UNIVERSITY PARK -- Having built his reputation on fast-paced offenses, Chad Morris was forced to make a difficult decision in his first year at SMU.

He turned down the offensive volume to buy time for his thin defense.

"We didn't have the depth, we couldn't hold up in the long run on defense, and so we actually slowed things down, which goes totally against everything I'm about, everything I've stood for the last five, six years," Morris said Tuesday.

"And my response to that is we still went 2-10."

With an influx of talent on the defensive line after two solid recruiting classes, the Mustangs enter year two of the Morris era with a proverbial foot on the accelerator.

They have a strong group of skill players, an improved offensive line, and a Red Bull swilling offensive guru in the driver's seat. If they go 2-10 again, they will at least do it quickly. Game one is Saturday at North Texas.

"We're not going to get away from what got us here," Morris said. "We want to turn it loose, get in the left lane and have some fun with this thing."

The Mustangs will look more like the Clemson offenses that helped the Tigers go 42-11 over his four seasons (2011-14) and turned him into a hot head coaching commodity.

His smashmouth formation, a run-first triple option scheme played at breakneck pace, averaged more than 500 yards and ranked in the top 10 nationally in total offense in 2012 and 2013.

After taking over at SMU, Morris and offensive coordinator Joe Craddock eased the Mustangs into the scheme, using about 60 percent of the Clemson playbook.

But defensive struggles, magnified by injuries, forced them to slow the pace to limit opponents' time of possession. They simplified the offense to about 35-40 percent of the playbook.

The Mustangs ranked 76th nationally in total offense - 70th passing, 73rd rushing. To improve those numbers, the staff began installing different formations and play calling methods.

"We really added on to our offense to get more tools in the tool box," Craddock said. "Coach gave us full reign to turn it loose on offense and have fun with it, go as fast as we can play."

Craddock said studies of their Clemson offense revealed an average of seven snaps to score.

The quicker tempo fits dual-threat quarterback Matt Davis, who for the first time since he played Pop Warner, does not have a different offense to learn. And he has a prolific cast of skill players, such as wide receiver Courtland Sutton and running backs Xavier Jones and Braeden West, with experience.

"For once I got to sit back and go, 'Oh, same people, same scheme, let's get better at it," Davis said. "When you run a lot of plays, defenders usually can't align as fast; sometimes you can catch them in their base defense, and sometimes those guys get tired. And when people get tired, they make mistakes, and when they make mistakes, the band starts playing."

Davis has led the team in passing and rushing for two seasons, a stat that Morris and Craddock aim to change. They would rather he get the ball into the hands of playmakers.

"It helps Matt a ton because he's going to snap the ball more plays," Craddock said. "Matt thinks on his toes. He's a very smart kid who knows our system inside and out, makes the proper checks and gets us in the right protections, and he can do it at a fast pace."

The Mustangs have worked diligently on conditioning to prepare for the faster pace. Their depth on the line took a hit with the loss of starting left tackle Chad Pursley to a season-ending knee injury two weeks ago.

That injury forced some adjustments up front, including moving Nick Natour from guard to replace Pursley at left tackle. The line's ability to quickly get set will be critical.

"We want to make sure that we're going at a fast enough pace that benefits our players," Morris said. "I really don't care about that (the play clock). I'm more interested in other things like our guys getting set in a stance. But you'll see us play extremely fast, faster than we were at any time last year."

Twitter: @BillNicholsDMN