TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Nick Reed‘s 20-yard field goal with 21 seconds to play gave No. 19 SMU Mustangs a 27-24 win at Florida State on Monday night. The kick finished a nine-play, 71-yard drive that ran 4:35 off the clock.
Kevin Jennings completed 26-of-36 passes for 430 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, and he carried 5 times for 33 yards. The 430 passing yards were a career high. SMU gained 585 yards of total offense, the most the program has ever produced against an ACC opponent, and punted once.
SMU lost the turnover battle 4-0. The Mustangs also missed a field goal, muffed a punt, and jumped offside on a fourth-and-3 field goal attempt. SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said the penalties SMU avoided were the ones he counts on the road, with no false starts and no personal fouls.
“They did what we asked them to. They responded,” Lashlee said. “We asked them to be calm in the chaos. Couldn’t be more chaotic than the first hour and a half, right? And we’re in total control of the game, driving down in the third quarter to try to go up two scores. We mess up, miscommunicate, throw a pick. Next thing you know, we’re tied. Then we break through, go down, score, take the lead. Next thing you know, they throw it on the flats. Guy makes a great play, scores. We’re tied again.”
“There was a moment, unfortunately we turned it over too many times for me to be sure which one it was,” Lashlee continued. “I think it was after the muffed punt, but I’m not sure. And I wasn’t very happy. And Kilgore just ran by me and said, ‘Coach, we got you all. Don’t worry about it.’ Just kept running. And that’s the mentality the whole team played with. So that gives us a chance with anybody.”
Kevin Jennings Throws For 430 Yards In SMU’s Season Opener
Jennings threw a 50-yard touchdown to Jalen Cooper in the first quarter and a 10-yard touchdown to Randy Pittman Jr., who spent last season at Florida State before transferring to SMU in January. Yannick Smith caught a 79-yard touchdown in the second half, the longest reception of his career.
Jennings’ 463 yards of total offense rank sixth in a single game in SMU history. He is the first Mustang to pass for more than 400 yards since Tanner Mordecai threw for 432 at North Texas on Sept. 3, 2022. Monday was his 10th career game with 3 or more touchdown passes.
Lashlee said the offense’s mistakes cost Jennings a fifth touchdown pass, and that SMU did not call many designed runs for him beyond a few pulls.
“Other than, I’d say, really one and a half plays, really that one pick at the end, other than that, Kevin played awesome,” Lashlee explained. “He was in control, threw for 430. He ran it when he needed to. Things broke down. He made plays. Think of the last third and 11. Third and one, we get the hold. They cover it. He scrambles, and Chunky just turns it up. And just, he’s a player, man. So, really proud of him. And proud of our guys for just finding a way to win. That’s all that really matters.”
Florida State blitzed heavily, and Jennings got the ball out quickly and trusted his receivers to win.
“It was amazing, just putting the ball in their hand,” Jennings said. “Yannick came up to me, he was like, give me the ball, give me the ball. I’m like, all right, I got you. Threw him the slant and he took it to the crib. So just seeing stuff like that gave me the utmost confidence in those guys, and they’re going to keep making plays this whole year.”
Eight Mustangs caught a pass. Yannick Smith led the group with 5 receptions for 107 yards and 1 touchdown. Randy Pittman Jr. had 5 catches for 75 yards and 1 touchdown, with a long of 30. Jalen Cooper finished with 4 receptions for 71 yards and 1 touchdown. Yamir Knight caught 6 passes for 49 yards. Jalen Hale had 2 receptions for 70 yards, including a career-long 64-yarder.
Smith spent the night reading Florida State’s leverage, watching for corners playing eight yards off and for the looks that told him a single safety was deep.
“What I kind of see was a cover zero, just everybody on the line of scrimmage,” Smith said. “So I just kind of know like I was the man-to-man read and that it was my time to make a play to help the team do what we did at the end.”
Florida State did not sack Jennings. Alex Woods made his first career start at left guard.
Woods is from the Tallahassee area, and Jennings said the line held up against a defense that blitzed on most snaps.
“He definitely showed up for his people back home,” Jennings explained. “He did a great job today. Wasn’t no drop-off at all. So he’s a dog right there, and we got 100% trust in him.”
SMU ran 31 times for 155 yards. Kendrick Raphael carried 12 times for 75 yards. Raphael left with a shoulder injury on the second or third play of the game, returned, and carried on the drive that set up Reed’s kick. Dramekco Green had 13 carries for 43 yards and added 2 receptions for 35 yards. SMU ruled out running backs Link Rhodes, Christian Rhodes, and EJ Kelly before the game.
Nick Reed’s Late Kick Decides SMU’s ACC Opener At Florida State
Reed’s other make came from 22 yards. He finished 2-of-3 on field goals and 3-of-3 on extra points in his first game with the Mustangs. Reed made 25 of 32 field goals at New Hampshire last season and signed with SMU out of the transfer portal in December.
Jennings threw second-half interceptions to Ashlynd Barker and Nehemiah Chandler. Yamir Knight muffed a punt that set up a Florida State touchdown in the third quarter. Jennings called the giveaways miscommunication and balls he put up for grabs.
“They’re easy fixes for sure,” Jennings said. “Mistakes are going to happen. But it’s about how we bounce back and respond to it. So it’s easy fixes for sure.”
The Mustangs converted 8-of-14 third downs and picked up 23 first downs. Florida State missed on its first 10 third-down attempts, finished 2-of-15, and gained 16 first downs.
SMU recorded 3 sacks and 8 tackles for loss. Jimmy Wyrick, Aakil Washington, and Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder each had one sack. Wyrick’s was the first of his career. Tyren Polley Jr. led the Mustangs with a career-high 10 tackles. La’Modrick Spencer recovered a fumble for SMU’s only takeaway.
Washington spent last season on the sideline. He stopped a 14-play Florida State drive and said the defense trains for possessions that long.
“Hunt. You don’t stop hunting until you get what you want,” Washington said. “That’s what we preach and that’s what we do all the time. And it showed even on, it was like a 14-play drive or something crazy. And we got the stop. We’ve been practicing that. We just have to play our brand of football and that’s what it is. Sometimes it’s not going to be a three-and-out. Sometimes you’re going to be out there for 14 plays. Just got to grind it out.”
Ashton Daniels completed 12-of-23 passes for 125 yards and 1 touchdown, a 39-yarder to Samuel Singleton Jr. Daniels ran for an 8-yard score that capped a 14-play, 75-yard drive in the first quarter. Ousmane Kromah carried 22 times for 116 yards and a 7-yard touchdown, with a long of 54. Kromah has run for 100 yards in both Florida State games this season. The Seminoles rushed for 177 yards and finished with 330 yards of total offense.
The programs have met twice. SMU won 42-16 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in 2024 in its first game as an ACC member.
SMU is 39-16 under Lashlee and 28-5 in road conference games. The Mustangs are 15-2 in ACC games. Monday was SMU’s eighth straight season-opening win and Lashlee’s fifth in five tries.
Jennings is 20-7 as SMU’s starter. His 8,139 career passing yards rank second in program history behind Ben Hicks‘ 9,081. His 58 career touchdown passes rank third.
SMU hosts UC Davis on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, with the game on ACCNX. Florida State has a bye and plays at No. 13 Alabama on Sept. 19.
