The Mustangs beat the Stanford Cardinal 34-10 thanks to improved play from the defensive line. The defense brought Stanford quarterback Ben Gulbranson down for a season-best six sacks, and safety Isaiah Nwokobia stuffed a fourth-and-one run at the one-yard line to keep Stanford out of the end zone in the first quarter.
“When you lose nine starters, you’re breaking in a lot of new guys,” Head Coach Rhett Lashlee said. “And so it’s been good to see Isaiah Smith and Cam Robertson start to become who they’ve always been here… even when we weren’t getting sacks, I thought we were affecting the quarterback.”
After punts on the first two drives, quarterback Kevin Jennings led SMU on a 13-play drive culminating in a 19-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman Derrick McFall. The highlight of the drive, however, was a behind-the-back pass by Jennings to tight end RJ Maryland.
“I was kind of nervous for it,” running back Chris Johnson Jr. said. “But I knew that he was going to execute the play and get it done. That’s all that matters, as long as he executed and gets the play done.”
Jennings ended his day completing 22 of 30 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns, his first game without an interception since the 2024 regular season finale against Cal. Lashlee complimented Jennings on his confidence on the behind-the-back pass, and said that confidence allowed the coaching staff to make bolder play calls.
“You call plays with the level of confidence you have in your quarterback,” Lashlee said. “And we’ll flip it behind the back and we’ll do whatever we want because we trust, we believe in our players, we believe in Kev…. I don’t think anybody believes in our quarterback more than we believe in ours.”
Johnson broke the game open at the end of the second half after turning on the jets for an 87-yard touchdown run, giving SMU a 17-0 lead. Johnson waited patiently for blocks from his offensive lineman and receivers before sprinting down the right sideline for his second touchdown on the year.
Though SMU has struggled to close out games in the second half, the Mustangs held firm in the final 30 minutes against Stanford. Leading 17-7 at half, SMU outscored Stanford 17-3 after the break. Jennings found Johnson for his second passing touchdown, scrambling in the backfield before connecting with his running back for a 42-yard score.
“[Johnson] is never targeted on that play,” Jennings said. “It just happened, he popped in my vision and I saw he’s wide open and just give him the ball, watch him make big plays, and that’s what he did.”
On the following possession, Stanford drove to the SMU five yard line, in part because of a questionable unsportsmanlike conduct call on redshirt junior Kyron Chambers. Chambers was flagged for celebrating a pass deflection on third down. On the next play, linebacker Justin Medlock intercepted Gulbranson and ran it back for a 95-yard pick six.
“It felt great getting to celebrate with my team,” Medlock said. “It’s crazy because after the penalty, Coach Lashlee said, ‘Ball don’t lie,’ and then the very next play we come out as a defense and make a play. As soon as I touched it, I saw the green grass, I saw the blue endzone, and I knew I had to get there.”
After a field goal by redshirt freshman Sam Keltner at the end of the fourth, SMU came away with a 34-10 win, improving its season record to 4-2 and ACC record to 2-0. The Mustangs are undefeated in regular season conference matchups dating back to Nov. 17, 2022.
The streak will be tested next Saturday, Oct. 18, when SMU returns to the Carolinas to play Clemson University in a rematch of the 2024 ACC Championship. The Tigers enter 3-3 and winners of two straight after beating Boston College 41-10.
