SMU Wins Home Opener Over East Texas A&M

The SMU defense was stingy in a 42-13 win over East Texas A&M in their home opener.

DALLAS (Aug. 30, 2025) – SMU football opened its 2025 season in emphatic fashion on Saturday night, defeating East Texas A&M 42–13 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. A crowd of 33,044 packed the stands, marking the Mustangs’ largest home opener since 2014. SMU students showed up in force, setting a new program record for student attendance with 5,176, the fourth time since 2024 the Mustangs have set or matched one of the top five student crowds in school history.

Fast Start

The Mustangs wasted no time setting the tone. On the opening drive of the game, quarterback Kevin Jennings connected with wide receiver Romello Brinson for a 63-yard touchdown strike just 53 seconds into the contest. It was the first time since 2021 that SMU scored a touchdown on its opening drive of the season.

Defense Delivers

SMU’s defense, ranked among the nation’s best in 2024, continued its playmaking ways by scoring twice on interception returns.

• Alexander Kilgore jumped a route for a 10-yard pick-six in the second quarter.

  
  

• Team captain Ahmaad Moses delivered the highlight of the night, racing 95 yards down the sideline for another touchdown in the third quarter.

  
  

The Mustangs finished with three sacks, six tackles for loss, and held East Texas A&M to just 6-of-20 on third down conversions.

Balanced Attack

Offensively, SMU rolled up 400 total yards, including 140 on the ground and 25 first downs. Jennings led a balanced unit that continued the Mustangs’ trend from 2024, when they ranked 2nd in the ACC and 8th nationally in scoring offense (36.5 ppg).

The offensive line, led by captains Savion Byrd and Logan Parr, helped the Mustangs control the tempo while limiting East Texas A&M to just two sacks.

Special Teams & Consistency

Senior kicker Collin Rogers, also a team captain, was perfect on extra points and helped maintain SMU’s field position edge throughout the night.

What They Said

“It was a great way to start the season in front of our fans,” head coach Rhett Lashlee said. “The energy in Ford Stadium tonight was unbelievable, especially from our students. We played fast, we made plays on both sides of the ball, and we’ve got a lot we can build on moving forward.”

“As a defense, we talk every day about taking the ball away and scoring with it,” said senior safety Ahmaad Moses. “To see that show up in game one, in front of our home crowd, was special.”

By the Numbers

• Attendance: 33,044 (largest home opener since 2014)

• Student Section: 5,176 (new SMU record)

• Total Yards: SMU 400, ETAM 351

• Rushing Yards: SMU 140, ETAM 107

• Third Downs: SMU 4/10, ETAM 6/20

• Sacks: SMU 3, ETAM 2

Up Next

SMU will continue its homestand next Saturday, hosting Baylor at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11am, tv with coverage on The CW.