SMU’s CFP hopes may have faded with an upset loss on the road.
SYRACUSE, N.Y.—The No. 19 SMU Mustangs (6-2, 4-2 ACC) fall to the Syracuse Orange (4-4, 2-4) on Halloween afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome in Central New York. The Mustangs found themselves in a shootout on the road, as the Orange secured their first win against a ranked opponent since 2024.
The Mustangs put up over 400 yards of total offense, but allowed over 300 yards on defense and 3.7 yards per carry on the ground. SMU Head Football Coach Rhett Lashlee talked after the game about the importance of responding following a tough loss.
“We expect to win, and losing is never ok. So we are not ok, but it is life,” said Lashlee after the loss. “How we respond is important. We responded well early in the year when we had a disappointment. We got a short week against a really good football team that had a week off. We are going to have to figure out a way to regroup and get ready to play Friday night. The games are still big. The games still matter, if nothing else, to support our teams because that’s what we do at SMU. The SMU families support the SMU families; we need our fans, we people more than ever coming off a loss. We have to respond; we have to pick ourselves up and respond, that’s what prepares you for life.”
SMU found themselves down early after a punt on the Mustangs’ first offensive series. After a quick three-and-out, Syracuse senior quarterback Steven Angeli drove his offense downfield during the Orange’s first drive of the game. Angeli would eventually rush into the end zone on a 26-yard run for the game’s first score, putting the Orange up by seven in the opening four minutes of the game.
The Mustangs would eventually get on the scoreboard midway through the first quarter thanks to a 40-yard field goal from senior kicker Brendan Baird. Six minutes later, with seconds left in the opening quarter, SMU would have its longest drive of the half, getting downfield in 12 plays and covering 88 yards. The Mustangs’ offense would get into the end zone for the first time when SMU senior quarterback Kevin Jennings connected with senior wide receiver Jalen Hale from 9 yards out to give the Mustangs a three-point lead to the end of the quarter. Jennings would finish his afternoon throwing for 351 yards, going 29/36 with two touchdowns.
Syracuse would eventually tack on an additional three points after sophomore kicker Tripp Woody knocked down a 29-yard chip shot the very next series to tie the game. However, the Orange got the football back on the next drive after Hale fumbled on a catch run, recording the Mustangs’ first turnover since late September. The turnover would eventually turn into another three points for Syracuse after Woody knocked down yet another chip shot from 25 yards out.
SMU continued to be stuffed by the Syracuse defense in the opening half. The Orange would force yet another punt to end the half but would turn the extra possession into even more points when junior running back Ahmad Miller rushed into the end zone from a yard out to give Syracuse a 20-10 lead over the Mustangs going into halftime.
SMU struggled on offense in the first half; the Mustangs looked uncharacteristically sluggish to start the game. Syracuse held SMU to just 1.7 yards per carry in the running game, allowing just 26 yards in the opening half. While allowing 184 yards in the passing game, Syracuse racked up two sacks and three tackles for loss. However, SMU would respond aggressively in the second half.
After a quick three-and-out from the Syracuse offense, forced by the Mustangs’ defense. SMU flew downfield in the 10th play for 85 yards, capped off by Jennings connecting with senior wide receiver Yamir “Miz” Knight in the end zone on a 14-yard score to put SMU within three midway through the third quarter.
Both teams would have a plethora of defensive stops for the remainder of the quarter before SMU got within a point of the orange in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. The SMU defense forced a safety after Angeli was forced out of the pocket and threw the ball without a receiver in the area. Angeli was called for intentional grounding, leading to two free points for SMU to start the final quarter. SMU would regain the lead not long after.
The Mustang drove downfield 68 yards, taking the lead after senior running back Kendrick Raphael punched in a score on a 14-yard rush. With less than 10 minutes left, SMU made it a seven-point game when Jennings connected with junior running back Derrick McFall in the back of the end zone, adding two more points to SMU’s lead, which was now 27-20. However, Syracuse would not go away.
The next offensive series, Syracuse would tack on another three points to cut the lead to four with five minutes left in the game. The Orange would then get back-to-back sacks on Jennings to force yet another SMU punt. Before getting the ball back, Syracuse would take a lot of time off the clock with the second-longest drive of the game for the home side. The drive would result in a treat rather than a trick for Syracuse, as Angeli would connect with junior tight end Noah Meyers to steal the lead late.
SMU would try to get into field goal range with seconds left on the clock on the next series, but two big sacks and a botched hook-and-ladder play would stop the Mustangs until the game clock hit triple zeros. Syracuse would hold on and hand SMU its first loss since Week 3, stunning the Mustangs 30-27. SMU’s destiny becomes a tad more murky with this weekend’s loss. Jenning spoke after the game about his message to the team going forward with a tough slate of games coming up quickly for the Mustangs.
“At any point you don’t want to lose games anyway, so go out there and play your butt off. If we win all these games on our schedule, we will still find a way to get in,” said Jennings. “Just keep playing your butts off and keep going.”
The Mustangs will have a quick turnaround, returning to Dallas to host Virginia Tech on Friday, November 6, at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
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