The SMU Mustangs started off a wild day in college football with an upset over the No. 22 Louisville Cardinals at 11 a.m. on ESPN. On a weekend where two top-five teams, five top-ten teams, and seven ranked teams lost, SMU’s historic win might’ve been initially overlooked on Saturday.
Once the game kicked off, SMU got the ball and drove right down the field to start, with Roderick Daniels Jr. punching in a run from five yards out to put the Mustangs up 7-0 early in the 1st quarter. The Louisville offense, which has been explosive all year long, answered back with a touchdown as Tyler Shough found his favorite target, Ja’Corey Brooks, to tie the game at 7.
After the Mustang defense couldn’t stop the Cardinal offense, Kevin Jennings picked up right where he left off, leading his team inside the 10-yard line. That’s when Jennings took a hit that knocked the wind out of him. This hit forced Jennings off the field for a play, and as a result, Preston Stone checked into the game at QB.
Following a false start that pushed SMU back to the 10-yard line, Lashlee dialed up a back shoulder fade which Stone threw to perfection to find Key’Shawn Smith for a touchdown. The touchdown created a special moment for Preston Stone who put SMU back in front, 14-7, with his touchdown pass.
Fortunately for SMU, Jennings’ injury wasn’t serious and he played the remainder of the game.
After the combined opening three drives resulted in three touchdowns, the next three drives didn’t contain one. So with 9:06 left in the 1st half, SMU got the ball back holding onto a 14-10 lead.
Both offenses started to slow down as the defenses continued to grow into the game. That was until, on a crucial 3rd and 2, Kevin Jennings scrambled for 59 yards and eventually found the end zone to give SMU their largest lead of the game so far, 21-10. After that, both teams traded field goals before the half to make the score 24-13 at halftime. SMU’s field goal right before the half was a career-long 55-yard FG for Collin Rogers, which made Rogers the highest-scoring player in SMU football history, passing SMU legend Eric Dickerson.
After such a dominant first-half display, Louisville fought back into the game and scored touchdowns on their first two drives of the 2nd half, eventually tying the game, 27-27. The Cardinals got momentum back on their side in the 3rd quarter, and SMU needed to find a way to turn the tide. And right on cue, the SMU defense stuffed Louisville on a critical 4th and 1 at the SMU 19-yard line at the start of the 4th quarter.
After another stop by each defense, Kevin Jennings and SMU got the ball at their own 11-yard line with 10:02 left in regulation and the game still tied at 27. SMU converted two 3rd downs on this 11-play, 89-yard drive that was capped off with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by LJ Johnson, which was his first rushing attempt of the game.
From then on, the game’s fate fell in the defense’s hands. Throughout the game, the defense leaned into the “bend don’t break” mentality, holding Louisville to field goals on multiple occasions. But on Louisville’s final drive, the Cardinals knew a field goal would do them no good, they needed a touchdown. The Cardinals converted one 4th down inside their own half, which set them up with a 1st and 10 at the SMU 12-yard line. That’s when Kori Roberson Jr. delivered a clutch sack that the Louisville offense never recovered from. On 4th and 17, Shough lofted a ball to the end zone in a desperate attempt to tie the game, but the ball was intercepted by Isaiah Nwokobia to seal the victory for SMU. After a couple of SMU first downs, Kevin Jennings kneeled down three times in victory formation to officially secure the win for the Mustangs.
With the win, SMU moved to 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in conference play. The Mustangs now have a 30% chance to make the college football playoff. Although half the season is still in front of SMU, there is plenty of optimism within the program and the fanbase for this to be a special season. Next week, SMU has a bye week as they begin to prepare for their next game against Stanford on Oct. 19.
