Freshman defensive lineman Margus Hunt jumps up to block a UTEP field goal during last Saturday’s game. (CASEY LEE/The Daily Campus)

The SMU Mustangs will look for their seventh win and a confirmed bowl appearance as they take on the Marshall Thundering Herd this weekend in West Virginia.

After defeating The University of Texas El Paso last weekend and putting them at 6-4 overall and 5-1 in Conference USA, SMU became bowl eligible for the third time since receiving the death penalty in 1987.

Leading the Mustangs in their quest is freshman quarterback Kyle Padron. Officially named SMU’s starting quarterback, Padron posts a flawless 3-0 record when starting, including one win on the road against Tulsa.

Despite throwing two interceptions last weekend against the Miners, the Southlake Carroll graduate had two rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns to senior wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. Averaging 243 yards per game, Padron has a 69 percent completion rate, nearly 15 percent higher than injured sophomore quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.

SMU’s run and shoot offense should be a strong point against the Thundering Herd. While SMU averages 272 passing yards, Marshall has allowed 223 yards per game, but has only intercepted seven passes.

SMU also holds an advantage over Marshall in their running game with Shawnbrey McNeal, averaging 90 yards per game with six touchdowns on the season. Going up against a Marshall defense that has allowed an average of 156 rushing yards per game this season and 14 touchdowns, the Mustangs’ ground game averages 107 yards per game.

Last weekend against Southern Miss, the Thundering Herd’s two best offensive weapons, running back Darius Marshall and tight end Cody Slate, left the game on crutches.

Marshall, the nation’s No. 5 running back, injured his left ankle. Marshall has averaged 129 rushing yards per game and has 11 touchdowns on the season. It has not been confirmed if Marshall will play this weekend against the Mustangs.

The team will be playing without Slate, a leader among John Mackey Award candidates, with 61 receiving yards per game and four touchdowns. Slate suffered a knee injury last weekend and is not expected to finish the season.

If SMU wins this weekend’s game and then goes on to defeat Tulane at home, the Mustangs will host the C-USA Championship at Ford Stadium on Dec. 5. If they win that game, they will receive an invitation to play in the Auto Zone Liberty Bowl in Memphis against a Southeastern Conference team. There is talk from head coach June Jones that regardless of the outcome of the Conference Championship, he would like to see the team play in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24 against a team from the Western Athletic Conference.

The Mustangs, looking to improve on their best conference start since 1983, control their own fate in the hunt for a conference title, while Marshall still needs one more win to become bowl eligible.

SMU has yet to beat Marshall on the road, but the Mustangs did defeat the Thundering Herd at home in 2006, 31-21.