SMU Mustangs at Virginia Cavaliers
· NCAA - FootballJennings has 3 TDs as No. 13 SMU routs Virginia 33-7 to clinch a spot in the ACC title game
Isaiah Smith and Jared Harrison-Hunte each had two sacks to help the Mustangs (10-1, 7-0, No. 13 CFP) extend their winning streak to eight. They would earn an automatic bid into the expanded College Football Playoff by beating 11th-ranked Miami or 17th-ranked Clemson in the ACC title game on Dec. 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
"One of our first goals of the summer is done to make it there, but the job’s not finished at all," Smith said. “Not even close, so we still got a lot more work to do."
Jennings led the way to get there, bouncing back from an interception and a fumble to complete 25 of 33 passes to six different receivers, including TD tosses to Jordan Hudson and Matthew Hibner. Brashard Smith provided a little balance on offense, running for 63 yards and his 13th touchdown of the season.
"We got an unlimited amount of guys that can make plays," Jennings said. “I feel like just week by week, the game is getting slower for me.”
SMU's defense overwhelmed UVa's offensive line, sacking Anthony Colandrea nine times and allowing the Cavaliers (5-6, 3-4) just 173 yards.
“Against a guy who’s hard to tackle,” said SMU coach Rhett Lashlee, whose contract extension was announced Friday. “Probably against like me back there, it’s 16 sacks — at least the older me.”
Special teams contributed, too, with Roderick Daniels Jr. returning a punt 48 yards and Collin Rogers making two field goals. SMU is reveling in the underdog role after being picked to finish seventh in the ACC in their first season since joining from the American Athletic Conference
“We came out, we play good and we just prove people wrong every week,” Daniels said. “As the season start going, they start seeing we were a threat and now they see what’s going on.”
UVa's defeat made Notre Dame's opponents 2-7 in their next game after facing the Fighting Irish this season. SMU is responsible for three of those losses.
Virginia: Coach Tony Elliott's decision to stick will Colandrea instead of starting Tony Muskett did not pay off, though it would have been difficult for most quarterbacks to get anything done under with so little time to operate. Faint chants of “We want Muskett!” from the senior day announced crowd of 36,305 came early in the fourth quarter — before Collandrea ended a streak of 20 consecutive drives without scoring by finding Malachi Fields in the end zone with 4:16 left.
Virginia visits rival Virginia Tech next Saturday night, needing to win to become bowl eligible.
How To Watch
How can I watch SMU Mustangs vs. Virginia Cavaliers?
- TV Channel: Mustangs at Cavaliers 2021 College Football, week 13, is broadcasted on ESPN2.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Matchup Prediction
Scoring Summary
TD | 1st Period 7:58 | Brashard Smith 4 Yd Run (Collin Rogers Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 5:52 | Jordan Hudson 17 Yd pass from Kevin Jennings (Collin Rogers Kick) | |
FG | 2nd Period 1:25 | Collin Rogers 35 Yd Field Goal | |
FG | 3rd Period 10:12 | Collin Rogers 39 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 4th Period 12:21 | Kevin Jennings 1 Yd Run (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) | |
TD | 4th Period 4:16 | Malachi Fields 4 Yd pass from Anthony Colandrea (Will Bettridge Kick) | |
TD | 4th Period 1:42 | Matthew Hibner 16 Yd pass from Kevin Jennings (Collin Rogers Kick) |
Statistics
SMU | UVA | |
---|---|---|
20 | 1st Downs | 14 |
8-14 | 3rd down efficiency | 3-15 |
0-0 | 4th down efficiency | 2-4 |
434 | Total Yards | 173 |
323 | Passing | 108 |
25/33 | Comp/Att | 18/27 |
9.8 | Yards per pass | 4.0 |
111 | Rushing | 65 |
35 | Rushing Attempts | 39 |
3.2 | Yards per rush | 1.7 |
6-48 | Penalties | 3-20 |
2 | Turnovers | 0 |
1 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
1 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
28:25 | Possession | 31:35 |
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