The surest way to win a college football game?
Block a punt. Long-term analysis shows a team that blocks a punt has about a 90 percent chance of winning, SMU coach Sonny Dykes said.
Blocked punts are rarities. Depending on them is the same as basing financial strategy on having the winning Powerball ticket.
SMU recently has taken the more conventional route to success: a plus score for turnovers.
SMU (3-4, 2-1 AAC) has won three of its last four games. In that span, the Mustangs are plus-5 in turnover margin. In the 0-3 start, against top quality non-conference opponents, SMU was even in turnover margin.