain rapidly once they have the ball on offense. 

• SMU has already recorded six offensive scoring drives in 2025 which have resulted in touchdowns in underneath two minutes. 

• The Mustangs have recorded at the very least two scoring drives in every sport which can be two minutes or much less. 

CLUB TAKEAWAY

• Club Takeaway was again and open for enterprise once more in 2025. 

• SMU has pressured a turnover in 24 of the previous 27 video games.

• The Mustangs have pressured a number of turnovers in three straight video games to start out the season.