Kevin Jennings threw for a career-high 464 yards and three touchdowns Saturday night as No. 22 SMU held off visiting Missouri State’s upset bid for a 34-24 nonconference win in Dallas.
Jennings hit on 33 of 39 passes with an interception for the Mustangs (3-1), who overcame an early 10-0 deficit. The senior became SMU’s career passing leader with 722 completions and 9,162 yards.
They outgained the Bears (1-3) by 592-239 but hurt themselves with a spate of mistakes. SMU was flagged 12 times for 106 yards and also committed a pair of turnovers that led to 10 points.
Yamir Knight caught 11 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown for the Mustangs, Jalen Cooper caught eight for 125 yards and Kendrick Raphael rushed for 98 yards and a TD on 23 carries.
Skyler Locklear completed 15 of 19 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown for Missouri State before being knocked out in the fourth quarter with an injury. He pulled the Bears within 21-18 at the 12:16 mark of the fourth when he found Isaiah Myers for a 15-yard strike, followed by Locklear’s two-point conversion run.
Jennings led the Mustangs out of upset alert with a pair of late touchdowns. First, he connected with Knight for a 28-yard score with 5:34 left. After an interception by Brandon Booker gave SMU a 23-yard field, Jennings hit Theo Melin Ohrstrom for a score on the next play to seal the outcome.
Missouri State got off to the kind of fast start that a 30 1/2-point underdog dreams about, taking advantage of two turnovers to build a lead. After forcing a fumble from Knight at its 7, the Bears initiated scoring when Yousef Obeid hit a 35-yard field goal with 2:17 left in the first quarter.
Jennings made his one big mistake four plays later, tossing an interception that Joel Boamah returned 60 yards for a touchdown. After that, Jennings was nearly flawless, completing a school-record 21 straight passes at one point.
Raphael got the Mustangs on the board with a 1-yard plunge at the 10:09 mark of the second quarter. Jennings and Ohrstrom connected for a 19-yard touchdown four seconds before halftime for a 14-10 edge.
Jennings’ 1-yard TD run with 8:12 remaining in the third quarter gave SMU an 11-point advantage.
Missouri State backup quarterback Henry Belin IV threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Dillon Hipp with 1:09 left in the game.