McNeal runs for 158 yards to help SMU defeat Stephen F. Austin 31-23

SMU defeats Stephen F. Austin 31-23

DALLAS — Shawnbrey McNeal ran for 158 yards on 19 carries and scored a touchdown to lead SMU to a 31-23 win over Stephen F. Austin Saturday night.

Mustang quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell scored on fourth-and-1 with 7:47 left in the game to help the Mustangs (1-0) erase a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit and take a 24-23 lead.

SFA had a chance to take the lead with 2:13 left in the game but Evan Engwall’s 39-yard field goal attempt drifted wide left. Engwall had hit on all three of his previous attempts from 46, 38 and 48 yards.

On the next possession, McNeal scored on a 48-yard run to help the Mustangs win their first season opener since they defeated Kansas in 2000. The Lumberjacks (0-1) have lost their last four games to Football Bowl Subdivision schools.