SMU fans can finally book their tickets to Charlotte! The SMU Mustangs clinch a spot in the ACC Championship with their dominant 33-7 win over Virginia. SMU advances to 10-1 in the season and keeps their perfect record in ACC play alive, moving to 7-0.
It was a slow start for SMU, who received the opening kickoff but punted after picking up one first down. Even though the SMU offense may not have shown up right away, the SMU defense held the line from the very first play, not allowing Virginia into SMU territory until the Cavaliers’ third drive of the game and placing constant pressure on a flustered Anthony Colandrea. The Mustangs made no mistake with the ball on their second drive. A 52-yard catch and run by Moochie Dixon set up Brashard Smith to power his way into the end zone from four yards out.
Once the Mustangs took the 7-0 lead, they never looked back. Kevin Jennings deserves all the praise for SMU’s second touchdown drive. Jennings made numerous throws into tight windows and extended plays that kept the Mustangs marching down the field. The drive was eventually capped off with a 17-yard touchdown catch by Jordan Hudson, putting SMU ahead 14-0. Hudson finished the first half with six receptions for 56 yards and the touchdown. After a shot to the head in the second quarter that was reviewed for targeting, Hudson never returned back to the field.
The outside receivers (Jordan Hudson, Key’Shawn Smith and Moochie Dixon) all seemed to have stepped up in recent weeks, making it even more difficult for the opposing defense to prepare for the SMU offense. The Mustang offense continued to roll in the remainder of the game as Jennings ran in a touchdown from a yard out and found Matthew Hibner across the middle for a touchdown in the closing stages of the game.
Ultimately, the offense did more than enough to keep this game out of reach of the Cavaliers. On the other side of the ball, the defense played a near-perfect game. Right away, the SMU defensive line was consistently creating pressure on Colandrea and forcing him to escape the collapsing pocket. The pressure was constant through all four quarters as the Mustangs were one sack shy of tying the school record, finishing the game with nine sacks and 12 total tackles for loss. It’s safe to say the Mustangs enjoyed getting Elijah Roberts back in the mix, even if he wasn’t playing at 100%. Both Jordan Harrison-Hunte and Isaiah Smith finished with two sacks each, showcasing the depth that this defensive line has.
The outcome of this game was never in doubt and once the clock finally hit all zeros, SMU could officially celebrate clinching a spot in the ACC Championship. SMU will now turn its focus to California who is set to come to Ford Stadium on Senior Day on Nov. 30 with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff. The Mustangs will look to close out their regular season with an 11-1 record and continue to strengthen their standing with the hopes of jumping up into the top 12 in the new CFP rankings that come out on Tuesday night.
