No.23 SMU blowout CAL 59-20 with Second Half Offensive Barrage as Jennings becomes SMU Leader in Passing Touchdowns

DALLAS, Texas – The No. 23 SMU Mustangs (6-1, 4-1 ACC) defeat the California Golden Bears (3-5, 2-3 ACC) 59-20 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University Park Saturday afternoon. Down after two quarters, SMU rallied with an offensive explosion in the second half to pick up its fourth straight home win. Senior quarterback Kevin Jennings threw for 223 yards, going 16-23 from the pocket with three touchdowns and a rushing score. Jennings broke yet another record in the win, becoming the all-time leader in passing touchdowns in SMU history.

The Mustangs were just eight yards short of surpassing 500 total yards in the win. SMU Head Football Coach Rhett Lashlee reflected on the big win after the game.

“Really proud of them,” said Lashlee after the win. “I think Kevin owns just about every record there is here now and deservingly so. Just played incredibly within himself and ran the team. I mean three touchdowns he was really efficient. He does a lot for us in the run game. You saw him use his legs today. I mean he just continues to do what he does best which is win. Really proud for him to pretty much have every record there is, and now he’s about to put a lot of distance between him and people in the future. Happy for the guys big win at home and now we got to go do it again next week on the road.”

The Mustangs found themselves down to start this game. After a quick opening offensive series that ended with the Mustangs punting, Cal took advantage during its first offensive series. Cal sophomore quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele led the Golden Bears downfield, ripping off chunk play after chunk play through the air. The end result saw Sagapolutele connect with senior wide receiver Chase Hendricks from 10 yards out to give Cal a 7-0 lead and the game's first score just five minutes into the first quarter. SMU would respond with 10 unanswered points.

Senior kicker Brendan Baird capped off an eight-play, 53-yard drive with a 29-yard field goal to give the Mustangs their first points on the day. Allowing the Mustangs' defense to force a Cal punt, which led to SMU’s first touchdown drive. Senior quarterback Kevin Jennings led the offensive unit downfield in nine plays, connecting with senior running back Kendrick Raphael on a 22-yard play that saw Raphael get into the end zone against his former team. However, the Golden Bears would respond with their pair of scoring drives.

Cal went on its own 10-point scoring run, eating up a combined 12 minutes off the clock in two of the Golden Bears' three scoring drives in the second quarter. Cal would regain the lead after a 13-play, 75-yard drive that saw junior tight end Mason Mini get into the end zone from a yard out. Not long after, the Golden Bears forced a quick three-and-out on the SMU offense that allowed for more Cal offensive snaps and time to chew off the clock. The Golden Bears would take their largest lead of the half after sophomore kicker Towns McGough knocked down a 41-yard field goal to go up seven with five minutes to go in the second quarter.

SMU would not let up despite the swing in points. With Jennings once again leading the offense downfield, Raphael got into the endzone again, this time on the ground on the ninth play of the drive, tying the game at 17 apiece with a minute and change left before the end of the half. The scoring, however, would not be done quite yet, as Cal would end the half with another scoring drive, going downfield 56 yards in nine plays and going up by three going into the locker room after McGough knocked down a 37-yard field goal to give Cal a 20-17 lead against the Mustangs going into halftime. Coming out of the locker room, SMU would blow down the barn doors on the Golden Bears.

The Mustangs would have not one, not two, but three scoring drives in the third quarter alone. SMU would drive down the field in under three minutes in all three drives that ended in points in the third quarter. The first saw freshman running back Christian Rhoades get into the end zone for his first score as a Mustang, the second saw Jennings connect with junior running back Derrick McFall on a 20-yard shot to the end zone on his first catch of the game. Jennings ’ second touchdown of the game put him ahead of Tanner Mordecai in program history for the most passing touchdowns thrown in SMU History. Jennings reflected on breaking yet another record in the SMU record book after the win.

“It felt really good,” said Jennings after the win while reflecting on standing alone as the SMU leader in passing touchdowns in the program’s history. “All the great quarterbacks that came through here, and being able to surpass them its an amazing feeling and a blessing from god. After that throw saw Derrick put his hand up I was like oh yeah he's going to make a play for me. I put it out there and you see me just step back and put the three ups. It felt good releasing that ball.”

Lashlee’s offense would keep pushing as the Mustang defense got Cal off the field again. Rhoades would get into the endzone again, this time from five yards out, to give SMU a 38-20 lead going into the fourth quarter.

The Mustangs would continue to barrage the Cal defense in the fourth. As the fourth quarter began, Raphael would get into the end zone again from the one-yard line for his third score of the game. Raphael would finish his afternoon with over 100 rushing yards on 22 carries, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. The SMU offensive blitz would continue when Jennings connected with senior wide receiver Jalen Hale from 17 yards out, capping off the Mustang’s penultimate scoring drives of the game. The Mustangs' defense forced another stop, and the second-unit offense came out, continued to move downfield, and finished with freshman running back EJ Kelly scoring his first touchdown.

After trailing at halftime, SMU dismantled Cal 59-20, securing a fourth straight home win and remaining undefeated in conference play at home, extending an 11-0 winning streak against ACC opponents since joining the conference in 2024.

SMU will be on the road next week for the first time since week three, traveling to central New York to face Syracuse on Halloween. Kickoff between the two sides will be at 11:00 AM CST on ESPN 2.

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