SMU Beats Virginia Tech 51-28: Jennings Throws for 350 Yards and Four Touchdowns in Dallas
The Mustangs led 23-14 at the half, then scored three straight second-half touchdowns to build a 30-point lead. At 7-2, SMU stays in the playoff hunt with Wake Forest next at Ford Stadium.
DALLAS — SMU spent Friday night making its playoff case in front of its own crowd. Kevin Jennings passed for 350 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to Yamir Knight, and the Mustangs pulled away from Virginia Tech for a 51-28 win at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. SMU led 23-14 at halftime, then scored three consecutive touchdowns in the second half to build a 30-point lead before Virginia Tech chipped into it late, Virginia Tech Athletics reported.
The offensive numbers were the argument. SMU piled up 569 total yards, scored 24 straight points beginning late in the second quarter, and got 103 of Jennings's yards on six passes to Knight alone. Virginia Tech quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer completed 28 of 38 passes for 291 yards, a touchdown and an interception — a productive night that still left the Hokies chasing a game that got away in the third quarter.
The win moves SMU to 7-2 overall and 5-2 in the ACC, still in the hunt for a College Football Playoff spot, while Virginia Tech falls to 6-3 and 3-3. The stretch run starts at home: Wake Forest visits Ford Stadium on Saturday, November 14 for an 11 a.m. kickoff, the next test for a team that has made its home field a hard place to visit.
