Nov. 17, 2022 was the last time the SMU Mustangs lost a regular season conference matchup. Since that date, Rhett Lashlee’s team has known nothing but conference victories. Despite a 2-2 in the non-conference slate, SMU welcomed a new season Saturday as ACC play commenced against Syracuse. And right on schedule, the Mustangs exited with a 34-18 victory, extending their streak to 18-straight regular season conference wins.
SMU set the tone defensively, stuffing Syracuse’s QB sneak at 4th and goal from
the 1 on the opening drive. The Orange’s following three possessions featured a punt, an interception, and two additional fourth down failures including another inside the 10-yard line. It wasn’t the fastest start for the Mustangs which generated just three first quarter points stemming from the Brandon Miyazono interception.
However, SMU quickly ramped up its production in the second quarter thanks to a strong outing from Kevin Jennings. The quarterback improved to 9-0 in regular season ACC starts, finishing 29-of-35 with 285 passing yards, a career-high four touchdown strikes, and one interception. There was a stretch spanning from the late first quarter to the early third where Jennings connected for 16-straight completions. It was a concerted effort from his receiving corps as no Mustang attained more than 71 yards. In that second quarter alone, Jennings found three separate targets — Yamir Knight, RJ Maryland, and Derrick McFall on a jet touch pass — for touchdowns to start the rout.
Syracuse finally responded to SMU’s commanding 24-0 lead on the final play of the first half as Tripp Woody sunk a 38-yard field goal to break the shutout. After a quiet third quarter, SMU manufactured an even more commanding 31-3 advantage in the opening minutes of the fourth as Jennings delivered his final touchdown strike to Jordan Hudson on a screen. The receiver, fresh off his first full week of practice since August, broke a leg tackle and trucked a Syracuse defender en route to the end zone.
Led by backup quarterback Rickie Collins in his second start (after a season-ending Achilles injury to starter Steve Angeli), the Orange concluded the fourth quarter on a 15-0 run, fueled by two Collins touchdowns (one run and one pass) as well as a safety. The quarterback finished 22-of-45 with 279 yards, but his one touchdown pass was countered by three interceptions. SMU’s defense is now tied for fourth in the country in interceptions per game after Miyazono, Ahmaad Moses, and Marcellus Barnes Jr. all snagged picks in a vastly improved showing from the pass defense.
Syracuse (3-3, 1-2 ACC) is back to .500 after losing consecutive games for the first time since Fran Brown took the head coaching reins in 2024. The Orange now receive their first bye of the 2025 season before hosting Pittsburgh on Saturday, Oct. 18.
SMU (3-2, 1-0 ACC) remains spotless in conference play since joining the ACC. The Mustangs own the nation’s longest regular season conference streak, and that will be tested Dallas next weekend in Dallas when Stanford makes the trek from the West Coast.
