NCAAF

Florida State Seminoles at SMU Mustangs

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SMU dominates struggling Florida State 42-16 to win its ACC debut

SMU pours it on with pick-six of DJ Uiagalelei

Jennings threw TD passes of 11 and 15 yards to RJ Maryland and a flea-flicker score of 42 yards to Jordan Hudson.

“It means a lot to come in and get a ‘W’ against any team,” Jennings said, “but for the ACC (opener), it’s a home game and a jam-packed stadium, it means a lot to the city of the Dallas.”

Former President George W. Bush, a Dallas resident, performed the pregame coin toss.

Jennings was 16-for-23 passing for a career-best 254 yards. On the flea flicker, Roderick Daniels Jr. immediately turned and flipped the ball back to Jennings. He lofted a pass down the middle to Hudson, who was backpedaling at 10 and eased into the end zone.

Wilson made the interception between the hash marks, raced to the right sideline, and broke a tackle near midfield and hurdled a teammate while escorted to the end zone.

“I just saw green grass and then I saw a couple people coming at me, so I got scared,” Wilson said. “I thought I was going to go down, but I ended up in the end zone. It was like the blink of an eye.”

Brashard Smith and Roderick Daniels Jr. scored rushing touchdowns for the Mustangs (4-1, 1-0) from 13 and 2 yards, respectively. Daniels’ score ended a drive that was continued when FSU’s Omarion Cooper was called for a facemask penalty on the Mustangs’ punt from their 26-yard line.

Smith, a transfer this year from Miami, led SMU with a season-high 129 yards rushing despite sitting out most of the second quarter with an injury.

The Mustangs’ 467 total yards were the most gained this season on the defending conference champions.

DJ Uiagalelei was 12-for-30 passing for 222 yards, three interceptions, and TD passes of 9 yards to Kentron Poitier and 20 yards to Landen Thomas for Florida State (1-4, 1-3). Uiagalelei was replaced by Brock Glenn in the final minutes.

The Seminoles also scored on a safety in the half’s closing seconds when, forcing a punt from SMU’s 9, long snapper Will Benton IV sailed the ball over the head of Isaac Pearson and beyond the end zone.

Florida State has lost at least three of its first four games for the third time in coach Mike Norvell’s five seasons.

THE TAKEAWAY

Florida State continues to struggle on the ground. The Seminoles went into play averaging 67.75 rushing yards per game, the fourth fewest among FBS teams. They gained 75 on 26 attempts, averaging 2.9 yards per carry, and were led by Lawrence Toafili with 67 yards.

SMU leads FBS with five non-offensive touchdowns this season – two interception returns, two fumble returns and one punt return.

UP NEXT

Florida State will host Clemson, where Uiagalelei played his first three collegiate seasons before spending 2023 at Oregon State, on Oct. 5.

SMU will play the first of three consecutive ACC road games against Louisville on Oct. 5.

How To Watch

How can I watch Florida State Seminoles vs. SMU Mustangs?
  • TV Channel: Seminoles at Mustangs 2021 College Football, week 5, is broadcasted on ACC Network.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Mustangs: 71.2%
Seminoles: 28.8%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

SMU TD 1st Period 9:44 Brashard Smith 13 Yd Run (Collin Rogers Kick)
FSU TD 1st Period 6:38 Kentron Poitier 9 Yd pass from DJ Uiagalelei (Ryan Fitzgerald Kick)
SMU TD 2nd Period 10:20 Jordan Hudson 42 Yd pass from Kevin Jennings (Collin Rogers Kick)
FSU SF 2nd Period 0:22 Team Safety
SMU TD 3rd Period 13:00 RJ Maryland 11 Yd pass from Kevin Jennings (Collin Rogers Kick)
SMU TD 3rd Period 7:42 RJ Maryland 15 Yd pass from Kevin Jennings (Collin Rogers Kick)
FSU TD 3rd Period 4:45 Landen Thomas 20 Yd pass from DJ Uiagalelei (Ryan Fitzgerald Kick)
SMU TD 4th Period 14:23 Roderick Daniels Jr. 2 Yd Run (Collin Rogers Kick)
SMU TD 4th Period 12:55 Kobe Wilson 82 Yd Interception Return (Collin Rogers Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/52.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originFSU https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2567.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originSMU
13 1st Downs 23
3-12 3rd down efficiency 8-15
0-2 4th down efficiency 1-3
285 Total Yards 458
222 Passing 254
12/34 Comp/Att 16/23
6.5 Yards per pass 11.0
63 Rushing 204
26 Rushing Attempts 51
2.4 Yards per rush 4.0
10-79 Penalties 7-61
3 Turnovers 1
0 Fumbles lost 1
3 Interceptions thrown 0
24:19 Possession 35:41

Game Information

Gerald J. Ford Stadium

Location: Dallas, TX
Attendance: 34,879 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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