SMU QB Kevin Jennings continues to break records as No.17 Mustangs thumps UC Davis 56-10 in home opener.

DALLAS, Texas – The No. 17 SMU Mustangs (2-0, 1-0 ACC) defeated the UC Davis Aggies (2-1, 1-0 Big Sky) 56-10 on a short week at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University Park on Saturday afternoon. Senior quarterback Kevin Jennings went 14/16 for 337 yards with an 87% completion percentage and a career-high five touchdowns. In the win, Jennings became the Mustangs' all-time leader in total yards in another explosive win for SMU.

SMU Head Football Coach Rhett Lashlee spoke after the win about how his team navigated two games in the span of a week after beating Florida State on the road in its season opener and how he rallied his players to manage a rare short week in college football.

“I’m excited to be 2-0. I was really proud of our guys,” said Lashlee. “It was kind of weird standing out there during pregame warm-ups and talking to recruits and saying we were playing at midnight Monday night. For our guys to play two games in about five or six days, that's not normal in college football and shouldn’t be. I was just really proud of how they handled it. They did a really good job. We asked them to be mature and show some maturity. One, we wanted to get better from the things we needed to improve on, but two, we wanted to just come out and play well in all three phases.”

The Mustangs opened the scoring early, with a running theme of firsts during their first offensive series. On SMU’s first offensive drive, the Mustangs drove downfield 90 yards, getting into the red zone thanks to a 50-yard one-handed grab by senior wide receiver Jalen Hale, his longest as a Mustang thus far. Senior running back Kendrick Raphael capped off the drive by rushing into the end zone from five yards out for his first score as a Mustang, giving SMU a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

SMU would double its lead just before the end of the first quarter in explosive fashion. Jennings found junior running back Derrick McFall for a 52-yard score to put the Mustangs up 14-0. SMU continued to step on the gas in the second quarter.

The Mustangs started the second quarter with another long scoring drive, getting downfield in less than a minute. Where Jennings found senior tight end Theo Melin Öhrström from two yards out for his first score on the Hilltop to extend the lead to 21-0. Two minutes later, the Mustangs flew downfield again and, as expected, further extended the lead to 28-0 when Jennings found senior tight end Randy Pittman from two yards out. Rhett Lashlee’s team kept pushing the pedal to the floor as more time ticked off the game clock.

After senior safety Jarvis Lee forced an Aggies interception, Jennings found Melin Öhrström for his second touchdown. He went on to find junior wide receiver Yannick Smith for a 44-yard score, finishing the half with five touchdowns through the air and 300+ yards from scrimmage, and ending his afternoon. SMU headed into the locker room up 42-0 at halftime after a dominant opening half of football.

The second quarter was when Jennings broke the SMU record for total yards, surpassing Ben Hicks with 9,073 total yards in his career as a Mustang. He is on pace to break Hicks’ record for passing yards by at least Week 4. The senior quarterback reflected on breaking the record after the win.

“It's truly amazing having all the great quarterbacks come through here, and just be on the top of that list is truly amazing,” said Jennings. “Props to Lashlee and the guys around me they help me out tremendously. So I am just very blessed and grateful to be on top of that list.”

With Lashlee doubling down after the game, praising his quarterback that there are more records he could break if Jennings can stay healthy and play throughout the year.

“Like we said, we knew it would be one of many this year. If he could stay healthy he’s going to break every record there is probably,” said Lashlee. “Pretty cool. We celebrated in the locker room, guys were happy for him. There's more records out there for him if he can stay healthy and keep playing there more opportunities for us. He's a special player, and I think he can show what happens if you stay at a school a long time you can cement your legacy and do some special things.”

Coming out of the break, sophomore quarterback Ty Hawkins took over the reins for Jennings. Hawkins led the Mustang to a six-play scoring drive during SMU’s second offensive series of the half. Hawkins found freshman tight end Zack Turner for his first score of the season, widening the gap over the Aggies to 49-0 with six minutes left in the third quarter. Hawkins finished his night going 11/13 with an 85% completion during his first snaps under center for SMU.

Hawkins was praised after the game for his performance by his head coach after the win.

“I thought Ty did a really good job,” said Lashlee. “There were a couple of times he got hit pretty good. We didn’t protect as well with the second group as we liked. He hung in there and threw two touchdown passes. Made a really nice throw and great catch by Zach Turner on the over route. It's unique you wanting to not stay here forever, but you gotta let your other guys play and run the offense. So I thought it was good to see Ty do that.”

To start the fourth, U.C. Davis would take its first trip to the red zone and score its first touchdown of the game when freshman quarterback Jackson Kollock found fellow freshman running back Coby Herman from four yards out to get the Aggies on the board.

The Mustangs would respond with yet another scoring drive, as Hawkins led a 50-yard drive that ended with the sophomore quarterback finding freshman wide receiver Aljour Miles II for the score, pushing the lead to 56-7 in favor of the Mustangs.

UC Davis would add a late fourth-quarter field goal from 33 yards to add to the Aggies' total with less than five minutes to go. Nevertheless, SMU would cruise to victory with a 56-10 win in the Mustangs' 2026 home opener.

SMU will have a full seven days before hitting the road once again in another ACC game early in the calendar. This time, SMU will be in Louisville to face the No. 24 Louisville Cardinals (1-1) at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium next Saturday.

The Cardinals are (1-1) to start the year, but this early-season contest looks to have a massive impact for both teams down the stretch.

Kickoff between No. 17 SMU and No. 24 Louisville will be at 2:30 CST.

Great SMU Mustang content found here

• A Deep Dive Break Down SMU Footballs First Four Opponents

•SMU Mustang Report Card: Grading each Major Position Group in Mustangs win 27-24 over Florida State

•Reasons why SMU Football wins the ACC and goes to the CFP in 2026

• No. 19 SMU rallies through a technical delay and turnovers to beat Florida State 27-24 on the road

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