With a 24-19 victory over the University of Arizona in the 2025 Holiday Bowl, SMU’s football season came to a close on Friday, Jan. 2.

SMU went 9-4, a downtick from an 11-3 record in 2024. Though the Mustangs fell short of an ACC Championship and College Football Playoff berth, the season had its highlights, including SMU’s first top-ten win at home since 1974. On average, 33,530 fans and 4,186 students attended games at Ford Stadium, both setting all-time highs for the stadium.

SMU struggled early, dropping two of its four non-conference matchups. After opening 2025 with a win versus East Texas A&M, SMU lost an overtime shootout to Baylor, 45-48. After rebounding against Missouri State, the Mustangs dropped what could’ve been the final Iron Skillet game to TCU on the road.

After a desperately needed bye week, SMU jumped out to a 3-0 start in the ACC, even beating Clemson 35-24 on the road. The team then suffered a shocking 12-13 loss to Wake Forest before beating No. 10 Miami on Homecoming. The Miami win kicked off a stretch for the Mustangs where they dominated Boston College and Louisville.

In the final game of the regular season, SMU needed to beat Cal to make the ACC Championship for a second straight year. However, the defense struggled to contain the Golden Bears, and despite a fourth-quarter comeback mounted by quarterback Kevin Jennings and the offense, SMU lost, 35-38.

With the season coming to an end, there are several takeaways, good and bad, for SMU fans to consider entering 2026.

The Good

Kevin Jennings:

Jennings, in his first full season as a starter, proved his ability to be an elite starting quarterback in the ACC. Despite playing the majority of the season with an injured ankle, Jennings completed 66% of his passes, throwing for 3,641 yards and 26 touchdowns. He did throw 13 interceptions, but six came in the first five games of the season, and three occurred in the Holiday Bowl.

In the ACC, he averaged nearly 280 passing yards a game and ranked top-three in touchdowns and passing yards. SMU relied on Jennings heavily in 2025, especially when the running game struggled to create any momentum. The junior quarterback attempted 454 passes, with 40-plus in both the Clemson and Miami wins.

Thanks to his performances, Jennings received an All-ACC Honorable Mention. With one more year of eligibility left, Jennings will return to SMU as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.

Club Takeaway:

Champagne bottles were popping all season long— 28 times, to be exact. SMU ranked top-10 nationally in defensive takeaways. Though it doesn’t show on the stat sheet, SMU also forced multiple key turnovers on downs in fourth-and-short situations.

Although the defense had its struggles, especially early in the season, Defensive Coordinator Scott Symon’s unit developed a ‘bend, don’t break’ mentality and at times looked like one of the better defenses in the ACC. First-team All-ACC safety Ahmaad Moses led the way, recovering two fumbles and catching five interceptions, including the game-clinching interception versus the University of Miami in overtime.

The Homecoming win versus Miami:

Speaking of Miami, it would be impossible to recap the highlights of the season without bringing up the biggest win in Ford Stadium— ever. SMU’s last top-10 win happened before the Death Penalty, when a No. 4 Mustangs team beat No. 6 Pitt 7-3 in the 1983 Cotton Bowl to finish as the second-ranked team in the country.

Jennings passed for 365 yards and a touchdown while adding another on the ground. Down 20-17 in the fourth quarter, Jennings led a two-minute drill to set up Sam Keltner for a game-tying field goal. In overtime, Moses made a clutch interception, picking off Carson Beck on third-and-six. TJ Harden then took five straight handoffs, the final of which he punched into the end zone to give SMU a 26-20 win.

Given Miami’s eventual success in the College Football Playoffs, SMU has proven that it can beat top-level teams, a criticism the Mustangs received in 2024 after losses to BYU, Clemson and Penn State. To establish itself as a perennial contender, SMU needs to continue to win against high-quality opponents like Miami— 2025 was a great start for that.

The Bad

A Slow Start:

At the start of the season, SMU was the favorite in all four of its non-conference matchups. Instead of taking care of business and entering ACC play 4-0, the Mustangs limped to a 2-2 start, dropping games against Baylor and TCU.

The Mustangs experienced difficulties primarily with the defense and special teams. Collin Rogers, who looked like a potential NFL draft pick, missed three field goals against Baylor and was promptly benched. A new-look defense struggled immensely, giving up an average of 334.5 passing yards per game in non-conference play. SMU started the season ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll, but the losses to Baylor and TCU ensured that the Mustangs had no chance at making the playoffs as an at-large bid.

Defensive Breakdowns:

Although the defense improved down the stretch, it continued to be prone to breakdowns, especially on last-minute drives at the half. Against Baylor, SMU scored two touchdowns in the final five minutes to send the game to overtime. In the TCU loss, SMU surrendered back-to-back 75-yard drives after taking the lead in the fourth quarter, one touchdown occurring on a 70-yard slant play after two SMU defenders missed their tackles.

Even though both games ended in wins, SMU allowed both Syracuse and Stanford to drive down the field and close out the first half with a score. The Stanford game was arguably the most egregious; after taking a 17-0 lead, the Mustangs surrendered a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in just 33 seconds to Stanford. Then, after stifling Wake Forest for the entire game on Oct. 25, the defense allowed the Demon Deacons to move into field goal range in just 12 seconds, leading to SMU’s first ACC regular season loss.

SMU held a lead in every single game this season. Across four regular season losses, SMU had a point differential of just -18. All but the TCU games were one-score games. At no point was SMU outmatched. Arguably, reversing the results of one to two defensive plays in every single loss would take SMU from 8-4 to 12-0. Coach Lashlee and Coach Symons definitely need to make changes in 2026 to form a more disciplined defensive unit.

The Cal Game:

Despite all of the setbacks, SMU needed just one win against 6-5 California, which was coming off a 31-10 loss to Stanford, to return to the ACC Championship. SMU was favored by nearly two touchdowns entering the Nov. 29 matchup, so when the Golden Bears took a 24-7 lead halfway through the third quarter, fans were reasonably stunned.

Cal exposed all of the flaws the 2025 SMU squad flashed throughout the year. SMU committed nine penalties, the final of which pushed Sam Keltner out of range to tie the game. The defense looked sluggish, allowing two passing touchdowns of over 30 yards. The offense started slow, and at times the play calling was perplexing- such as a shovel pass to Stone Eby to start the second half.

As a result, SMU fell back out of the rankings and missed the ACC Championship. Even after retaking the lead late in the fourth quarter, the defense collapsed, allowing Cal to retake the lead and win the game. Instead of playing Virginia for a chance to make the College Football Playoffs, SMU found themselves in the Holiday Bowl versus Arizona.

Now, SMU looks to rebuild for 2026. With 30 seniors departing and the transfer portal ravaging teams across the nation, the Mustangs will certainly be a new-look team next season. Continue to follow The Daily Campus for more updates.