CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Kevin Jennings achieved a personal milestone by passing for an impressive 323 yards, tossing two touchdown passes and rushing for another as No. 13 SMU secured their position in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game with a dominant 33-7 victory over Virginia on Saturday.
Isaiah Smith and Jared Harrison-Hunte contributed significantly to the Mustangs’ success with two sacks each, helping SMU (10-1, 7-0, No. 13 CFP) extend their consecutive winning streak to eight games. The team now looks forward to a crucial matchup against either 11th-ranked Miami or 17th-ranked Clemson in the ACC title game on December 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina, where a win would grant them an automatic berth in the expanded College Football Playoff.
Jennings showcased his resilience, bouncing back from an interception and a fumble to complete 25 out of 33 attempts, distributing the ball effectively to six different receivers. He connected for touchdown passes with Jordan Hudson and Matthew Hibner, while Brashard Smith added balance to the offensive unit, rushing for 63 yards and marking his 13th touchdown of the season.
Defensively, SMU was relentless, overpowering Virginia’s offensive line and sacking quarterback Anthony Colandrea nine times. The Cavaliers (5-6, 3-4) could only muster 173 total yards against the staunch defense. Special teams also played a role in the victory, with Roderick Daniels Jr. returning a punt for 48 yards and Collin Rogers converting two field goals.
Virginia’s defeat contributed to a troubling trend for opponents of Notre Dame, who are now 2-7 in their subsequent games after facing the Fighting Irish this season, with SMU accounting for three of those defeats.
Analyzing the takeaways, for SMU, the win highlighted the challenges of their schedule and the ACC’s overall weakness. Although a blowout against a subpar opponent may not improve their at-large playoff position, their dominant performance indicates that the team remains solid under pressure.
For Virginia, Coach Tony Elliott’s choice to go with Colandrea instead of starter Tony Muskett didn’t yield the desired results, as even a stronger quarterback would have struggled against such a fierce defense. The crowd of 36,305 began faintly chanting “We want Muskett!” early in the fourth quarter, just before Colandrea broke a streak of 20 consecutive drives without a score by finding Malachi Fields for a touchdown with 4:16 remaining.
In terms of poll implications, SMU is likely to maintain their No. 13 ranking, with the possibility of moving up if No. 5 Indiana suffers a significant drop following their heavy loss to No. 2 Ohio State.
Looking ahead, SMU will host California next Saturday, concluding their inaugural regular season in ACC play. Meanwhile, Virginia will travel to face their rival Virginia Tech next Saturday night, needing a victory to secure bowl eligibility.