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Michigan's defense was expected to dominate an SMU offense that ranked 126th in the nation in yards per game (249), but it didn't play out that way.

The Mustangs outperformed their averages mightily, tallying 319 yards and 20 points (the visitors came into the contest averaging 17.5).

U-M's secondary had an especially difficult time stopping wideout James Proche and the SMU passing attack, with the the redshirt junior hauling in 11 catches for 166 yards and two scores.

The defensive backfield did get a chance to shine, though, when junior safety Josh Metellus picked off quarterback Ben Hicks and ran it back 73 yards for a score as time expired on the first half, giving the Maize and Blue a 21-7 lead heading into the break.

"I saw the split of the receivers before the play, and I anticipated it in my head," Metellus described after the game. "They wanted to do something big with 17 seconds left in the quarter, but I got to the spot before my guy did and saw the ball coming.

“After that, I saw my blockers and knew I had to score because the clock was running out. [Junior linebacker Devin] Bush, [redshirt sophomore linebacker Devin] Gil and myself all had picks in high school where we would block for each other [at Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Fla.], so this brought back some memories."

The defensive front seven stood out at times as well, racking up eight tackles for loss and two sacks.

Fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich, classmate defensive tackle Bryan Mone and junior defensive tackle Carlo Kemp each recorded two apiece, while senior safety Tyree Kinnel and Bush chipped in the other two.

However, one negative moment in the game occurred when junior viper Khaleke Hudson was ejected for targeting late in the third quarter.

The play was reviewed, upheld and redshirt junior Jordan Glasgow took his place, although head coach Jim Harbaugh didn't necessarily agree with the call.

"My thought on that is — are we going down that road where we’re going to review every play in that box area?" he wondered. "Running backs are going to be going through there and lowering their head. For defenders, it’s a battle to see who can get lower when you have a runner versus a tackler.

"It actually wasn’t called on the field; it came from the booth. That seems like a high level of scrutiny to be placing on a play between the tackles."

Hudson's ejection marked the second time a U-M player had been disqualified for the call this season, with the other being Metellus against Notre Dame.

Because it occurred in the second half, Hudson will have to sit out the first half of next week's contest against Nebraska.

Redshirt sophomore Will Hart has been one of the biggest surprises through Michigan's first three games, and he continued his impressive campaign on Saturday.

He only punted two times, but averaged 50 yards per boot, including one he pinned inside the 20-yard line.

Coming into the game, Hart did not qualify among the national statistical leaders (must have 3.6 punts per game played), but his 50.2-yard average would have ranked as the second best in the nation, behind the 53-yard tally of Georgia State's Brandon Wright.

"Another highlight there," Harbaugh said in the postgame. "Talk about stacking good game after good game.

"Again, over 50 yards a punt again for a second week in a row — that’s a real bright spot. I'm really happy for Will, and the whole operation of our punts."

Redshirt sophomore kicker Quinn Nordin also had an outstanding afternoon against the Mustangs.

He converted all six of his extra points and nailed a 45-yard field goal to extend Michigan's lead to 38-20 with 8:03 left in the game.

The kickoff coverage was also outstanding — rookie Jake Moody kicked off seven times and notched four touchbacks, while the Wolverines allowed just 38 yards on the three kickoff returns with a long of 19.

• Metellus' interception was the first of his career, along with the touchdown. It was also the first pick-six by a Wolverine since then-sophomore cornerback Lavert Hill ran one back 24 yards in a 36-14 win over Cincinnati last year on Sept. 9.

Metellus' takeaway was the sixth-longest pick-six in school history, and the furthest since linebacker Brandon Herron ran back a school-record 94-yarder in a 34-10 win over Western Michigan on Sept. 3, 2011.

• Both defensive tackle starters — Kemp and Mone — each recorded their first career sacks in the second quarter. Kemp's was a six-yard loss for the SMU offense, while Mone's was a seven-yard setback.

• The victory improved U-M's all-time record to 2-0 against the Mustangs, with the other victory coming in 1963 at the Big House.

• The announced attendance of 110,549 signified the 281st consecutive game at Michigan Stadium with a crowd of at least 100,000 people.

• U-M has racked up a 25-5-1 record against current members of the American Athletic Conference, including a 3-0 mark under Harbaugh — his other two victories were over Central Florida in 2016 and Cincinnati last year.

• The Wolverines have now won 10 straight non-conference home games, with the last defeat coming at the hands of Utah on Sept. 20, 2014. All 10 of those victories have come by at least 16 points.

• Sophomore defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon and fifth-year senior position mate Lawrence Marshall both missed their second straight contest due to injury. The latter dressed, though.

• Sophomore cornerback Ambry Thomas was back deep to return all of SMU's kickoffs, but sophomore safety Brad Hawkins and fifth-year senior running back Berkley Edwards each saw time as Thomas' deep counterpart.

• After giving up 14 first-quarter points to Notre Dame on Sept. 1, the Maize and Blue defense has yielded just 33 points in the 11 quarters since.

• The Wolverines' 13 penalties (for 137 yards) were their most since enduring 16 on Oct. 14 at Indiana (141 yards) last year.

"You just go back and look at them, look at the technique and what they’re being taught," Harbaugh explained. "You address each of them, and that’s something we have to clean up and get better at. We don’t want 13 penalties in a game, and I don’t think anybody who is rooting for Michigan does. We'll coach them and get them addressed."

• The 20 points SMU scored were the second-most ever by a non-conference opponent at The Big House during the Harbaugh tenure. The most were by Colorado in a 45-28 Michigan win on Sept. 17, 2016.

• U-M's defense has forced at least one turnover in nine of its last 11 games, with last season's contests against Rutgers (Oct. 28) and Ohio State (Nov. 25) being the exceptions.

• Junior linebacker Josh Uche did not play against the Mustangs for unknown reasons.

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