25

Pittsburgh
PIT

7-1, 3-1

48

winner

SMU
SMU

8-1, 5-0

25

48

winner

Points by quarters

team	1	2	3	4	F
PIT Pittsburgh	3	0	8	14	25
SMU SMU	7	24	3	14	48

Match Review: Football | 11/3/2024 1:07 AM

DALLAS (AP) – Brashard Smith ran for 161 yards with a 71-yard dash for his first two rushing touchdowns and made a nifty tiptoe catch for another score as No. 20 SMU defeated previously unbeaten and 18th-ranked Pittsburgh 48-25 on Saturday night overwhelmed and remained tied for the conference lead in its Atlantic Coast Conference debut.

The Mustangs (8-1, 5-0 ACC), last year's champions in The American, are the first team to start 5-0 in their first season in a power conference after being promoted from a Group of Five league .

Kevin Jennings was 17 of 25 passing for 306 yards with two touchdowns. He hit tight end Matthew Hibner for an 80-yard score on his final pass, one play after Jonathan McGill's interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter.

Pitt (7-1, 3-1) was trying to open 8-0 for the first time since 1981 – when Dan Marino was the Panthers' quarterback. Redshirt freshman QB Eli Holsteinwho left late in his final game with an undisclosed injury, completed 29 of 47 passes for 248 yards and did not play the final 9 1/2 minutes due to the lopsided score.

Saturday night's losses at Pitt and No. 11 Clemson left the Mustangs tied with No. 5 Miami (9-0, 5-0) atop the expanded 17-team ACC. SMU will not play the Hurricanes during the regular season.

SMU went ahead and followed up with LJ Johnson's 2-yard TD run to cap the first drive of the game. Roderick Daniels Jr. added a 3-yard TD on a reverse, bypassing one defender in the backfield and leapfrogging another to get across the goal line.

Smith's long TD run came on the first play afterward Ben Saul'swho had already made a 44-yard field goal, missed a 47-yarder wide right on his first miss in 16 attempts since last season. The Mustangs led 28-3 after Jennings rolled from three straight to third-and-goal and threw to Smith, who kept his feet inbounds while also extending the catch on the other side of the end zone.

On the ensuing kickoff, SMU cornerback AJ Davis remained facedown on the field, and video of the game showed his head touching the returner while attempting to make a tackle. Davis was immobilized on a stretcher before being placed in an ambulance that drove onto the field.

SMU officials said later in the game that Davis was fully able to move and was in a hospital.

THE TAKEAWAY

Pittsburgh: The Panthers failed to complete some early tackles, which led to big plays that helped set up touchdowns, and trailed 34-3 before scoring a touchdown in the final minute of the third quarter. Three of their wins this season have come by a margin of four points or less.

SMU: Jennings had an impressive rebounding week after scoring five of SMU's six turnovers in an overtime win at Duke. The Mustangs have won five straight since an 18-15 home loss without a touchdown to still-undefeated BYU. This is their only loss in their last 13 home games, while they have averaged just over 50 points per game.

IMPLICATIONS ON THE SURVEY

Pitt entered the weekend as the lowest-ranked undefeated Power Four team. The Panthers were 5-0 entering this season, and a loss could have them on the verge of being eliminated from the poll. The Mustangs will certainly move up and could challenge the 15th-place finish they achieved in 2019, their highest finish since third in 1985.

NEXT

Pittsburgh's next two games are at home, next Saturday against Virginia and Nov. 16 against No. 11 Clemson.

SMU has an open date before hosting Boston College on November 16th.