Brashard Smith and ninth-ranked SMU never thought they were done, even though they were already set to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game in their first season in the league.
“It was really important, just being undefeated in the conference,” Smith said. “We came in on a mission.”
The Mustangs completed a perfect first ACC season with a 38-6 win over California in their last regular-season game on Saturday. They became the only team in their new conference to go undefeated in conference play.
“I think it shows their maturity. They wanted to finish,” said third-year Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee. “We wanted to go 8-0, we wanted to win the regular season outright and not share it. And we were playing for a lot because the College Football Playoff still comes out with rankings for two more weeks. … We didn’t need to stumble, have a setback.”
Smith had 134 total yards (68 rushing and 66 receiving) with two touchdowns. Kevin Jennings threw for 225 yards with two scores. The Mustangs (11-1, 8-0 ACC, No. 9 CFP) closed the regular season with their 17th straight conference win. They had won their last nine games in the American Athletic Conference before moving to the ACC this season.
“Just to come in our first year in the ACC and do it, it’s really crazy for us, and it’s amazing,” said Jennings, who is 9-0 as the starter this season.
Lashlee said he’s in awe of his team.
“Pretty cool, you know, these guys back-to-back 11 wins, didn’t lose a conference game, and going to be playing championship weekend two years in a row,” Lashlee said.
SMU will face No. 12 Clemson next Saturday night for the ACC title and a chance to play in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. No. 8 Miami, Smith’s former team, would have been in the ACC championship game with a win but lost 42-38 to Syracuse, clearing the way for Clemson.
While Lashlee believes the Mustangs have already done enough to make the playoff, a win over the Tigers would guarantee their spot and likely a first-round bye.
SMU took control of the game with touchdowns on three straight drives early. It was 21-0 after Derrick McFall’s 8-yard TD run with 13:02 left in the first half. By that point, the Mustangs had 234 total yards, but only gained 34 more until the start of the fourth quarter. They finished with 415 yards.
California (6-6, 2-6), also in its first ACC season, played without sophomore quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who had passed for over 3,000 yards this season but was out due to illness.
The Golden Bears’ first five losses were by an average of just 3.4 points. They began ACC play with an 0-4 record, losing those games by a combined total of just nine points.
“That was a difficult loss,” said Cal coach Justin Wilcox. “We just didn’t give ourselves a chance to win.”
Jennings ran away from pressure, spun, rolled left, and threw on the run to hit tight end Matthew Hibner in the front left corner of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown. Smith, whose 32-yard catch helped set up that first touchdown, then ran 5 yards for another score. Smith added a 23-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.
Chandler Rogers, the starter for North Texas last season, started in place of Mendoza and was 8-of-15 passing for 84 yards before leaving with an injury in the third quarter.
“On offense, not good enough at any position to put points on the board,” Wilcox said. “It was an offensive issue today, not just quarterback.”
