Kevin Jennings absorbed the early mistakes, then delivered the throw and the drive that carried No. 19 SMU past Florida State 27-24 on Monday night in Tallahassee.
The Mustangs’ quarterback overcame two interceptions and finished with a career-high 430 passing yards and three touchdowns, helping SMU improve to 1-0 overall and 1-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Nick Reed’s 20-yard field goal with 21 seconds left sealed it. The game itself was pushed back nearly two hours after a power outage at Doak Campbell Stadium.
“I thought Kevin played awesome,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “He was in control.
Threw it for 430, he ran it when he needed to. He’s a player.
Really proud of him. Proud of our guys for just finding a way to win.”
Jennings connected on 26 of 36 passes and helped fuel an offense that piled up 585 total yards. His biggest strikes were a 50-yard touchdown to Jalen Cooper and a 10-yard scoring pass to Randy Pittman, the Florida State transfer.
“Getting the W is amazing,” Jennings said. “It was a tough crowd environment on the road.
Great team. Crowd was going crazy.
… We’ve been preparing since January. It’s nothing new for us.
It’s week 1. Mistakes are going to happen.
But it’s about how we respond.”
Florida State had chances of its own and leaned on Ousmane Kromah, who carried 22 times for 116 yards. He ripped off a 54-yard run and scored on a 7-yard touchdown, giving him back-to-back 100-yard games to open his sophomore year.
Ashton Daniels completed 12 of 23 passes for 125 yards and threw a 39-yard touchdown to Samuel Singleton Jr. He also ran for an 8-yard score to finish a 14-play, 75-yard march in the first quarter.
“We got to go make plays in the passing game when opportunities present themselves,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “Didn’t do a good job protecting with that throughout, some inconsistencies there that we got to clean up.
We got to get that corrected. … We had our opportunities.
It’s a shame to come up a field goal short.”
The Seminoles’ defense created some swings in the second half, with Ashlynd Barker and Nehemiah Chandler each picking off a pass. Florida State also forced a muffed punt and turned that into a third-quarter touchdown.
The night had a strange start before the football settled in. Kickoff, originally scheduled for 7:35 p.m., was delayed until 9:15 because of the outage. Referees kept the game clock on the field.
“We asked them to be calm in the chaos,” Lashlee said. “Couldn’t be more chaotic than the first hour and a half.”
SMU converted 8 of 14 third-down chances and put together two fourth-quarter scoring drives, key reasons the Mustangs found a way to finish. Florida State, meanwhile, went 2 of 15 on third down after failing on its first 10 attempts, even while grinding out 177 rushing yards.
SMU now turns to UC Davis at home on Saturday. Florida State has a bye before facing No.
13 Alabama on Sept. 19.
In Other News...
FSU Fans Are Confronting One Brutal Mike Norvell Reality
Mike Norvells tenure at Florida State has reached the point where the frustration is no longer just about one bad stretch or one disappointing season. Seven years into the job, the Seminoles are staring at a 39-35 record under his watch, and the recent slide has made the conversation around the program feel heavier than it did even a year ago. What once looked like a long-term build now has fans weighing patience against the reality of how long the skid has lasted.
Money only makes that conversation harder to ignore. Norvells 2024 extension runs through 2031 and includes a modest base salary with supplemental income that rises each year, but the real issue is the buyout, which sits around $46.7 million. That kind of number puts Florida State in a familiar college football bind: even when a program starts asking tough questions about direction, the cost of making a change can be almost as daunting as standing pat. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Norvell's Future Just Became A Tough Florida State Debate
Florida States recent slide has turned Mike Norvells tenure into one of the more complicated discussions in the sport, because this is no longer just about wins and losses. The Seminoles are coming off a 13-1 season, but the stretch since then has been rough, with an 8-18 record overall and a 3-14 mark in ACC play, a downturn that has changed the temperature around the program in a hurry.
The harder part for Florida State is what comes next, because Norvells long-term contract is a major financial commitment. His 8-year, $84 million extension carries a buyout estimated at around $45 million if the school were to move on, which means the universitys decision may hinge as much on the rest of this season as on the frustration already building in the fan base. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Fans Have A Costly Portal Question After Week 1
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Mike Norvell is now dealing with the kind of scrutiny that comes when expectations and production drift apart early. High-value additions such as quarterback Ashton Daniels and running back Quintrevion Wisner have not matched the hope that came with their arrival, and the debate around which transfers were worth the spending is only getting louder. For a fan base already frustrated by the loss, the lingering portal question is no longer just about who came in, but whether the Seminoles spent in the right places at all. [Read more 🡒]