SMU was already going to have a short window of preparation for its home opener against UC Davis on Saturday afternoon in Dallas.
A power-outage delay of nearly two hours ahead of their season-opening game at Florida State Monday night cut even more into that turnaround time.
The No. 17 Mustangs eventually escaped with a 27-24 victory thanks to a 20-yard field goal from Nick Reed with 21 seconds to go.
SMU (1-0) lost the turnover battle 4-1, but made up for it with some stout defense, a career-high 430 passing yards from Kevin Jennings and by going 8-for-14 on third-down opportunities.
“Got a short week, going to have some guys beat up against a team that went, I think, (to the) third round (of the FCS playoffs) last year, and then we got another road trip,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “So we’ve got to get better from the sloppiness fast.”
Even in a two-interception performance, Jennings impressed Lashlee with the positives he brought to the table.
Jennings is in his fifth season taking snaps for the Mustangs. He missed part of fall camp after jamming a finger on his throwing hand, but showed he’s healthy against Florida State.
“He’s happy to be healthy, and I think he knows what his legs can bring,” Lashlee said of Jennings, who also had 33 rushing yards. “Not just extending plays to throw it, which he’s great at, but running the football is really big for us in big games.”
Lashlee is also high on tight end Randy Pittman Jr., who caught five passes for 75 yards and a touchdown against his former team on Monday.
“I love him. I mean, he’s the happiest dude. He’s always in a great mood,” Lashlee said of Pittman. “He’s one of the smartest, (most) distinctive football players I’ve ever been with. He just played lights out.”
The Mustangs will face a tough test just to keep focused on UC Davis, as a road matchup against No. 24 Louisville awaits on Sept. 19.
Winning the turnover battle would be a good starting point.
“It’s hard to win on the road. It’s extra hard to win when you lose the turnover battle (4-1), and do a lot of things to not make yourself hard to beat,” Lashlee said. ” … We’ve got a lot to clean up.”
UC Davis (2-0) will be playing its third straight game on the road to open the season.
After rallying from a 21-0 deficit in the season opener to beat Portland State 31-24, the Aggies then gave up the first touchdown on Saturday against San Diego before running away with a 49-17 win.
“This is what we’re capable of doing,” UC Davis coach Tim Plough said.
UC Davis sophomore quarterback Treynor Cleeland completed 22 of 31 passes for 294 yards and five touchdowns against San Diego. His favorite target was Samuel Gbatu Jr., a first-team All-Big Sky selection last season who caught nine passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
UC Davis also has a standout running back in Matteo Perez, who ran for 123 yards and a score on nine carries last week. His 79-yard touchdown in the third quarter is tied for the 13th-longest run in program history.
–Field Level Media
