Kevin Jennings threw for a career-high 323 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for another, as No. 13 SMU secured a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game by dominating Virginia 33-7 on Saturday.
Isaiah Smith and Jared Harrison-Hunte each had two sacks, helping the Mustangs (10-1, 7-0, No. 13 CFP) extend their winning streak to eight games. SMU will earn an automatic bid to the expanded College Football Playoff if they defeat either 11th-ranked Miami or 17th-ranked Clemson in the ACC title game on Dec. 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“One of our first goals of the summer is done to make it there, but the job’s not finished at all,” said Smith. “Not even close, so we still got a lot more work to do.”
Jennings led the offense, recovering from an interception and a fumble to complete 25 of 33 passes to six different receivers, including touchdown throws to Jordan Hudson and Matthew Hibner. Brashard Smith added balance to the offense, running for 63 yards and his 13th touchdown of the season.
“We got an unlimited amount of guys that can make plays,” Jennings said. “I feel like just week by week, the game is getting slower for me.”
SMU’s defense dominated Virginia’s offensive line, sacking Anthony Colandrea nine times and holding the Cavaliers (5-6, 3-4) to just 173 yards of offense.
“Against a guy who’s hard to tackle,” said SMU coach Rhett Lashlee, whose contract extension was announced on Friday. “Probably against like me back there, it’s 16 sacks — at least the older me.”
Special teams also played a role, with Roderick Daniels Jr. returning a punt 48 yards, and Collin Rogers making two field goals. SMU is enjoying their underdog status, having been picked to finish seventh in the ACC in their first season since moving from the American Athletic Conference.
“We came out, we play good and we just prove people wrong every week,” said Daniels. “As the season started going, they start seeing we were a threat and now they see what’s going on.”
Virginia’s loss added to a trend where Notre Dame’s opponents are 2-7 in their next game after facing the Fighting Irish this season, with SMU accounting for three of those losses.
