SMU Mustangs at Louisville Cardinals
· NCAA - FootballJennings has best game of career as SMU holds on to beat No. 22 Louisville 34-27
Jennings passed and rushed for career highs, Isaiah Nwokobia intercepted an end-zone pass with 2:23 left to seal it, and SMU overcame blowing a double-digit lead to beat No. 22 Louisville 34-27 on Saturday.
The Mustangs (5-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) never trailed and rang up another significant win as an ACC newcomer, but only after its 24-13 halftime lead dissolved into a 27-all tie entering the fourth quarter.
“We showed today this is what we can do in the ACC,” said Jennings, who passed for 281 yards and rushed for 113. “Hopefully, we can continue and get a championship.”
As for himself, the sophomore quarterback added, “I go into every game thinking I’m the best runner out there, and they can’t stop me.”
The Cardinals (3-2, 1-1) clawed back behind Ja'Corey Brooks' 86-yard catch-and-run touchdown and a 1-yard TD run by Donald Chaney in the third.
After missing a third-quarter field goal and punting on its first fourth-quarter drive, SMU took over at its 11 and drove for the winning score with the help of several Louisville penalties and a video review that overturned Brashard Smith's fumble that Louisville had recovered at the 5. That gave the Mustangs possession at the 13, and Louisville penalties for pass interference and offsides put the ball at the 1.
LJ Johnson took it in for the TD with 6:39 remaining.
The Cardinals got into SMU territory, but Tyler Shough was sacked for a 9-yard loss before throwing a fourth-down pass into traffic that Nwokobia caught to seal the Mustangs' third consecutive victory. The win vaulted SMU into contention for the ACC lead with Virginia and No. 15 Clemson.
“It's really hard to win on the road in conference against a ranked, really good football team," SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. "We wanted a fast start and I'm proud of these guys for what they did.”
Jennings completed his first 13 attempts to finish 21-of-27. He carried the ball 10 times, one for a 59-yard touchdown.
Roderick Daniels Jr. scored on a 5-yard run and Preston Stone hit Key'Shawn Smith for a 10-yard TD.
Shough completed 22 of 35 passes for 329 yards and 2 TDs, but was sacked three times and threw a crippling interception. The Cardinals dropped their second consecutive game.
“This one falls on me, falls on our coaches," Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said. "The plan was not good. It was not executed. Way too many mistakes.”
There was no pretense of defense in this matchup of high-scoring teams that each averaged more than 40 points coming in. The numbers backed that up as SMU outgained Louisville by just 481-461 and converted several big plays.
Louisville played catch-up throughout but finally found its rhythm thanks to Isaac Brown’s big run that keyed a comeback. Shough’s ability to stretch a play and find Brooks was huge, but not kicking on a fourth down inside SMU territory came back to bite the Cardinals. It only gets tougher from here with Virginia also standing at 2-0 in league play after beating Boston College.
“I was surprised," Brohm said. "I thought it was a fumble. Some days you get some calls, some days you don’t.”
Brohm also took responsibility for the botched fourth-down call instead of kicking a field goal and adding, "Running up the middle is not going to be an option anymore. Throwing the ball, getting on the edge is going to be what has to happen because we can’t get yards pounded up the middle.”
Louisville visits Virginia.
How To Watch
How can I watch SMU Mustangs vs. Louisville Cardinals?
- TV Channel: Mustangs at Cardinals 2021 College Football, week 6, is broadcasted on ESPN.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Matchup Prediction
Scoring Summary
TD | 1st Period 11:39 | Roderick Daniels Jr. 5 Yd Run (Collin Rogers Kick) | |
TD | 1st Period 9:00 | Ja'Corey Brooks 6 Yd pass from Tyler Shough (Brock Travelstead Kick) | |
TD | 1st Period 6:24 | Key'Shawn Smith 10 Yd pass from Preston Stone (Collin Rogers Kick) | |
FG | 1st Period 2:51 | Brock Travelstead 46 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 2nd Period 6:51 | Kevin Jennings 59 Yd Run (Collin Rogers Kick) | |
FG | 2nd Period 2:23 | Brock Travelstead 41 Yd Field Goal | |
FG | 2nd Period 0:17 | Collin Rogers 55 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 3rd Period 9:56 | Donald Chaney 1 Yd Run (Brock Travelstead Kick) | |
FG | 3rd Period 7:19 | Collin Rogers 43 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 3rd Period 5:40 | Ja'Corey Brooks 86 Yd pass from Tyler Shough (Brock Travelstead Kick) | |
TD | 4th Period 6:39 | LJ Johnson Jr. 1 Yd Run (Collin Rogers Kick) |
Statistics
SMU | LOU | |
---|---|---|
26 | 1st Downs | 21 |
5-11 | 3rd down efficiency | 4-12 |
0-0 | 4th down efficiency | 2-4 |
481 | Total Yards | 461 |
291 | Passing | 329 |
22/28 | Comp/Att | 22/35 |
10.4 | Yards per pass | 9.4 |
190 | Rushing | 132 |
35 | Rushing Attempts | 34 |
5.4 | Yards per rush | 3.9 |
7-77 | Penalties | 7-61 |
0 | Turnovers | 1 |
0 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
0 | Interceptions thrown | 1 |
25:37 | Possession | 34:23 |
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