3 takeaways from Shane Buechele’s nailbiting Week 1 win over Texas St

Former Texas football quarterback Shane Buechele had a rocky showing with the SMU Mustangs in their Week 1 win over Texas State.

The former Texas football quarterback and four-star recruit Shane Buechele got going at the right time for the SMU Mustangs to stave off the potential upset bid of head coach Jake Spavital and the Texas State Bobcats on Sep. 5. SMU opened up their 2020 season on Saturday afternoon, with the highlighting game of that time slot in Week 1, against Texas State on the road in San Marcos.

This would be the first test of the 2020 season for Buechele and the Mustangs as they look to be on their way to contend for an American Athletic Conference Championship. Buechele led the Mustangs to their first double-digit win season since 1984, when they finished up with a 10-3 record last year.

But the 2019 season did not end the way SMU envisioned, as they were walloped in the Boca Raton Bowl, with a loss at the hands of the Florida Atlantic Owls by the final score of 52-28. SMU was also taken to the brink by a rather bad team like the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the latter portion of last season.

Nonetheless, Buechele had a career year in his first with the SMU program in 2019. He registered nearly 4,000 passing yards, 36 total touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions. Buechele also posted a career-best 148.8 passer efficiency rating last season.

In this Week 1 matchup against Texas State, Buechele and the Mustangs hung on by their fingernails. They got the win over the Bobcats by the final score of 31-24. It came down to an onside kick that SMU recovered in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter to finally seal the victory.

Here’s a look into three definitive takeaways from the opening week of the 2020 season for former Longhorn quarterback Buechele after knocking off Texas State by a one possession margin.