No. 25 SMU Meets Cal In Regular-Season Finale Saturday Night

By Marc Henry Via Mustang Wire

BERKELEY, Calif. — No. 25 SMU heads west for its regular-season finale on Saturday, taking on California at 7 p.m. CT inside California Memorial Stadium. The Mustangs enter the matchup at 8-3 overall and 6-1 in ACC play after a dominant 38-6 victory over Louisville. The game will air on ESPN2 and stream on the SMU App.

Setting the Scene

SMU is riding the momentum of a convincing win over Louisville, a performance that extended the program’s conference home winning streak to 14 games, the longest in school history. Quarterback Kevin Jennings continued his strong play with his third straight 300-yard passing effort, while Jordan Hudson led the receiving corps with eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.

Running back TJ Harden added 90 rushing yards and a receiving score, and the Mustang defense held Louisville without a touchdown for the first time since SMU’s win over Cal last season.

Quick Hits

SMU has been both explosive and opportunistic in 2025. The Mustangs have logged 12 touchdown drives under two minutes, displaying an offense capable of flipping the field in an instant. Defensively, SMU ranks among the nation’s elite:

• 1st in turnovers gained (27)

• 2nd in red zone defense (.675)

• 5th in interceptions (17) and fumbles recovered (10)

• 5th in team sacks (3.09 per game)

• 10th in defensive touchdowns (3)

  
  

Jennings ranks in the top 12 nationally in passing yards, passing yards per game, completions per game, and touchdowns. Up front, Isaiah Smith, Terry Webb, and Jeffrey M’ba all sit among the ACC’s top sack producers. Ahmaad Moses remains one of the country’s top ballhawks with five interceptions.

Hudson continues his ascent as one of the ACC’s most productive wideouts, ranking top-10 nationally in receiving yards, receptions per game, and receiving yards per game.

SMU has outscored opponents 177–97 in first halves and continues to thrive under head coach Rhett Lashlee, who owns a 27-4 career conference record and the best November winning percentage (.933) in program history.

Series History

Saturday marks the third meeting between the programs. SMU leads the all-time series 2–0, including last year’s 38-26 win in Dallas.

Scouting Cal

The Golden Bears enter the matchup at 6–5 overall and 3–4 in ACC play. Cal is coming off a 31-10 loss to Stanford and looks to close its regular season with a marquee home victory.

Lashlee’s Leadership

Heading into his fourth season at SMU, Rhett Lashlee has compiled a 37-15 career record. He remains the only coach to be nominated for the Broyles Award at four different schools and was a finalist for the 2024 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award. His 29 wins in his first three seasons rank second in program history.

Road Warriors

Few teams in Texas have matched SMU’s road success. The Mustangs have won 27 road games since 2019, most among FBS programs in the state.

SMU is 13–2 in its last 15 regular-season road contests and has recorded multiple sacks in all but two games this season.

Closing Time

SMU has consistently closed seasons strong under Lashlee, posting a 14–1 November record during his tenure, the best November mark by any head coach in school history.

Symons Named Broyles Award Semifinalist For Third Consecutive Year

By Marc Henry Via Mustang Wire

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (Broyles Foundation/SMU) – SMU defensive coordinator Scott Symons has been selected as a semifinalist for the Broyles Award for the third straight season, the Frank & Barbara Broyles Foundation announced Tuesday.

The Broyles Award, now in its 30th year, recognizes the nation’s top assistant coach. Symons is among 63 nominees chosen through a selection process that includes the Football Writers Association of America, national broadcasters, a college football hall-of-fame committee, and current head coaches.

Since its inception, the award has honored 29 winners and more than 100 finalists, with past recipients and standouts including Steve Sarkisian, Lane Kiffin, Kirby Smart, Lincoln Riley, Dan Lanning, and Gus Malzahn. Last year’s winner was Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden.

In his fourth season on the Hilltop, Symons has once again elevated SMU’s defense. Despite replacing 10 starters from the 2024 championship unit, the Mustangs remain one of the nation’s most productive defenses. Symons was a finalist for the award last season.

SMU ranks in the top 25 nationally in multiple defensive categories, including turnovers (1st), red zone defense (2nd), interceptions (5th), fumbles recovered (5th), team sacks (5th), rushing defense (19th), scoring defense (21st), and third-down conversion defense (25th). In ACC play, the Mustangs lead the league in scoring defense, allowing just 14.9 points per game.

Jennings Named to Davey O’Brien Award Great 8

FORT WORTH, Texas (Davey O’Brien Foundation/SMU) – SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings has been selected to the Davey O’Brien Award Great 8, the foundation announced Monday.

Jennings earned the honor after leading SMU to a dominant 38–6 win over ACC opponent Louisville, improving the Mustangs to 8–3 overall and 6–1 in conference play. Earlier in the day, he was also named to the Manning Award Stars of the Week.

A model of efficiency and balance, Jennings has completed passes to at least seven different receivers in every game this season. Following Saturday’s win, he now ranks second in program history in both career passing yards (7,181) and career total offense (7,712).

Nationally, the Texas native continues to rise. Jennings sits inside the FBS top 12 in four major categories: ninth in passing yards (3,113), ninth in passing yards per game (283.0), 10th in completions per game (23.18) and 12th in passing touchdowns (24). With him leading the attack, SMU’s passing offense ranks 14th in the nation at 286.5 yards per game.

This marks Jennings’ second appearance on the Davey O’Brien Great 8 this season, having first earned the recognition after SMU’s overtime win against Miami on Nov. 1. He entered the year on several major award watch lists, including the Maxwell Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Davey O’Brien Award, Manning Award and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.