585 yards, and it still came down to 21 seconds
Nick Reed’s 20-yard field goal with 21 seconds left got SMU out of Tallahassee with a 27-24 win over Florida State in Saturday night’s season opener.
Forget the scoreboard for a second. The Mustangs outgained the Seminoles 585 yards to 324 and went eight of 14 on third down while Florida State managed two of 15. Games that lopsided rarely end inside a field goal.
The explanation sits in the turnover column: four given away, one taken back. Kevin Jennings threw for a career-high 430 yards, three touchdowns and two picks. SMU reached the Florida State 35 on each of its first five possessions and walked away with nothing twice, thanks to a fumble and a missed kick.
Try it for $0.99.
Florida State stayed alive on the ground
The Seminoles (1-1, 0-1 ACC) had nothing working through the air, so they leaned on the run. It held them up: 199 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Ousmane Kromah went over 100 for the second straight week with 116 and a score.
Ashton Daniels finished 12 of 23 for 125 yards and a touchdown, adding 71 yards and another score with his legs. His 39-yard strike to Samuel Singleton Jr. tied it with 8:17 left.
The swing came in the third quarter. Trailing 17-10, Florida State pounced on a muffed punt by returner Yamir Knight. Eight plays later Kromah walked in from six yards.
A win that solves nothing
SMU is 1-0 and holds its No. 19 ranking. The tape gives the coaching staff plenty to work through. Yannick Smith caught five balls for 107 yards and a touchdown, including a 79-yarder in the fourth. Jalen Cooper and Randy Pittman Jr., who used to wear Florida State colors, also scored through the air.
The Seminoles come out of it worse than the margin suggests. Opening ACC play with a home loss after getting outgained by 261 yards leaves almost no cushion for what comes next.
Discover more NCAA news on our mathodds website and app!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply