Kevin Jennings passed for 350 yards and four touchdowns as SMU stayed in the hunt for a spot in the College Football Playoff with a 51-28 victory over Virginia Tech on Friday in a crucial Atlantic Coast Conference clash in Dallas.
The Mustangs (7-2, 5-2 ACC) swamped Virginia Tech by scoring 24 straight points beginning late in the second quarter while building a 30-point lead and then holding off a late Hokies charge.
Jennings completed 24 of his 32 passes with three of his TDs and 103 of his yards produced on six passes to Yamir Knight.
Ethan Grunkemeyer finished 28 of 38 for 291 yards and a TD passing for Virginia Tech (6-3, 3-3). Jeffrey Overton Jr. rushed for 123 yards and two scores on 13 carries in the loss.
Grunkemeyer passed to Que’sean Brown for a 3-yard touchdown with 3:30 to play to bring Virginia Tech to within 44-28 and give the Hokies a glimmer of hope. But the Mustangs corralled the ensuing onside kick and Jalen Cooper carried a jet sweep from Jennings 50 yards for a score with 3:13 left to finalize SMU’s impressive night.
The Mustangs scored on the game’s opening drive on Dramekco Green’s 12-yard touchdown run at the 12:22 mark of the first quarter. Brendan Baird added to the lead with a 47-yard field goal with 3 minutes to play in the quarter.
Virginia Tech culled its deficit to three points when Grunkemeyer crashed in from a yard out with 12:09 to play in second quarter. The Mustangs answered with a 26-yard FG by Baird two and a half minutes later to push the margin to 13-7.
SMU expanded its lead to 20-7 when Jennings hit Knight with a 46-yard scoring pass with 6:09 to play until halftime. The Hokies swung back, drawing to within six points by way of Overton’s 22-yard touchdown run with 2:22 left in the second.
Baird’s 50-yard field goal just 3 seconds before halftime spotted the Mustangs a 23-14 edge at the break.
SMU picked right back up in the third quarter when Kendrick Raphael scored on a 3-yard TD run at the 9:10 mark. Jennings and Knight then connected for their second score of the game on a 13-yard pass with 4:26 to play in the third.
Jennings hit Knight for a third TD with 9:21 to play in the game, this one from five yards out. Overton then added a 2-yard touchdown run for the Hokies with 6:29 left.