DALLAS — Kevin Jennings and the SMU offense gave Virginia Tech plenty to deal with Friday night.
Jennings threw four touchdown passes, three of them to Yamir Knight, as the Mustangs took care of Virginia Tech 51-28 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
SMU (7-2, 5-2 ACC) put together one of its more productive offensive performances of the season, finishing with 569 total yards. The Mustangs threw for 350 yards and added another 219 on the ground.
Jennings completed 24 of 32 passes and finished with 367 yards of total offense. His connection with Knight was a problem for the Hokies throughout the night. Knight caught six passes for 103 yards, with touchdown receptions of 46, 13 and five yards. It was the first three-touchdown receiving game of his career.
Jalen Cooper was just short of the 100-yard mark, finishing with 98 yards on five catches. His biggest play came on a 50-yard touchdown reception from Jennings.
SMU wasn’t relying on the passing game alone. Kendrick Raphael scored on a three-yard run, while Dramekco Green added a 12-yard touchdown. Freshman Christian Rhodes gave the running game a spark with 92 yards on seven carries, including a 59-yard run that marked a career best.
The defense had its share of big moments, too. SMU recorded four sacks and forced two turnovers. Marques White accounted for two sacks and recovered a fumble after forcing one himself. Jimmy Wyrick added an interception.
Brandon Baird was perfect on the night, connecting on all three field-goal attempts, including a career-long 50-yarder.
For Jennings, the night added another chapter to an already impressive career at SMU. He now has 80 career touchdown passes, 92 total touchdowns responsible for and 11,164 yards of total offense. All three are program records.
The win also keeps SMU unbeaten at home in ACC play under head coach Rhett Lashlee. The Mustangs are now 12-0 in those games.
SMU won’t have much time to enjoy the win. Wake Forest comes to Dallas next Saturday, November 14, for an 11 a.m. kickoff at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. The Demon Deacons enter the matchup ranked No. 14 in both the AP and Coaches polls.
The Mustangs will look to carry Friday night’s offensive production into another important ACC matchup.
