Everything Rhett Lashlee said after SMU landed College Football Playoff berth

SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee spoke with the media Sunday afternoon after the Mustangs landed a College Football Playoff berth. Here’s everything he said after the news his team will face Penn State.

Opening statement: “Well, obviously, a lot of emotions in the last, I don’t know, 18 hours or so, 12 plus, 18 hours for our team. We’re disappointed that we didn’t win our championship last night, but we’re disappointed in the outcome, not the effort. We dug ourselves too big a hole in the first quarter with a lot of self inflicted wounds against a good team. And then just really incredibly proud of how our team battled back, showed kind of the competitive championship character our team has. Looked like we were going to overtime and we just didn’t close out the fourth quarter the way we needed to, which then put our playoff hopes in a little bit of limbo. And so just wait until 11, really it’ll be almost what, 11:30 by the time they got to it today, in doubt. But we’re very grateful, very excited that the entire body of work was rewarded, what we’ve been told was honored and what happened. We were a team that was in the playoff field after the regular season. I think the whole body of work spoke for itself, I do think strength of schedule is a big deal. And you hear about that a lot. You look at our non-conference strength of schedule, I think we did pretty good. I mean, we went on the road in our first game and then we played BYU, a 10-win team at home. We played TCU, an 8-4 team out of the Big 12. We had a game against Vanderbilt from the SEC scheduled and they backed out of that game.

“So we were always gonna challenge ourselves in the non-conference. I think that’s important. And then we went undefeated in our conference. So for the committee to honor that and reward that and not penalize our team for playing in a conference championship game and competing the way we did. I think it’s a big deal for college football. I think it’s a big deal for the survival of the championship weekend, which I think is important. And I think our team in the fourth quarter showed the country that we’re a team that is capable of making noise and winning games and advancing in the playoff. And so I’m glad we got the opportunity to do it. Now we can’t have a quarter like the first quarter against Penn State if we wanna keep going, but we’re excited to be in the field. Twelve teams compete for a national championship and we’re one of them, so questions.”

On Selection Show: “Yeah, we didn’t do a selection watch party. We all kind of, we just had a team meeting actually at three o’clock before I came in here. So I watched it at home with my kiddos and my wife in my living room. And it was just as nerve wracking as you would think it would have been. So we were at home and it’s hard to set the scene for what that looked like. But I had some kids like on the couch with blankets covering their eyes just to hear the kids with their face down like this. And like I told Reese on the ESPN call, their production team did a great job of creating the drama. But pretty cool to see the Mustang pop up on the screen in the field. The first ever 12 team calls football playoff. I think our team earned it, deserves it. I think when you look at the consistency of performance for 12 weeks. two losses to ten win teams by three and we controlled a lot of the games we were in. I think that’s what good teams that should be in this field do. You beat the teams you’re supposed to beat, you play well in all the big games, and our team was able to do that for 13 weeks. So that’s where we were and really relieved. It was really exciting to get to walk into a team meeting totally opposite of last year when we won the conference championship at Tulane. And then we didn’t get the opportunity to play in the festival, had to go in and kind of console the guys. Those aren’t fun. And so it was nice to get to come in and be able to tell them we’re in, which they already knew, and celebrate that with them a little bit.” 

On the reaction from SMU’s players ahead of the reveal: “No, they’re fired up. You know, I think they know who we are. I mean, like I said, we’ve proven it. The consistency of performance for our team is there. And I think they know in the first quarter, we had two turnovers, we had two issues with field position on our punt team. Put our defense in a real behind and when you get down 21 to 7, it’s tough after that we won the game pretty I mean we we controlled the game, but we were constantly trying to come back and Against the team like clumsy you can’t do that So I think they they feel good about who we are, but they also feel like man, you know We’ve been so good so consistent all year one bad quarter though in a championship type caliber game a playoff type caliber game is the difference right and So I think they’re excited they get another opportunity I think they’re excited to play an incredible program like Penn State and a college football playoff. You know, we know that Happy Valley is one of the best arenas in college football to play, I mean a hundred thousand white out. It’s gonna be incredibly tough. But if you’re a competitor you want that opportunity and Like I said, just like we got the opportunity to share the field last night with a great team We’re gonna get the chance to do that again here in about 13 days so they’re excited that they get another chance to go out and show the country what SMU is all about kind of like they did in that fourth quarter. 

On support from other coaches regarding the CFP spot: “It’s pretty cool. I think it validates that SMU is back where we belong. We’re on the national stage. We’re in a big -time conference. We’re competing for a national championship. And our brand and our name and this team has earned the respect, not only for this team, but for our program. And when you can say, look, there’s a lot of teams that deserve to be in. Again, I’ve said the committee has a tough job to do, but we earned the right to be in before the conference championship weekend. I was really proud they rewarded that. But when the game ended last night, we were so down and dejected. But the whole country saw in that second half and then fourth quarter what we’re all about, what this team’s all about. And they, I think, I think I said it to them, it’s like we kind of felt like we were like America’s team, when you see 95% or more of the national media, the pundits, and everyone, coaches, saying, SMU deserves to be in. It’s not even close, they deserve to be in. That’s the kind of respect they earned. And we’re talking about a program like Alabama is the other option, who is a great football team. It’s pretty cool. I mean, that’s where we wanna get to, is where our program is viewed on the same plane with those kind of I think it just happened a little quicker than I thought it might.” 

On concern over brand biases: “Definitely, I mean, we had a chance to slam the door, and not only, leave no doubt, we get a bye, we didn’t do that. And so yeah, I mean, look, like I said, brands like Alabama, brands like Clemson, and what Dabo’s done there. The blue bloods of our sport, as people like to call it, they’ve earned that right. Now, that doesn’t mean they should get the nod in situations like this. I mean, the committee, I credit them for doing what was right. And what, as we saw, most of the country felt was right. And that’s not a slight to Alabama. But it’s tough, because, I mean, we’re all human. And you go, man, look at the laundry list of things. This program is done, and here we are, the new guys. So I was really proud and thankful that that didn’t play into the final decision. It was who you beat, who you lost to, who you scheduled, whole body of work, your good days, your bad days, qualifying for a championship, the way your team competes, all those things went into the final decision. And I’m really thankful for that.” 

On unity with Clemson, within ACC for CFP spots: “It has (created unity). I mean, I think you got to look at the ACC. I mean, it hurt what happened to our league last year. You know, talking to Dabo right after the game. He said, ‘No, you guys are in.’ And, of course, I’m like, okay. It’s easy for you to say right now. But he was gracious about it. And then, you know, his words post -game. You know, I texted him. I really appreciated that. But, you know, yeah, I don’t know what to say other than it does kind of galvanize the conference a little bit because when you hear, we know the league we’re in. Like, we know there’s a Georgia Tech who went to Georgia and took them to eight overtimes. You know what I mean? Like, we know we have a winning record as a league against the Big 10 and the Big 12 this year. Some of the time, none of that stuff gets talked about. Every league’s good. Like, every league has their strengths. Every league has their weaknesses. And until there’s a level playing field, like, we all play the same number of conference games. We all play the same number of power, whatever you want to call it, non -conference games. We have an actual metric system. I’m like, they do a basketball deal, like, there’s no… they don’t talk about ranked wins in basketball. They talk about quad one, quad two, because there’s RPI net, FPI, whatever data points we say are important, put it into a formula, let that judge it. Then it’s always gonna be just, everyone’s got an argument to support what they want to. So it was really cool to hear that Clemson was happy we were in. Because we are, as an ACC, I mean, we battle against each other all year. But of the 17 schools in our league, heck yeah, we’re happy we got two teams in, and now it’s up to us and Clemson to go represent our league.” 

On the validation claiming a spot gives SMU: “Yeah, it is. I mean, again, we know we have a really good league. I mean, I think all powerful leagues have a really good argument for their leagues, but yeah, it’s good. There’s 12 teams playing for the national championship. I think there’s no question the top two teams from the ACC this year and in most years deserve to be in because the league is going to be that good top to bottom. And when we have, what, 13 bowl eligible teams in our league. And now that you’ve done away with divisions and all these big conferences, you’re gonna have, generally speaking, your two best teams, for the most part, or at least two of your top three teams always playing for your championship. You’re not gonna have a 11-1 and a 7-5. That’s just not gonna happen most likely anymore. And so I think that’s gonna make it easier to say most leagues and most years can have a chance to get multiple teams. 

On early thoughts on SMU vs. Penn State: “Probably, much like them, we don’t cross over with them much during the year and so you watch them a little bit because they play a lot of times at noon and you’re at the hotel. I know they have an incredible defense. I know they got great speed. I know Tom Allen is an incredible defensive mind. And I know Manny Diaz had just been there and I know they were recruited at a high level. James Franklin is a lot like Coach Swinney. I mean, he’s talking about a model of consistency and winning ten wins a year every year since he’s been there. So, and then offensively, they’re very explosive, they’re unique. OC, he came from Kansas, and they had a big-time year last year. They got a big time tight end and other playmakers. So, I mean, I know they’re really good. They’re the No. 16-ranked in the country, and we gotta go to their place. So, but no, I haven’t studied a lot of film on them. With the three hours of sleep and watching the watch deal, we’re just, we’re fired up to be in the bracket and getting another chance to play. But we’re getting into it, our whole staff’s already getting into it right now.” 

On SMU’s week off: “Yeah, it’ll kinda, to some degree, be like a bye week was in the season for us. This is almost like a bye week and then you got game week. The difference is the portal opens tomorrow. Thankfully, they changed the role where we don’t have to go out recruiting in December like we did two years ago when we were playing BYU on 13 days notice. So, we’ll be able to stay here, focus on our team. Hopefully keeping our guys together, being in the playoff helps, focus on preparation for Penn State while still recruiting transfers that want to come visit with the new way of things. So it’s going to be a busy 13 days, but, man, it’s a great problem to have for us.” 

On potential portal entrants: “I mean, not directly, but I’m sure later today or tomorrow those will happen, and I get it. And so that’s, like I’ve said before, I think this is tough on kids because we’re in the playoff. Well, everybody on our team wants to go through the playoffs as long as we can go, right? At the same time, if they’re a guy that it’s going to be good for them, whatever, to leave, like they want to get in the portal and have that option. So we’ll work with those guys. We love all the guys here. We want everybody here that wants to be here and the guys that don’t or feel like they have a better opportunity somewhere else. We want to work with them and help them get where they can go.” 

On celebrity shoutouts: “For us, the mayor and Eric Dickerson and, um, I’ve got a lot i haven’t looked at. If I’m gonna be honest with you, I’ll get to ‘em before the end of the day. Um, tons of of national media people and some former head coaches and stuff were reaching out, even last night, this morning with their support like, ‘you guys definitely should be in,’ those kinds of things. And then since we got in, it’s just been cool to see a bunch of people excited for us to be in and not at the detriment of anyone else. Just they feel like the right thing was done. They feel like we earned it. And, um, so I’m sure there’s a couple of, my brains out because I’m on like two hours right now. But, um, no, it’s been great support both before and after the announcement.”

On sleeping after SMU’s loss: “It was unsettling because typically, well, first of all, we’ve been blessed. We hadn’t lost since September 6th till last night. And so, you know, that was the first time we walked in the locker room and not broken a rock and celebrated in a while. And so you’re used to processing a loss, but with what was impending in about 12 hours that was coming, it was, it was, it was weird. It was, it was, it’s hard to really grieve the loss last night and process that at the same time. Wonder what, what if it’s now going to happen and be unsettling knowing that, you know, everything kind of up in the air and hangs in the balance of the committee. And so, um, yeah, it was just, it was a long 12 hours, you know, kind of restless. So, um, and I can only imagine what it was like for our guys, you know, cause, um, they wanted it so bad and they feel like they did a lot of things to earn it, which they did. And so then knowing that it was, the issue was in doubt, I think was just unsettling. It’s the best word I could probably put to it, but again, it was our fault because we didn’t finish the deal last night.” 

On effect of crowd in Bank of America Stadium: “Yeah, great question Mark, I think it did a little bit. I mean it was definitely a bigger Clemson crowd than SMU crowd because of proximity but our fans did travel great. I mean, it was awesome when we were coming back you could hear them loud, it was uh it was really cool to see so many people from SMU. I mean you were here in the last 12 hours of taking over restaurants and airports and hotels and all kinds of stuff in Charlotte and so we’re really grateful that they were there and they helped us I mean it was noticed so that probably balanced out the the one-sided crowd noise although the Clemson crowd was great but the atmosphere in general just being electric and being a championship level atmosphere you know was really cool. I mean we’ve had some great great crowds at Ford Stadium this year, but they’re pretty one sided. So probably other than when we went to Louisville, that was the last time we had a crowd like that. And obviously what we’re gonna experience at Penn State is gonna be more than anything we’ve experienced this year. So I thought our guys handled it fine last night. I think we had the one issue late on a snap infraction, but we didn’t have a lot of those kind of penalties. One of the, and not wanting to make excuses, the last two weekends against Virginia and Cal, we had more false starts in those two games than we probably had all year. I don’t know how many people did or didn’t know. I mean, Kevin Jennings broke his finger against Duke on his left hand. So he played, if you noticed he was wearing a glove for about five weeks or whatever. He stopped clapping for the cadence cuz he couldn’t, so we had to rewire some things. We did a pretty good job. And then by the Cal game, we were able to get him out of that. And so, then we were kind of going back to the old cadence. So we just, we had to kind of retweak some things. And that was probably a reason for some of those issues. I think that’s why you saw last night, we didn’t have communication problems with the noise. We’re obviously gonna have to prepare for it. Like I said, we’re probably going into one of the top five environments in all of college football, if not the best. So it was good that we had a game in an atmosphere like that, leading up to the next one, for sure.” 

On the players’ emotions during the wait: “Yeah, I think they had a lot of gratitude today and I think it in a lot of ways restored their faith in the system we have. When I said shaken, we didn’t know what the committee was gonna do or think. But what we heard the last couple of weeks on Tuesday night caused enough concern to not feel great. And so, to see what happened happen, I think definitely restored their faith and that the whole season does matter. Winning your conference in the regular season the way we did matters. How you play matters. Playing in a conference championship game does matter, which we’ve been told it did. And it’s good to see that it did. So I think they were grateful. I do think that it helped not only our team, I think it helped all the kids of college football go, ‘okay, good. We still value these conference championship weekends.’ And I’m sure there’s some things after the season we can all discuss. Look, I’ve got my opinions, everyone else has theirs. This isn’t the time probably for that. But yeah, I think overall the mood was they were grateful. They were thankful that in our opinion the right thing was done and they get another opportunity.” 

On his feelings after the game, deservedness of SMU’s CFP spot: “Right when the game ended, of course, it’s such a raw moment. I probably didn’t feel great about it, right? Just because we just lost and like I said, there was just so many different range of emotions going on from just losing the championship, the walk off way we did after such a good comeback to college football. Just all the things that were kind of up in the air. I didn’t probably feel great about it at all. And then got on the bus and got on the plane. And to the question I got earlier, you started seeing what because when you’re in the moment, you don’t really know what it looks like. I knew how well Kevin and we were playing late in the game and the comeback and what it all meant. But we’re so engrossed in the moment, you don’t really get it. To know that everybody else saw what we felt and to see kind of just the overwhelming support for SMU was like a big deal. From people that probably three days earlier were saying we shouldn’t be the team that was in, you know what I mean? Like that was cool. And that’s what gave you a little bit of hope. And then I don’t look at it, but I had guys on staff start telling me that Vegas said we’re in good shape and that must mean something. So I was like, cool, like whatever. So I don’t know, I mean, but then also know it’s just 50-50, and the committee had a hard decision there. And so going to sleep, I didn’t feel great just because anytime you don’t know, then you don’t know. So that’s the unsettling part and the nervous part. And then even this morning I woke up. And, you know, I probably got up, probably went to bed at five something, got up around eight. And so for those two or three hours, as I would just consider, keep watching whatever was on or just sit there, probably every five minutes, I went back and forth until I saw the Mustangs. So, yeah, not a fun situation being for anybody, but thankful it went our way.” 

On Penn State’s ACC potential look-alike: “You know, like I said, I haven’t watched enough of them yet to tell you. I have like a 30,000 foot view of them just from, you know, seeing them a little bit on TV here or there, I haven’t actually watched film of them. I watched them a lot more last year when we weren’t playing because Manny Diaz was the DC and a friend of mine. So when they were playing and we weren’t, you’d kind of want to pull for somebody you know. And so I just know the kind of length and speed they had on defense. I know what they do on offense. I know they got a really good quarterback, a big time tight end. And they present a lot of issues with all the different formations and looks and things they do offensively. And then I just know James Franklin’s reputation, just being a consistent winner. So I don’t have a great comparison yet for you. Probably the next time I talk, I could give you a better answer there. But I do think it’s great that, again, the runner up in the Big Ten and the runner up in the ACC both made the playoff. And hey, we get to go play it out on the field.” 

On SMU QB Kevin Jennings’ performance: “Yeah, I mean, I think Kevin was just nails in the fourth quarter. And really, we had 86 snaps, I think. He probably had three or four bad plays. I mean, he played really well. Unfortunately, two of those, or three of those, were really bad, right? And so, you know, the first part of the game, we really wanted to run the ball on him and we did at times, but we just weren’t able to finish drives and we were dropping balls and just doing some things, again, uncharacteristically of us. And I think in the second half, we really settled down and started competing. And then fourth quarter specifically, I just thought Kevin was just, he was a big time player in a big time moment. And a lot of people have already figured out who he is this year, but the ones that didn’t saw it last night. I mean, what he did those last three drives for us to score a touchdown and field goal, especially that last drive you’re talking about, a touchdown. Couple big third down plays, he scrambled, hit a couple guys. And then, of course, the game winner to Roderick Daniels. I just think, to your point, it speaks to the togetherness and the competitiveness of our team. They literally are gonna, I never have to worry about how physical we’re gonna play and how hard we’re gonna play and how we’re gonna respond to things. And there was a lot of bad things. I think in the eight previous title games that Clemson had been in, they’d won them all eight by an average of like 24 points. We had a chance at one point to let that game go the same way all the other ones did and we didn’t. I think that shows the team and that last drive is a great example of this team, but the lesson learned is as great as that last drive was, and I think people watching the game probably felt like if the game went into overtime, you would have probably thought we had a pretty good chance to win with the way the momentum was going. And we even punted it down 10 with 11 minutes late, because I felt confident our defense would get us the ball back and they did. But we can’t start slow like we did, and we can’t make a special teams blunder on the last play like we did and beat a really good football team in a playoff atmosphere.” 

On SMU fans traveling: “Yeah, they’ll probably not get as many tickets in Happy Valley as they did in Charlotte, so my understanding is its a true road environment. Their families will be there, a couple of SMU people will be there. I also know getting to Happy Valley is not easy. I think it’s graduation weekend, there’s probably not a lot of hotels, so we still want as many of them who can grab a ticket to be there. Because it has been big, I mean, the support this year has been just as important to our overall success as our play on the field. When you go into a conference like the ACC, when you get back on the national stage, you only get one chance to make a good first impression. And the SMU kind of family as a whole has nailed that moment. We’ve made a great first impression, obviously with our play on the field and making the college football playoff. But also our fan base at home, our fan base the way we’ve traveled. So it’s a huge deal. We’re so grateful for all the sacrifices people made to come support us. Our team notices, our team feels it. And anybody can make it to Happy Valley and take a ticket away from someone who’s from Penn State, we’re all for it.” 

On earning the committee’s trust with a good game against Penn State: “I don’t, I do think we’ve, I think we’ve proven we belong. I don’t think we have anything more to prove there. Now I get it, if we don’t go play well, then that’s not gonna be the story that’s written. And so, yeah, to help the narrative be that we belong, we do need to go play well. But I don’t think we have to prove anything. I think what we’ve done proved enough and that’s why the committee put us in the playoff. And obviously every year, the teams that are the last couple to get in versus the ones that don’t, that’s gonna be looked at, right? And so I think we need to do two things. I think for our team, cuz we know what kind of team we have, we also know how incredible our opponent is, we need to go play our best game for ourselves to prove to ourselves that we continue to be who we thought we were. And we need to go represent our league. At a time where everyone wants to fight and compete for their league, which is fine, that’s what makes our sport great, us and Clemson have the opportunity to go in there and say, ‘no, no, the ACC is one of the big time leagues like we know it is.’ And we get to go prove it. So yeah, I mean, bragging rights are on the line. You got an ACC Big Ten game. I think you got an SEC, ACC game. I think you got another Big Ten, SEC game in on the first round. Yeah, I mean, it’s so different than March Madness when all the teams get in and everybody tracks which conference does the best. But then it doesn’t really carry over to the next year. So we want to represent SMU, we want to represent the ACC. Yeah, I would love to go out and validate. Hey, the committee made the right decision. But I don’t know if the outcome of that game is going to necessarily say yes or no, but sure we’d like to do that.” 

On SMU’s progress as a program since 2018: “Yeah, great question. I mean, it’s a special place, and I’m just fortunate to be the coach here at a special time when everything is in a really good place. And I think this is where we wanted to get to, competing for ACC championships, competing to be in the college football playoff for a national championship again on the national stage where we’ve been before as a school and as a program, just not for a long time. We got there pretty quick in year one. So obviously we’ve now created higher expectations for ourselves but that’s okay. This is what we want to continue to do. I do think we can build a program that could be looked at consistently year in year out, year in and year out to compete for an ACC Championship. And if we’re one of those teams in the ACC that can year in, year out be viewed as a team in the preseason that has a chance to win it, then year in, year out, we’re gonna be a team that has a chance to compete to be in the college football playoff. Whether it’s 12, 14, 16, wherever that number settles. And so we’ve proven it can be done, and it’s just in the first year. And so now we’re gonna get a chance to recruit off being in the ACC. We’re gonna get a chance to recruit off this year’s success. And look, the work’s just beginning because as great as this year is, it’s really hard to do what we’ve done this year. It’s hard to do what we’ve done this year if you’ve been in the power conferences for 20 years, right? That’s the reason only about what, nine other schools, ten other schools in a power conference got in. No one’s ever done it in the way we did, making the jump. So it’s hard to do it, but it’s even harder to sustain success. Just like it’s harder to do that in the season. So as a staff, we know we’ve got our work cut out for us after the season ends to get back, we’d love to get back to Charlotte and win it. And if we do that, then we know we’re back in the playoff. That’s the program we wanna have. We may not be there every year, but we wanna have a program that every year is competing to be right here on this day, hearing our name called on selection Sunday.”