SMU Mustangs at Stanford Cardinal
· NCAA - FootballKevin Jennings throws 3 TD passes to lead No. 21 SMU past Stanford, 40-10
The Mustangs (6-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) started fast on the way to winning their eighth straight road game and becoming bowl eligible before the end of October.
“That’s something you got to check off every year,” coach Rhett Lashlee said. "That’s your hope. If you want to go somewhere, you got to get to that point. ... Our guys do know we’ve just put ourselves in position to play for stuff continually down the stretch. But I don’t think we’re going to sit around and be satisfied with that’s the end result that we want. But it is a big deal.”
Jennings set the tone with an 87-yard pass to Moochie Dixon on the first play from scrimmage. He added a 45-yarder to Key'Shawn Smith later in the opening quarter and then a 38-yarder to RJ Maryland to make it 21-0 before the end of the first quarter. He finished with 322 yards passing.
Jennings has accounted for nine touchdowns with only two turnovers, while averaging 294.5 yards per game of total offense in four starts since taking over as starter following a loss to BYU on Sept. 6.
“We’ve really been working hard on hitting some deep balls,” Lashlee said. “We haven’t had the balls this year as well as we have maybe in the past.”
That was more than enough to put away the Cardinal (2-5, 1-3), who remain winless at home against FBS opponents in coach Troy Taylor's two seasons at the helm. Stanford has lost 11 straight home games against FBS opponents and 16 straight against ranked teams since beating No. 3 Oregon 31-24 on Oct. 2, 2021.
“It's tough. It's painful for everybody to lose when its not close at the end,” Taylor said. “You're always concerned about it. But these are the most resourceful men I've been around. They continue to battle. ... I know they will continue to compete and we’ll bounce back from it for sure.”
Elijah Brown replaced Ashton Daniels at quarterback in the first half and threw for 153 yards with an 18-yard TD to Elic Ayomanor. Brown also had two interceptions.
“We were down 21-0 and wanted a spark.” Taylor said. “He was ready to go and I wanted to see what he could do for an extended time.”
Stanford: After winning the ACC opener at Syracuse, the Cardinal haven't even been competitive the last few weeks. They have been outscored by 122 points during a four-game losing streak and allowed 70 consecutive points before getting on the board late in the first half against SMU.
Stanford: Hosts Wake Forest on Saturday.
How To Watch
How can I watch SMU Mustangs vs. Stanford Cardinal?
- TV Channel: Mustangs at Cardinal 2021 College Football, week 8, is broadcasted on ACC Network.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Matchup Prediction
Scoring Summary
TD | 1st Period 14:41 | Moochie Dixon 87 Yd pass from Kevin Jennings (Collin Rogers Kick) | |
TD | 1st Period 4:31 | Key'Shawn Smith 45 Yd pass from Kevin Jennings (Collin Rogers Kick) | |
TD | 1st Period 1:47 | RJ Maryland 38 Yd pass from Kevin Jennings (Collin Rogers Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 6:39 | Elic Ayomanor 18 Yd pass from Elijah Brown (Emmet Kenney Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 1:51 | LJ Johnson Jr. 5 Yd Run (Collin Rogers Kick) | |
FG | 2nd Period 0:00 | Collin Rogers 51 Yd Field Goal | |
FG | 3rd Period 12:54 | Emmet Kenney 42 Yd Field Goal | |
SF | 4th Period 11:40 | Cale Sanders Jr. Safety | |
TD | 4th Period 5:03 | LJ Johnson Jr. 2 Yd Run (Collin Rogers Kick) |
Statistics
SMU | STAN | |
---|---|---|
22 | 1st Downs | 15 |
5-12 | 3rd down efficiency | 2-15 |
1-2 | 4th down efficiency | 2-4 |
501 | Total Yards | 206 |
322 | Passing | 173 |
17/27 | Comp/Att | 18/37 |
11.9 | Yards per pass | 4.7 |
179 | Rushing | 33 |
38 | Rushing Attempts | 35 |
4.7 | Yards per rush | 0.9 |
10-100 | Penalties | 7-65 |
3 | Turnovers | 2 |
2 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
1 | Interceptions thrown | 2 |
27:15 | Possession | 32:45 |
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