SMU entered the season as a popular dark-horse pick in the ACC title picture, riding the momentum from an 11-win season in 2023 with an offense that has thrived under the direction of coach Rhett Lashlee. Then, just a couple of weeks into the season, there was seemingly a fire sale on SMU stock as the offense cratered in a 18-15 home loss to BYU. But after a quarterback change and three impressive wins in a row, we’re right back to where we started, eyeing SMU’s chances to make some history with a run at the ACC title in the Mustangs’ first season as a league member.
Now 5-1 overall and 2-0 in ACC play after a 34-27 win at No. 22 Louisville, SMU is making a statement. When SMU won the coin toss, Lashlee did not defer to the second half, but instead wanted to get his offense on the field as soon as possible. The Mustangs clearly believed in their game plan and wanted to throw the first punch in this battle between ACC title hopefuls.
What followed was haymaker after haymaker. SMU scored touchdowns on three of its first four possessions and built out a double-digit halftime lead. Quarterback Kevin Jennings, who was named the team’s new starter after the BYU loss, completed 21 of 27 passes for 281 yards while adding 113 yards rushing, 59 of those coming on a long touchdown run late in the second quarter.
The use of tempo and the versatility of Jennings allowed the Mustangs to keep Louisville’s dangerous pass rush from being a factor in the game (zero sacks). And now that the new-look offense has been been this successful against three straight power-conference opponents, it’s impossible to look at SMU as the same team that got off to a slow start against Nevada and struggled to get in the end zone against BYU.
This is a team that’s…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/resilient-smu-outlasts-louisville-to-emerge-as-acc-championship-dark-horse-mustangs-expected-to-be-all-along/
Author : Chip Patterson
Publish date : 2024-10-05 21:26:57
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