With 21 seconds left and the score tied, Kevin Jennings made the play that decided the game. He had thrown two interceptions and waited out a lengthy power outage before leading a late lead that set up Nick Reed's 20-yard field goal. The kick gave the Mustangs a 27-24 win over Florida State in Tallahassee.
The season opener was anything but normal. A blackout lasting nearly two hours at Doak Campbell Stadium left both teams waiting as momentum stalled and routines were disrupted. When play resumed, SMU's offense quickly found its rhythm, piling up 585 yards and outlasting the Seminoles in a game that never settled down. SMU Athletics said the Mustangs opened their ACC schedule 1-0, while Florida State lost a rare home opener after the technical delay.
The game resumed at 21:15 ET under unusual conditions: scoreboards were only partially functional, and coaches had limited communication with players because of the outage.
Jennings, a senior from Oak Cliff, Texas, finished with 430 passing yards and three touchdowns, finding nine different receivers. His 50-yard pass to Jalen Cooper and a 10-yard touchdown pass to Randy Pittman, a former Florida State player, showed SMU's ability to attack downfield. Yannick Smith also made an impact, catching five passes for 107 yards and a touchdown. SMU Athletics confirmed that Jennings completed 26 of 36 passes and led the final lead that set up the winning kick.
SMU's offense was explosive but far from perfect. Jennings' two interceptions nearly cost the Mustangs, while mistakes kept Florida State close. Still, SMU converted eight of fourteen third downs and put together two basic scoring drives in the fourth quarter. USA Today and CBS Sports reported that SMU outgained Florida State 585 to 324 in total yards, overcoming turnovers and the stadium's technical problems to win.
Florida State, now 1-1, struggled to slow SMU's passing game and couldn't turn takeaways into points. After the delay, the Seminoles couldn't close out the game, leaving the home crowd frustrated as time ran out.
ESPN reported that a short circuit in the stadium's busway caused the power outage, triggering a surge that damaged a changer on the west side. Officials isolated the faulty equipment and restored stable power, allowing play to resume despite continuing technical limitations.
Jennings called the win a lesson in persistence. He acknowledged his early mistakes but said execution in the final moments mattered most. SMU's depth at receiver and its adjustments after the blackout made the difference, giving the Mustangs a hard-fought win to open the season.
Next, SMU hosts UC Davis in Dallas, hoping for a less chaotic game. The Mustangs' Tallahassee performance, with big plays alongside costly errors, sets a high standard for the rest of the year.
