UNIVERSITY PARK -- Before George W. Bush presided over the coin toss Saturday or Michael Irvin prowled Miami's sideline or Bryson DeChambeau yukked it up with his "Happy Gilmore" pal, Shooter McGavin, or a game at Ford Stadium suddenly became the place to be for students, too; before the Mustangs' 26-20 upset of the 10th-ranked Hurricanes in overtime made history; SMU announced an extension for Rhett Lashlee, his third in three years.
Pretty nice time to come up with the biggest win of your life, only a week after one of your worst losses.
The two-year bump through 2032 gets him "close," as one prominent SMU booster told me, to the $10 million club, an exclusive one, at that. Probably puts him in the top 10, somewhere between Bill Belichick and Lane Kiffin.
Pretty nice company for a guy in his fourth season as a head coach.
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SMU has become a better gig since Sonny Dykes handed off to Lashlee, and it's getting better all the time after the Mustangs' first win over a Top 10 team since 1983.
For those not old enough to remember: The '82 Mustangs, pinnacle of the Pony Express, beat sixth-ranked Pitt in the Cotton Bowl when Blane Smith intercepted a Dan Marino pass to preserve a 7-3 win and an 11-0-1 season.
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The stakes weren't quite as high Saturday when Ahmaad Moses cut underneath Malachi Toney to steal a Carson Beck pass in OT, but try telling it to the crowd that stormed the field and wandered off with the south end zone goalposts.
Try telling it to the Mustangs, who credit the guy who just got paid.
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"Rhett Lashlee has done a great job with the brotherhood here and the bonds that he's building with everybody," said Jordan Hudson, who caught 11 passes for 136 yards. "The spark that he brings allows us to just go, cut loose and have fun. That's what he's building here at this program. And I feel like in the next five or 10 years, this is gonna be a different program from what it is now.
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"We just scratchin' the surface."
All of a sudden the 6-3 Mustangs, who, a week ago, seemed lost after a stunning 13-12 loss to Wake Forest, are among the contenders for the ACC title at 4-1. They did it on the strength of a spectacular effort from Kevin Jennings, who completed 29 of 44 passes for 365 yards and a touchdown after hopping off the field late in the third quarter and returning two plays later to lead the comeback.
The Mustangs won because Jennings' passing made up for a running game that accumulated more carries (25) than yards (23); Moses picked off two Beck passes, both of which led to points; the defense, once a liability because of its youth, responded with its second straight strong performance; and the SMU crowd actually discombobulated an opponent, resulting in 12 penalties for 96 yards.
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Let this sink in a moment: Ford Stadium, normally a nice place for a nap on Saturdays, was so loud in OT, SMU's defensive players had to ask fans to turn it down with their offensive teammates on the field.
This is not the usual around here, so I asked Lashlee to quantify the difference since he was here the first time under Sonny.
He got a little wound up.
"I mean, we're playing Miami for homecoming," he said. "That's a big change. It's packed and loud, and they're carrying the goal post down to Deep Ellum. So that's a change. We beat a Top 10 team for the first time in my lifetime. That's a big deal."
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On and on he went, celebrating the backing of the administration and "SMU family." He called a school that has lacked an identity outside The Bubble "Dallas' team." Said it was "cool to go to" a school where a quarterback who won a state title at South Oak Cliff could beat the likes of Miami and build his brand in his hometown.
He also noted they're 3-1 against Miami, Clemson and Florida State since joining the ACC.
"That," Lashlee said, "has changed since I was here the first time."
Points taken.
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Lashlee's record would make him a candidate for nearly any of the half-dozen vacancies in college football even if he hadn't grown up and played in Arkansas, one of the primary reasons SMU boosters got out ahead of the curve.
SMU has stepped up in leagues and pay rate. Lashlee is reportedly on the fringe of the $10M club, according to preseason research by USA Today. Georgia's Kirby Smart leads at $13.03 million, followed by Ohio State's Ryan Day ($12.5M), USC's Lincoln Riley ($11.5M), Clemson's Dabo Swinney ($11.3M), Texas' Steve Sarkisian ($10.8M), Oregon's Dan Lanning ($10.4M), Alabama's Kalen DeBoer ($10.4M) and Belichick at North Carolina ($10.1M).
Brian Kelly ($10.2M) was also a member when he was at LSU, and I suppose he still is, depending on how good his lawyers are.
As for Lashlee, he's not going anywhere any time soon. He made it sound like an easy call. For one thing, he said, nearly emotional, SMU chose him first.
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The other reason?
"SMU is a destination job," he said.
No question it was the place to be Saturday and for the foreseeable future, for that matter. Just as soon as they find those goalposts.
Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN
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