No. 23 SMU has spent the past two weeks doing the kind of work coaches love most: protecting the football, protecting leads and finding a way home with wins.
Now the Mustangs get Cal in Dallas on Saturday afternoon, with a shot to keep that run going in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup and a chance to answer last season’s painful loss to the Golden Bears.
SMU enters at 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the ACC after back-to-back victories over Boston College and Virginia, and both came with the same clean formula. The Mustangs did not turn the ball over in either game, led 13-10 at halftime in both and then pulled away late, beating Boston College 25-16 on Oct. 3 and Virginia 23-13 last Saturday.
"We're finding ways to win games late, and we've got to keep doing that," SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. "Eventually, it'll break, and maybe everyone's blood pressure will get a little lower, but at the end of the day, it's all about survive and advance, and that's what we've been able to do."
Quarterback Kevin Jennings has been central to that stretch. In his fifth year with the program, he threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns on 23 completions in 36 attempts against Virginia. After five interceptions in SMU’s first four games, he has helped steady the offense and eliminate the giveaways over the last two.
"I thought that was one of Kevin's better games," Lashlee said of Jennings' performance against Virginia. "Was smart with the football, obviously.
Then I thought he did a nice job of just being a boring quarterback in a good way. ... He really just played within himself and led the team and did a really good job."
The Mustangs also have a dangerous weapon on the ground in Kendrick Raphael, who rushed for 124 yards on 22 carries against Virginia.
There was a setback on defense, though. Sophomore safety Tyren Polley Jr. tore a pectoral muscle against Virginia and is out for the rest of the season.
SMU may also be close to getting safety Ahmaad Moses back. Moses underwent spinal fusion surgery in March for a herniated disc that was discovered at the NFL combine in the spring. He had 104 tackles, 5 1/2 tackles for loss, five interceptions, a sack and two fumble recoveries for SMU last season and had been projected as a late-round NFL draft pick before the injury.
Moses became eligible for a fifth year in July after a federal judge ruled in a case against the NCAA that high school athletes from the class of 2022 who had exhausted four years of eligibility should get a fifth year. A federal appeals court later stayed the ruling, but Moses got a temporary restraining order in a separate case that allowed him to play. That order has since expired, and he has been back in court trying to regain eligibility.
Cal comes in at 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the conference, and the Golden Bears are trying to bounce back after a lopsided 41-7 loss to Wake Forest. Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who threw for 330 yards and four touchdowns in Cal’s 38-35 win over SMU a year ago, has not matched that production this season and was benched against Wake Forest in favor of Colorado State transfer Jackson Brousseau.
Brousseau went 17 of 29 for 81 yards before Sagapolutele returned in the second half. Sagapolutele then finished 15 of 18 for 110 yards and a touchdown.
"Both guys did a good job at times," Cal coach Tosh Lupoi said. "Going to assess. Do my very best at all positions to get the players we feel like are going to put us in position to win."
In Other News...
Cal Heads To SMU With One Massive Offensive Question
Cal heads into its trip to SMU carrying more than the usual road-game uncertainty, because the offense is already dealing with a thin margin for error. The Bears will be without leading rusher Adam Mohammed and running back Carter Vargas, two absences that put even more pressure on a unit trying to find some stability away from home.
The bigger concern may be what surrounds the backfield. Four wide receivers and three starting offensive linemen are listed as questionable, including Ian Strong, Bastian Swinney and Jimothy Lewis Jr., which leaves Cals depth in a precarious spot if any of those players cannot go. SMU has its own injury issues, including safety Tyren Polley Jr. and running back Dramekco Green, but the Bears offensive availability is the more immediate storyline as they try to sort out who will be ready to play. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Heads To SMU With One Frustrating Question Still Unanswered
After Cals 41-7 loss to Wake Forest, Tosh Lupoi owned the result and tried to move the conversation forward toward SMU, but the clearest lingering issue from the defeat remained the one he never fully answered: why Jackson Brousseau got the start over Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Lupoi addressed the quarterback decision, but he did not offer much detail on how he made it, leaving the Bears with a familiar kind of uncertainty as they head into another road test.
Sagapoluteles late entrance only sharpened the question. He was the more effective of the two against Wake Forest and delivered Cals lone touchdown, while Brousseau struggled to get the offense moving. Now Lupoi is saying the job will go to whoever gives the Bears the best chance to win at SMU, a team with plenty to like on both sides of the ball and a matchup that will demand a cleaner answer under center. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Needs This Offensive Reset To Look Real At SMU
Cals offense is heading into another reset this week, with Tosh Lupoi expected to pair Pat McCanns play-calling with Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele at quarterback against SMU. The Bears have spent the season searching for the right mix after trying different quarterback and play-caller combinations, a sign of just how unsettled things have been on that side of the ball. Now theyll find out whether this version can bring a little more clarity against a defense that will not make the adjustment easy.
The timing adds another layer of intrigue because Sagapolutele is coming off a game in which he was replaced as the starter, so how he handles the change matters as much as the scheme itself. Cal still has to deal with a thin rushing attack and a tough road environment for any offense looking to find rhythm, which makes this more than a simple personnel tweak. It is a chance for the Bears to see whether a new combination can hold up when the game counts for real. [Read more 🡒]