SMU Mustangs at Duke Blue Devils
· NCAA - FootballNo. 22 SMU beats Duke 28-27 in overtime after Blue Devils fail to convert winning 2-point conversion
“If you’ve got a chance to win the game in the first inning, you do it,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “And we had missed three straight kicks.”
The gamble didn't pay off. The No. 22 Mustangs forced an incompletion on a potential winning two-point conversion attempt in overtime to seal a 28-27 road victory against the Blue Devils late Saturday night.
It's the fifth consecutive win for SMU (7-1, 4-0 ACC), which got 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns — including the winner in overtime — from Brashard Smith. Mustangs' quarterback Kevin Jennings had 299 yards of total offense, rushing for a score and throwing for another.
The Blue Devils (6-2, 2-2) lost despite winning the turnover battle 6-0.
“We should’ve lost that game five different times late," SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. "We should have. And if we played it 100 times, we’re probably losing 99 of them the way the game unfolded. This just happened to be the one time. Our guys just kept playing, kept fighting.”
For Duke, Maalik Murphy completed 27-of-48 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns, while Star Thomas rushed for 65 yards and a score.
The game started anew with nine minutes left to play in the fourth quarter when Duke capped off a 10-play, 64-yard yard drive with Thomas muscling his way into the end-zone for a touchdown.
Late in the fourth quarter, Jennings fumbled on a second-and-6 scramble, which was scooped up by Duke linebacker Ozzie Nicholas and returned 21 yards, putting the Blue Devils in the red zone. But Duke failed to take advantage of a possession gifted to them by SMU, and a walkoff 30-yard field goal by Todd Pelino was blocked by SMU’s Jahfari Harvey as time expired in regulation.
“We knew we had to step up, strain, give 110% effort,” said SMU's Isaiah Nwokobia, who recovered the blocked kick. “(Harvey) got through there and made a big-time play in a big-time game.”
In overtime, the Mustangs scored quickly on a 24-yard run from Smith, and Duke countered with a passing touchdown to Eli Pancol. On Duke's two-point conversion attempt for the win, Murphy scrambled out of the pocket to his right after feeling pressure and his pass attempt to Pancol missed the mark.
“For those guys in that locker room, there’s a lot of emotions,” Diaz said. “Sadness, anger, confusion. Whatever you can feel, they feel.”
Duke: The Blue Devils failed to capitalize off turnovers. SMU fumbled three times and tossed three interceptions, but Duke never turned those giveaways into points.
“We’re just really humbled to get a win, and we probably put on a clinic on how to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat,” Lashlee said. “There’s four or five times probably in the last 10 minutes of that game that I just said, ‘You know, it’s not our night.’ … It’s pretty remarkable. That’s why you keep playing every play.”
For SMU, it was just the second time in its last 18 games that it didn't force a turnover.
How To Watch
How can I watch SMU Mustangs vs. Duke Blue Devils?
- TV Channel: Mustangs at Blue Devils 2021 College Football, week 9, is broadcasted on ACC Network.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Matchup Prediction
Scoring Summary
TD | 1st Period 2:38 | Que'Sean Brown 43 Yd pass from Maalik Murphy (Todd Pelino Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 13:15 | Brashard Smith 1 Yd Run (Collin Rogers Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 3:56 | Kevin Jennings 3 Yd Run (Collin Rogers Kick) | |
TD | 3rd Period 4:58 | Roderick Daniels Jr. 81 Yd pass from Kevin Jennings (Collin Rogers Kick) | |
TD | 3rd Period 2:11 | Jordan Moore 12 Yd pass from Maalik Murphy (Todd Pelino PAT failed) | |
TD | 4th Period 9:02 | Star Thomas 1 Yd Run (Maalik Murphy Pass to Eli Pancol for Two-Point Conversion) | |
TD | 5 0:00 | Brashard Smith 24 Yd Run (Collin Rogers Kick) | |
TD | 5 0:00 | Eli Pancol 25 Yd pass from Maalik Murphy (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) |
Statistics
SMU | DUKE | |
---|---|---|
23 | 1st Downs | 24 |
6-12 | 3rd down efficiency | 8-16 |
1-2 | 4th down efficiency | 0-2 |
469 | Total Yards | 393 |
258 | Passing | 295 |
13/24 | Comp/Att | 27/48 |
10.8 | Yards per pass | 6.1 |
211 | Rushing | 98 |
50 | Rushing Attempts | 29 |
4.2 | Yards per rush | 3.4 |
7-85 | Penalties | 6-56 |
6 | Turnovers | 0 |
3 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
3 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
27:28 | Possession | 32:32 |
College Football News
Jai'Den Thomas leads No. 23 UNLV to a 27-16 victory over San Jose State
— Jai'Den Thomas ran for 135 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter to help No. 23 UNLV keep its conference title hopes alive with a 27-16 victory over San Jose State on Friday night.
Highlighting the SEC teams on the brink of bowl eligibility
SEC Now breaks down the teams that will be bowl eligible with a win this weekend and predicts each teams' chance to win their matchup.
Michigan State tops Purdue 24-17, win away from being bowl eligible in Jonathan Smith's 1st season
— Aidan Chiles threw for two scores in the first half to build a three-touchdown lead and Michigan State held on to beat
Robert Henry runs for 178 yards in leading UTSA over Temple 51-27
— Robert Henry ran for 178 yards on 16 carries and he scored two touchdowns as UTSA unloaded on Temple late for a 51-27 victory on Friday night in a game of big plays.
Who are the best freshmen in the SEC this year?
SEC Now's Benjamin Watson and Chris Doering create a list of who they believe are the best five freshmen in the SEC, while having a few similarities.