GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii's Mike Bass was brought down by SMU's Kevin Garrett, right, last night. Garrett blocked a field goal and had two picks.
This is not the senior year Kevin Garrett had hoped for. A fifth consecutive loss, third straight on the road. Garrett gives SMU
glimmer of hope
Warriors Roll
UH's Patton has memorable night
Sidelines
Scoring drives
Game stats
By Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.comAnother decisive defeat. This one 42-10 to Hawaii last night at Aloha Stadium.
The Southern Methodist cornerback was more than happy to see September end. The Mustangs (0-5, 0-1) have lost 11 in a row in September, dating back to 2000; they are 1-18 since the start of 1998 in the ninth month of the year.
Garrett was one of the bright spots for SMU, which has now lost every one of its Western Athletic Conference openers since joining the league in 1996. He's already being touted as one of the top corners available for next year's NFL Draft and he had a highlight film of a first half against the Warriors last night:
>> Blocked field goal with 12:51 left in the period that stuffed Hawaii's first possession, his sixth blocked kick of his career.
>> An interception in the end zone in the second quarter, to stifle another Warrior scoring drive, also the sixth of his career.
>> A fumble recovery of Mike Bass' botched punt return with 15 seconds left before halftime that set up SMU's lone score in the opening 30 minutes. The field goal by Trent Stephenson was the first time the Mustangs had scored in the second quarter in six games. SMU had been outscored 49-0 in the second quarter dating back to a 19-10 loss at North Carolina in the season finale Dec. 1.
"It felt good to do some of those things, but it would feel better if you could put a win on the board," said Garrett. "We're just trying to put pieces together right now. We ARE going to put this together and, when we do, we'll win. We just got to turn it around and get that first win."
Such has been the frustration for Garrett and his corner mate, junior Jonas Rutledge. They had been burned by Oklahoma State 52-16 a week ago in a game in which the Cowboys scored on their first seven possessions en route to a 45-0 halftime lead.
Last night was a little better, thanks to Garrett. It was a game at intermission, the Mustangs trailed just 14-3, and there seemed a glimmer of hope and some momentum.
And then it was gone.
Less than two minutes after coming back onto the field, the Warriors were within striking distance. Garrett was covering in the end zone when he saw Hawaii quarterback Tim Chang scampering in from 19 yards out.
Garrett and Chang got to the goal line at about the same time with Garrett getting hit in the ribs by a teammate on the tackle. He stayed down for a few minutes but got up under his own power.
"I played with a little bruise after that," said Garrett. "I tried to get there, but it was a little late."
Chang's touchdown, his first rushing TD of the season, put Hawaii up 21-3. It jump-started a 21-0 run in the third quarter that put that game away.
"I thought we had a chance at halftime to do something," said SMU's first-year head coach Phil Bennett. "There were a lot of turnovers and we had a chance to make it a really competitive game. It just flipped on us.
"Our field goal gets blocked (by Pisa Tinoisamoa) and is run back for touchdown (by Kenny Patton). We get good field position and they intercept and run it back for a touchdown.
"That's a 21-point swing. We had to score to win this game and we couldn't capitalize offensively."
The Mustangs' running attack never resembled the glory days of the Eric Dickerson-Craig James "Pony Express." SMU was a one-trick pony for most of the game, with Keylon Kincade the workhorse in the first half (58 of his 61 yards) and Kris Briggs in the second (99 of his 132 yards after halftime).
SMU heads back to Dallas for its first home game in a month. The Mustangs face San Jose State, which beat UTEP last night.
Last year, SMU snapped a four-game skid with a victory over the Miners.
"You could see flashes of how good we might be," said Garrett, who added a second interception in the second half. "Now we've got to put together a whole game and turn the conference season around."
