The Mustangs shook off some rust coming out of their bye week. The offense opened with a three-and-out, followed by a 14-yard shanked punt by Wade McSparron that gave Syracuse early field position.
SMU’s defense responded immediately. The unit stuffed the Orange on third and fourth down from the 1-yard line to keep them off the board.
Defensive End Cameron Robertson said the defense set the tone early.
“We emphasized making sure that every time we go on the field, we get a stop,” Robertson said. “Every time we went out there, we went out confident and made sure we gave the offense the opportunity to get the ball.”
The Mustangs’ defense continued to dominate. On Syracuse’s next drive, linebacker Brandon Miyazono intercepted quarterback Rickie Collins’ short pass attempt after reading his eyes perfectly, setting SMU up inside the Orange 25.
The offense, which started slowly, settled for a field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.
SMU found its rhythm in the second quarter. Quarterback Kevin Jennings led a quick drive capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Yamir Knight. On the next possession, Jennings threw a 16-yard touchdown to tight end R.J. Maryland, extending the lead to 17-0.
Maryland said the offense wanted to reward the defense’s effort.
“If the defense is going to hold [Syracuse] on four plays from the one-yard line, we have to get points or else we’re doing them a disservice,” Maryland said.
The SMU offense delivered on Maryland’s promise, scoring 21 points in the second quarter. Running back Derrick McFall added the final touchdown of the half on a 14-yard jet sweep, showcasing his speed to make it 24-3 at halftime.
Both defenses tightened up in the third quarter, forcing punts and turnovers. The score remained 24-3 entering the fourth.
Jennings and the offense struck again early in the final quarter. He connected with wide receiver Jordan Hudson on a 9-yard touchdown, with Hudson breaking multiple tackles on his way to the end zone making it 31-3.
Jennings finished with another standout performance, completing 29 of 35 passes for 285 yards and four touchdowns. He completed 16 straight passes at one point — the second-longest streak in SMU history.
“I didn’t really do anything too special,” Jennings said. “Just put the ball in [the receivers’] hands and let them make plays for me. That was the main thing for me.”
Despite the dominant effort, SMU struggled to close out the game. Jennings threw a late interception, running back Dramekco Green was tackled in the end zone for a safety, and Syracuse added a late touchdown to narrow the margin.
Still, SMU improved to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
Head coach Rhett Lashlee said the win was an important step forward.
“It feels great to go 1-0 in the league, to celebrate [the win] in the locker room was good,” Lashlee said. “We didn’t finish the way we liked, but we finished and we won. That’s all that matters.”
SMU will look to keep its momentum rolling next week when it hosts Stanford at Ford Stadium on Saturday, Oct.11. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2, as the Mustangs aim to move to 2-0 in ACC play.
