January 1, 1983. SMU defeated No. 6 Pittsburgh in the Cotton Bowl to complete a spectacular 11-0-1 season and finish No. 2 in the country, guided by the dynamic “Pony Express” backfield of Eric Dickerson
and Craig James. Fast-forward 43 seasons and a lot changed with the Mustangs. The program was suspended for two years in the late 1980s. Then it moved from the Southwest Conference to the WAC to Conference USA to the American Conference to the ACC. During that timespan, college football in general drastically shifted too. It went from the wild, wild west of determining national champions to the BCS system to the 4-team College Football Playoff to the 12-team format, which SMU qualified for in 2024.
Yet, from the 1983 season through 2024, SMU never defeated another top 10 opponent. In an era where Rhett Lashlee and the Mustangs continue to achieve feats that haven’t been seen since the 1980s, another box was triumphantly checked Saturday in front of 35,074 — the fourth-largest crowd in Gerald J. Ford Stadium history. T.J. Harden ran untouched into the end zone for a walk-off overtime touchdown, sealing a 26-20 SMU victory over No. 10 Miami (FL), commencing a celebration unlike any the venue had seen before. Fans hopped onto the field, even pulling down the goalposts as SMU accomplished a long-awaited feat.
SMU was fresh off their first-ever ACC regular season defeat, dropping a road heartbreaker to Wake Forest on a 50-yard field goal at the buzzer. It snapped an 11-game ACC win streak and a 20-game conference win streak in the regular season, but the Mustangs didn’t let its first hiccup in its new league faze them. They reverted to their usual home success, winning their 18th matchup in 20 tries at Gerald J. Ford Stadium while claiming their first home AP Top 10 victory since 1974.
“I just told the guys how proud I was of their response,” SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee said. “It’s beyond football. It’s how proud I was they responded after the disappointment last week for this big game. It’s the highest-ranked win at Ford Stadium and it’s been a while since we’ve won a top 10 game. Today was a culture win for our program.”
The Mustangs faced plenty of adversity in their first meeting with the Hurricanes in 60 years. SMU led for a total of 3 minutes and 5 seconds in regulation (during one early third quarter stretch), operating at a disadvantage for a considerable portion of the afternoon. Another setback struck in the late third quarter quarter when quarterback Kevin Jennings appeared to reinjure a left ankle that had been bothering him since Week 2, hopping off the field on one foot. But Jennings showcased a warrior mentality, returning one play later and ultimately manufacturing a 365-yard, 1-touchdown victorious performance — shattering his career-high against a vaunted defense.
“He’s a winner,” Lashlee said of Jennings said. “It was pretty obvious on the first few drives… it was gonna be hard enough to run on those guys no matter what. So I said, you know what? We’re gonna call it aggressive on first and second down, particularly in the second half. It all starts with Kevin. You saw him, he’s hurt. He runs a touchdown in. He extends plays. He’s a winner and a stud, and I’m so glad he’s our quarterback.”
After a slow offensive start, Jennings heated up thanks to a spectacular defensive play by free safety Ahmaad Moses, who caught a ball off two deflections — one from the Miami receiver and one by his own hands. One play later, Jennings fired a 28-yard end zone strike to Yamir Knight to knot the game at 7-7. SMU trailed 10-7 at halftime, as inside linebacker Brandon Miyazono transformed a Miami touchdown into a field goal by jarring the ball out of Elija Lofton’s hands in the end zone with a devastating hit.
SMU’s third quarter advantage produced by a Jennings rushing score was brief, as the Hurricanes responded seven plays later with an Alex Bauman touchdown reception. The two ACC opponents entered the final frame tied 17-17, and Miami gained the upper-hand with 9:34 left on a 45-yard Carter Davis field goal. SMU seemingly matched on a 42-yard Sam Keltner field goal with 6:24 left, but the kick which sailed directly over the right upright was controversially ruled no good.
“When it goes over the top, you can’t review it,” Lashlee said. “(The official) said, ‘Look, I had it directly over the top and the whole ball has to be inside.’ Looking at it, I thought more than half the ball was inside, but the whole ball has to be inside. He explained what he saw. He’s probably right, but he explained it really well.”
SMU’s defense held firm after the field goal ruling, giving the team one final gasp to match or overtake the Hurricanes. The situation seemed desire when the nicked up Jennings took a 9-yard sack to force 3rd and 19 from his own 38-yard line. But on the ensuing 4th and 9, a critical call changed the outlook of the drive. The officiating crew blew a play dead due to a timeout, but Miami defensive end Marquise Lightfoot made contact with Jennings in the backfield after the whistle. The referees believed Lightfoot did not show enough restraint and flagged him 15 yards for unnecessary roughness. That free fourth down conversion allowed Keltner to kick an overtime-forcing 38-yard field goal several plays later.
In overtime, Miami possessed the ball first. Quarterback Carson Beck pump faked twice in the pocket and delivered a bullet to Malachi Toney in the end zone. However, Moses jumped in front of the route to record his second interception of the day, concluding Miami’s series and capping a stellar day which featured 15 tackles and two tackles for loss, along with his two picks.
Once SMU’s offense took the field, the Mustangs — which struggled to run all game on Miami’s 9th-ranked run defense — grounded the ball for six-consecutive plays, chipping away at a Hurricane defense staring down defeat. The final 20 yards were attained in a five-play stretch by running back T.J. Harden, who ultimately punched in the 1-yard walk-off touchdown to generate the most notable regular season win of the Lashlee era.
“We pride ourselves on being tough,” Lashlee said. “A lot of people think we’re a nice little private school in Highland Park, but if you’ve watched us play the last three years, we’re pretty tough. Watch our offense from the 25 just hand it off over and over and break someone’s will and win the game. It’s not always pretty, and you’re gonna have setbacks like last week, but we responded because our guys are together, we’re a family, and we’re honest and love each other. That’s what families do.”
Miami (6-2, 2-2 ACC) dropped its second-straight matchup after a 6-0 start, continuing its free-fall from No. 2 in the AP Poll. SMU (6-3, 4-1 ACC) clinched bowl eligibility for the seventh-straight year, starting a new conference win streak and remaining alive in a crowded field of contenders for the 2025 ACC Championship Game.
“Today’s a big day, a big win,” Lashlee said. “We know how hard it is to win. This team, we felt like going into the year, had a lot of potential. You saw that today. You saw that two weeks ago. We’ve also realized there’s not a lot of margin for error for else… This is a big win for our program. If we’re not even two years into the ACC and we’re 3-1 against Miami, Clemson, and Florida State, it’s a big deal. We’ve not arrived, and we have to learn to carry that maturity over to next week to get a win.”
Saturday was a moment of coronation for a Mustangs team in search of a signature victory. Hours after the school officially announced Lashlee’s contract extension, the head coach further proved his worth in Dallas, pulling off a top 10 victory just two weeks after knocking off the defending champions. SMU joined the ACC on the condition it would not receive media rights revenue for nine years. That condition implies the Mustangs entered the league as the ultimate underdog, but two years in with a 12-1 conference record, they’ve proven to be the ACC’s juggernaut instead.
“We’re playing Miami for homecoming, that’s a big change. It’s packed and loud and they’re carrying the goalposts down to Deep Ellum, so that’s a change. We beat a top 10 team for the first time in my lifetime, that’s a big deal,” SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee said. “I think we have a toughness about us and we expect to win, and our fanbase is on board. The entire administration and the SMU family is on board, and we want to build this thing as good as we can possibly be. I’m not saying that hasn’t been the case in the past, I just know it is now. What’s changed is kids in Dallas want to stay and go to SMU. It’s cool to go to SMU. It’s cool to stay home and play in Dallas.”
