The SMU Mustangs survived their biggest scare in ACC play yet with a 28-27 overtime win over the Duke Blue Devils. With the win, the Mustangs improve to 4-0 in conference play and are set to host Pitt this Saturday for their biggest ACC test so far.
Duke gave SMU everything they could handle. The Mustangs got the ball to start the game and drove down the field quickly (like they have each of the last few games), but this time the drive didn’t end in points. Kevin Jennings and LJ Johnson had a bad exchange on a handoff and fumbled the ball inside the Duke 10-yard line. That fumble foreshadowed what was to come the rest of the night.
A couple of drives later, Duke took the lead via a Maalik Murphy 43-yard touchdown pass to Que’Sean Brown. The Mustangs fought back in this game, however, and scored the next 21 points. The first touchdown came on a physical run by Brashard Smith on 4th and goal from the 1-yard line. The second touchdown came later in the 2nd quarter when Jennings fought his way into the end zone to give the Mustangs their first lead of the night, 14-7. That was the score heading into the half, but the Mustangs felt they could’ve done more to build the lead in the first half.
SMU came out of halftime with an explosive 81-yard touchdown for Roderick Daniels Jr. That touchdown put the Mustangs up 21-7 and gave SMU some much-needed breathing room. But the Mustang lead didn’t last long. Duke would score the next 14 points and tie the game at 21 with 9:02 left in the 4th quarter.
Although this game was competitive throughout, the chaos truly began in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. SMU looked to answer back with a score, but on 3rd and 10, Jennings attempted to complete a pass across the middle of the field and it was intercepted. While throwing the ball, Jennings took a low, late hit to the knee and remained down for moments after the interception. Although he returned to the game on the next drive, his status for Saturday’s game against Pitt remains uncertain as coach Rhett Lashlee labeled him as “questionable” during his press conference on Tuesday.
The SMU defense did what they could in a tough spot, forcing Duke to attempt a 42-yard field goal which ultimately fell wide left and the score remained tied at 21. On the next SMU possession, Jennings looked over the middle again for Roderick Daniels Jr., when Duke’s corner undercut the route and made an exceptional diving play to force another interception.
When Duke got the ball back this time, the SMU defense forced a three-and-out. The SMU offense got the ball back for the third time in a matter of minutes. SMU started their drive at their 20-yard line with 2:55 left in regulation. After picking up a first down, Jennings scrambled and was hit, forcing the ball to pop loose. The Blue Devil’s linebacker scooped up the loose ball and was eventually brought down by a desperate Jordan Hudson, who’s tackle kept SMU in the game.
With less than two minutes to go and SMU only having one timeout, the result of the game seemed decided: Duke would kick a walk-off field goal to win the game. But, in the great words of Lee Corso, SMU said “Not so fast.” As Duke set up for the game-winning field goal, SMU had a plan which they executed to perfection. Jahfari Harvey leaped over the Duke offensive line and blocked Duke’s field goal attempt to send the game to overtime.
Just two plays into overtime, Brashard Smith made his mark on the game, taking his run 24 yards to the end zone to give the Mustangs the 28-21 lead. Up next, Duke’s Maalik Murphy found Eli Pancol on the first play of their drive for a 25-yard touchdown. After the touchdown, Duke’s head coach, Manny Diaz, had a decision to make: would he send the game to overtime by kicking the PAT, or would he go for two and the win? Because of the struggles with kicking earlier in the game, Diaz went for the win. On the two-point conversion, the SMU defense put pressure on Murphy, forcing him to leave the pocket. Murphy tried completing a pass on the run to win the game, but it was out of reach of the intended receiver and the pass fell incomplete. Game over. The Mustangs lived to see another day.
SMU moved to 7-1 (4-0) in dramatic fashion to set up a huge matchup against Pitt on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. on ACC Network.
