SMU coach Sonny Dykes and senior tight end Ryan Becker met with reporters during Monday evening's weekly media session. It was a chance for them to discuss preparation for Saturday's nationally televised, primetime matchup with Memphis in a battle of top-25 teams.

The HillTopics was on hand to hear both Dykes and Becker comment on the upcoming week:

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Dealing with primetime prep

SMU and Memphis will headline ABC's primetime slot Saturday evening. Outside of the locker room, it's a big deal. Add the fact that ESPN's College GameDay will be in Memphis, and the SMU fan base is beyond excited about the weekend.

Inside the locker room, however, the upcoming week is just like any other.

"Really and truly, it's just a football game, and our job is to go play the game," Becker said. "Coach's job is to get us ready for the game. I know it's TV's job to make it a big deal. Obviously, all of our games are big, and Memphis is a good team, but our job is to just play football games and not worry about that stuff."

Dykes said Saturday will be good for both fan bases and, perhaps above all, good for the American Athletic Conference. It will give the AAC additional exposure late in a football season where Power 5 programs often get the looks from college football followers.

"I think the American conference is a lot better than people think," Dykes said. "Any time you can get two really good football teams playing against each other, and everybody in the country gets to see it, I think it opens people's eyes.

"For us, it's obviously a step in the right direction. You don't get to play in these kinds of games unless you've had some level of success. ... It's an opportunity for us to sell our program to a national audience. Certainly, we're going to take an advantage of it."

Injury status of WR Roberson

Junior wide receiver Reggie Roberson Jr., one of the statistical leaders in the American Athletic Conference and a deep-threat catalyst on SMU's high-octane offense, will continue to be monitored after sustaining a foot injury in last Thursday's game against Houston.

"He's probably not going to practice [Tuesday]," Dykes said. "Obviously, it'll be day by day. We'll get to Friday, and we'll make a decision."

Dykes described Roberson's injury only as "a foot injury" and said the foot is "swollen and sore." Roberson, who has caught 43 passes for 803 yards and six touchdowns, was spotted after the Houston game wearing a boot and using crutches.

Keeping the focus in house

Becker spoke of the importance of a team having confidence. Winning and confidence go hand in hand -- which helps to explain SMU's 8-0 record.

When asked about what the Mustangs are worried about most regarding Memphis' talented program, Becker took the opportunity to turn things back toward his teammates and coaching staff.

"Coach Dykes says it every week: It's not about the other team, it's about us," Becker said. "I really think we've taken that a long way. That's helped in our success."

SMU has one of the nation's best offenses, one that is ranked sixth in the country in scoring (43 points per game) and 10th in the country in total offense (504.1 yards per game). Additionally, SMU's defense has accumulated 36 sacks, which ranks second in the country behind Pittsburgh.

Schedule after a long week

With the last game taking place last Thursday, SMU had a couple of extra days to rest, heal and prepare for Memphis. Dykes said he and his staff are using a similar schedule this week as it did coming off the bye week in preparation for Temple.

"What we did that week was we practiced on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday," said Dykes, who added that in preparing for the Temple game, he treated Thursday's practice like a game and gave the players Friday and Saturday off during the bye week.

Sunday was a kickstart for the Mustangs then, and it was a kickstart this week as they got ready for Memphis.

"When you have an extra day, it's one of those situations where you want to use it the best you can," Dykes said. "But at the same time, you have to get your players to the game as fresh as they can possibly be."

Emulating Memphis' star RB

Dykes is a big fan of Memphis running back Kenneth Gainwell. The redshirt freshman leads the AAC in rushing with 979 yards.

SMU needed a running back to play the role of the 5-11, 191-pound Gainwell in practice, and the team turned to its own freshman in 5-10, 184-pound Ulysses Bentley IV.

"Ulysses has a similar type skill set," Dykes said in comparing him to Gainwell. "I wouldn't say Ulysses is there yet, but he's kind of the same build, same body type and same kind of speed."

Bryant has logged minimal minutes in three games played this season. But his speed and shiftiness makes him the best candidate on the roster to emulate Gainwell, who is coming off a 149-yard, three-touchdown performance in a win over Tulsa.

If Roberson can't go ...

If Roberson is unable to play Saturday, Becker has all the confidence in the world in the younger wide receivers who will play in Roberson's absence.

For now, that would mean freshman Rashee Rice gets the start against Memphis. Rice has played in five games and caught eight passes for 104 yards. He also had some key moments during SMU's comeback win against Tulsa.

"We've got a lot of young receivers. [Roberson's] a great player, but he's not the whole team," Becker said. "I love Reggie, and we're going to miss him out there, but we're going to be just fine."

James Proche leads the team with 61 receptions, 692 yards and nine touchdowns. Tight end Kylen Granson is third on the team with 22 catches, 355 yards and three scores. Myron Gailliard has 20 catches for 176 yards, while Tyler Page has seven snags for 105 yards.

The HillTopics' Mike Graham contributed to this report.