Is SMU scare against Nevada a sign of things to come for Mustangs?

No one on the Hilltop thought SMU’s reintroduction to power conference football would be without bumps in the road. But the first part of the journey – a Week 0 road game to Nevada – was supposed to be smooth sailing. That was clearly wrong from the start in a 29-24 come-from-behind victory against a Wolfpack squad that was a 28-point underdog in the desert books. 

SMU (1-0) didn’t hold its first lead until 1:18 left in the game when tight end R.J. Maryland caught a 34-yard pass from Preston Stone in what turned out to be the game winner. Nevada (0-1) led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, 17-10 at the end of the first half, and 24-13 when the fourth quarter started. The Mustangs scored 16 points in the final 8:01 of the contest, starting with a Brashard Smith rushing touchdown. A safety a few plays later cut the Nevada lead to 24-23.