League newcomer SMU can clinch a berth in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game when the No. 13 Mustangs visit Virginia on Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville, Va.
The Mustangs (9-1, 6-0) have a seven-game winning streak and are the only program in the 17-team conference without a loss in league play. The ACC champion will earn an automatic bid into the 12-team College Football Playoff.
SMU is 4-0 on the road heading into its first-ever meeting with Virginia (5-5, 3-3), which has lost four of its last five games and has not won at Scott Stadium since beating Boston College on Oct. 5.
The Cavaliers need one more victory to have a shot at their first bowl game since the 2019 season.
SMU was tested last week, trailing early in the third quarter before pulling out a 38-28 home win against Boston College.
It was the Mustangs’ third win by 10 points or less in ACC play, following a 34-27 victory at then-No. 22 Louisville on Oct. 5 and a 28-27 overtime decision at Duke on Oct. 26.
“They’re the hardest ones to win,” Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee said. “I think our guys did a nice job of hanging in there and understanding the only thing we’ve got to do is win. … It’s going to get harder and harder as the season shrinks and the games mean more.”
Kevin Jennings passed for 298 yards and three touchdowns against the Eagles. Brashard Smith rushed for 120 yards and a score, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark (1,026) for the season.
The unexpected challenge from Boston College reminded the Mustangs that anything can happen on Saturdays.
“The exciting thing about college football right now is every week you see somebody lose that wasn’t really supposed to lose,” SMU safety Isaiah Nwokobia said, per The Dallas Morning News. “Any given week, you could lose if you don’t come prepared.”
The Mustangs will face a Virginia team that is coming off a 35-14 loss to another CFP hopeful last Saturday at Notre Dame. The Cavaliers turned the ball over five times in the first half and trailed 35-0 before backup quarterback Tony Muskett ran for two touchdowns.
To have any chance of springing an upset, Virginia must take care of the football against an SMU defense that has allowed only 17 points off 17 turnovers this season.
“You can’t expect to beat a top-10 team turning the ball over,” Cavaliers coach Tony Elliott said after the loss to the then-No. 8 Fighting Irish.
Elliott has a decision to make at quarterback with two games remaining: vs. SMU and then a Nov. 30 rivalry game at Virginia Tech.
Anthony Colandrea was benched after throwing three first-half interceptions at Notre Dame. He has 12 touchdown passes and 11 picks in 10 starts this season. Muskett, a graduate student who started six games last season, has completed 65 percent of his passes for 367 yards with three TDs and one interception in six appearances this season.
“We’re fighting, we’re scrapping for postseason play,” Elliott said. “That’s been a huge goal of ours as a team. And so we’re gonna look at whatever gives us the best opportunity.”
