42 miles separate the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex rivals who will battle for the 101st time this Saturday, September 24, 2022. However, the stake of this year’s Iron Skillet Battle feels much higher than recent past.
Yes, the Iron Skillet game always means a little more to these two schools, but this year the Mustangs will be staring down someone they once admired. It will be the first time former SMU coach Sonny Dykes returns to General Ford stadium, this time on the other sideline. Dykes left SMU after the 2021 season and did not hesitate to announce his signing with TCU.
With a sold-out Ford Stadium, Dykes knows he is not in for a pleasant homecoming, stating in a recent interview, “If I bought a ticket to the game, I’d boo me too.”
On SMU-TV’s most recent episode of Boulevard Banter, students expressed their feelings about Dykes as a “traitor” and compared him to “Benedict Arnold.” It is fair to say that this game means more off and on the field this year.
Over the past 100 Iron Skillet game matchups, there has been every outcome imaginable. Both universities have gone through their ups and downs. Some games have been decided by one and some by 50. But the only game that matters is the one this Saturday.
On Saturday, the Mustangs are fighting to keep the Skillet in Dallas for the third straight year. It has been some time since the Mustangs held a winning streak over TCU’s head, and Head Coach Rhett Lashlee is preparing to extend the winning more. Lashlee might be in his first season at SMU, but he understands the importance of this matchup.
Over the past two meetings, SMU beat TCU 42-34 and 41-38, both in Fort Worth. In 2020, the game (scheduled at SMU) was canceled due to the unfortunate circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it is time for the Mustangs to put on a show on their home turf and keep the Skillet in Dallas.
This year the Mustangs are full of depth and share a common goal – winning. For veteran QB Tanner Mordecai and superstar WR Rashee Rice, it is not their first rodeo against TCU, but it will be their last. Winning last year may have tasted sweet, but defeating our rival in our town will taste even better.
Yes, the emotions will be high, the crowd will be rowdy, and there will only be one winner of th4 Iron Skillet game in the end, but never forget, “No one comes to Texas for Fort Worth. They come for Dallas.” – Rashee Rice.