SMU attempts to move past a last-second loss that all but knocked it out the College Football Playoff picture when the Mustangs host dangerous Virginia Tech on Friday night in a crucial Atlantic Coast Conference dustup in Dallas.
Neither the Mustangs nor the Hokies were among those listed in the first CFP rankings that were released on Tuesday.
The Mustangs (6-2, 4-2 ACC) head home after a 30-27 loss at Syracuse on Oct. 31 that snapped a four-game winning streak. SMU, then ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press poll, surrendered a deciding TD pass with 17 seconds remaining after roaring back from a 20-10 halftime deficit to lead 27-20 with 9:04 to play.
Kevin Jennings completed 29 of 36 passes for 352 yards and threw a pair of touchdowns in the loss, and Kendrick Raphael added a 13-yard TD run that gave the Mustangs their fourth-quarter lead. The Mustangs allowed six sacks after surrendering just six combined in their first seven games.
“We expect to win, and losing is never OK,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “But it is life, and how we respond is important. We responded well earlier this year when we had a disappointment. Knowing the guys the way I know them, they’re gonna respond really well.”
SMU heads to this weekend’s matchup in fourth place in the ACC standings, with games against two teams above it — Nov. 14 at home against No. 16 Wake Forest and Nov. 21 at No. 11 Notre Dame — still on the schedule.
“We’re gonna compete these last four or five weeks and see where it lands us,” Lashlee said. “We’re no longer in control of everything, but we’re also not out of anything. So we put ourselves in this position, we gotta dig our way out.”
The Hokies (6-2, 3-2) head for Big D after a bye week following 20-16 win at Clemson on Oct. 24. Ethan Grunkemeyer passed for 156 yards and two scores in the victory, including the game-winner to Luke Reynolds with 1:44 left as Virginia Tech won its second straight contest.
Virginia Tech’s two losses — at home to then-undefeated Pittsburgh and at California — are by a combined seven points. Both of those losses were decided in the final 18 seconds.
A huge factor in the Hokies’ production this year has been the improvement of the defense, and that aspect will be tested by the potent SMU attack. Coach James Franklin said his team’s progress on that side of the ball has come with a combination of adjustments.
“The biggest thing is pre-snap confidence and communication of getting all 11 guys on the same page,” Franklin said Monday. “Part of that is (the defense) just getting more comfortable. Part of that is us narrowing the package down a little bit. A combination of all those things have been helpful, specifically on the back end.”
The Hokies still have No. 1 Miami on their schedule on Nov. 21 followed by their annual rivalry game against Virginia in Blacksburg on Nov. 28.
Friday’s game is the first between SMU and Virginia Tech since 1974, with the Mustangs holding a 2-1 all time edge.