No. 24 SMU beat Virginia 23-13 on Saturday at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, with quarterback Kevin Jennings throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns to lift the Mustangs to 5-1. Brendan Baird made all three of his field goal attempts and both extra points, accounting for 11 of SMU’s points.
The game turned in the fourth quarter when Jennings connected with Jalen Hale for a 37-yard touchdown with 12:22 left, putting SMU up 23-13 and closing the door on Virginia’s comeback hopes. The Cavaliers, who fell to 4-3, were led by quarterback Beau Pribula, who ran for a touchdown but finished just 13 of 22 passing for 137 yards through the air.
Key Moments And How SMU Won
SMU controlled the game from the opening whistle, going up 3-0 on a 23-yard Baird field goal with 2:56 left in the first quarter. Virginia answered in the second quarter when Pribula scored on a 1-yard run with 11:27 remaining, giving the Cavaliers their only lead of the game at 7-3.
Jennings and the Mustangs responded with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Randy Pittman Jr. to go back in front 10-7. Virginia kicker Will Bettridge connected from 47 yards with 25 seconds left in the half to tie it at 10, but Baird answered three seconds later with a 45-yard field goal as time expired, sending SMU into the locker room ahead 13-10.
The two teams traded field goals in the third quarter, Baird from 26 yards and Bettridge from 43, leaving SMU with a 16-13 edge entering the fourth. Jennings’ touchdown strike to Hale then put the game away. SMU’s defense held Virginia scoreless over the final quarter and forced the game’s only turnover when Marques White recovered a fumble by Pribula.
Top Performers
Jennings finished 23 of 36 for 246 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Kendrick Raphael carried the Mustangs on the ground, rushing 22 times for 124 yards. Yannick Smith led all receivers with five catches for 87 yards, including a long of 59 yards, while Hale added four catches for 60 yards and the decisive score.
On defense, Alexander Kilgore paced SMU with 10 total tackles, and Brandon Booker recorded the team’s lone sack. For Virginia, Pribula accounted for 162 total yards (137 passing, 25 rushing) and a rushing touchdown despite the fumble. Jekail Middlebrook led the Cavaliers’ rushing attack with 59 yards on 14 carries. Matthew Fobbs-White topped Virginia’s defense with six tackles and a sack.
What It Means
SMU improved to 5-1 on the season and outgained Virginia 404 yards to 258, including a 158-121 edge on the ground. The Mustangs also won the turnover battle 1-0 and converted four of five fourth-down attempts, a aggressiveness that paid off in a game decided by 10 points.
Virginia dropped to 4-3 despite nearly matching SMU’s time of possession (29:01 to 30:59). The Cavaliers converted just 4 of 13 third-down tries and allowed SMU to escape with a win despite SMU hitting the identical third-down rate of 4 of 13, pointing to the fourth-down conversions and the Jennings-to-Hale score as the difference.
More College Football news from Total Apex Sports.
Don't stop here
Every Score. Every Story. One Home.
Breaking sports, entertainment and news from across the Total Apex network, updated all day.
Get the Full Story →
