1951 SMU Mustangs football team

The 1951 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1951 college football season. Led by second-year head coach Rusty Russell, the Mustangs compiled an overall record of 3–6–1 with a mark of 1–4–1 in conference play, placing last out of seven teams in the SWC. SMU played home games at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Dick Hightower, Herschel Forester, Pat Knight were the team captains.

1951 SMU Mustangs football
Conference	Southwest Conference
Record	3–6–1 (1–4–1 SWC)
Head coach	Rusty Russell (2nd season)
Captains	Dick Hightower Herschel Forester Pat Knight
Home stadium	Cotton Bowl

1951 Southwest Conference football standings

	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 11 TCU $	5	–	1	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
No. 9 Baylor	4	–	1	–	1			8	–	2	–	1
Texas	3	–	3	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Rice	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Texas A&M	1	–	3	–	2			5	–	3	–	2
Arkansas	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
SMU	1	–	4	–	1			3	–	6	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 22	at Georgia Tech*		Grant Field Atlanta, GA	L 7–21	33,000
September 29	at No. 3 Ohio State*		Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	L 0–7	80,735
October 6	Missouri*		Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	W 34–0	40,000
October 13	at No. 5 Notre Dame*		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	W 27–20	58,240
October 20	Rice	No. 15	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (rivalry)	L 7–28	53,000
November 3	No. 12 Texas		Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	L 13–20	72,000
November 10	at Texas A&M		Kyle Field College Station, TX	T 14–14	24,500
November 17	Arkansas		Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	W 47–7	33,500
November 24	at No. 10 Baylor		Baylor Stadium Waco, TX	L 13–14	30,000
December 1	at No. 11 TCU		Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX (rivalry)	L 2–13	35,000
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game