Kevin Jennings absorbed the early mistakes and still found a way to finish the job for No. 19 SMU.
After throwing a pair of interceptions, Jennings came through on the Mustangs’ final scoring march, and Nick Reed drilled a 20-yard field goal with 21 seconds left to seal a 27-24 win over Florida State on Monday night in Tallahassee, Fla. The game was delayed nearly two hours because of a power outage at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Jennings finished 26 of 36 for 430 yards and three touchdowns, powering an SMU offense that piled up 585 total yards. He connected on a 50-yard touchdown to Jalen Cooper and later hit Randy Pittman, a Florida State transfer, for a 10-yard score.
Florida State had chances to tilt the night its way, but the Seminoles couldn’t sustain drives. They went 2 of 15 on third down after failing to convert on their first 10 tries, even though they did manage 177 rushing yards.
Ousmane Kromah was the main engine for Florida State on the ground. He carried 22 times for 116 yards, including a 54-yard burst and a 7-yard touchdown, giving him back-to-back 100-yard games to open his sophomore season. Ashton Daniels added 125 passing yards on 12-of-23 throwing, along with a 39-yard touchdown to Samuel Singleton Jr. and an 8-yard scoring run that finished a 14-play, 75-yard drive in the first quarter.
Florida State also got some help from its defense. Ashlynd Barker and Nehemiah Chandler each picked off Daniels in the second half, and the Seminoles forced a muffed punt that set up a third-quarter touchdown.
SMU, meanwhile, cleaned up just enough after an uneven start. The Mustangs converted 8 of 14 third-down chances and put together two fourth-quarter scoring drives to close out the win.
The teams were originally scheduled to kick off at 7:35 p.m., but the outage pushed the start to 9:15 p.m. Referees handled the game clock on the field when play finally got going.
SMU returns home to face UC Davis on Saturday. Florida State has a bye before heading to No.
13 Alabama on Sept. 19.
In Other News...
Mandrell Desir Is Testing Florida State Fans After Rough Opener
Mandrell Desirs Week 1 outing against SMU gave Florida State fans plenty to chew on, and not in a good way. The Seminoles defensive back drew attention for a rough performance and for a bizarre pre-snap moment when he mimicked a basketball dribble, a flash that only added to the scrutiny as supporters picked apart his role in the opener.
After the criticism piled up, Desir went to social media with a dismissive response, while defensive coordinator Tony White moved to calm things down from the football side. White said no disciplinary action would be taken and framed the sequence as part of Desirs style, leaving the bigger question less about punishment and more about how quickly the Seminoles can turn the conversation back to play on the field. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Fans Need To Look Past Deions Name In This Debate
Florida States recent slide has pushed every coaching conversation into sharper focus, and Mike Norvells struggles have made the Seminoles a program searching for a clearer path forward. Deion Sanders will always be an obvious name in that discussion because of his ties to the school and the attention he commands, but the real question for FSU is whether a splashy hire would actually solve what has gone wrong on the field.
Sanders early work at Colorado has given supporters plenty to argue about on both sides, yet there are fair questions about how sustainable that model is once key players move on and the roster has to be rebuilt again. Florida State already has a major brand and a recruiting base that should matter in any search, so the bigger debate is whether the next coach needs nostalgia and headlines or a more durable answer to the programs deeper problems. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Suddenly Has A Real Miami Recruiting Threat
Florida States 2027 recruiting efforts are already feeling the pressure around ZaKari Johnson, the four-star commit who has become one of the most important names in the class. Johnson has long been viewed as a key piece for the Seminoles, so any movement in his recruitment carries extra weight, especially when a rival like Miami enters the picture with real momentum.
Johnson recently said Miami has been his dream school, and he is set to visit Hard Rock Stadium for a Hurricanes game, which only sharpens the concern for Florida State. A flip would sting not just because of the player involved, but because it would give Miami a major victory in a head-to-head battle for a coveted prospect, putting added scrutiny on the Seminoles' coaching staff and the rest of the class. [Read more 🡒]