Fran Brown Calls Jennings a Heisman Type, and Syracuse Has Angeli Back: No. 19 SMU's Dome Test Kicks at 11

By Brooke Calloway, RF Sports Radio SMU voice

Pony Up, people. Halloween in a dome in upstate New York, 11 a.m. our time, and the opposing head coach has already called your quarterback a Heisman candidate. That is either a compliment or a setup, and SMU has to treat it like a setup.

The facts

No. 19 SMU (6-1, 4-1 ACC) plays at Syracuse (3-4, 1-4) at 11 a.m. Central at the JMA Wireless Dome on ESPN2, with radio on KTCK 96.7 FM/1310 AM, per SMU Athletics. The Mustangs are 19th in the AP poll and 16th in the coaches poll and lead the series 2-0, including a 31-18 win at Ford Stadium last season.

SMU has won four straight, most recently 59-20 over Cal after trailing 20-17 at halftime. The Mustangs scored touchdowns on their first six second-half drives, per CBS Sports. Kevin Jennings set the school record with his 74th career touchdown pass in that game. He is second in the ACC in completion percentage (72.6), touchdown passes (19) and passing yards per game (294.6). Kendrick Raphael ran for 104 yards against Cal.

"He's a Heisman-candidate type of guy, in my opinion," Syracuse coach Fran Brown said of Jennings, per CBS Sports.

Syracuse ended a four-game conference skid with a 31-30 overtime win at North Carolina. Quarterback Steve Angeli, back after missing three games to treat his Achilles, went 20-of-34 for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Umari Hatcher has four straight 100-yard games. Rhett Lashlee said the Orange are playing their best ball: "So we're going to get their best and we've got to go find a way to win on the road."

SMU's defense has held opponents to 27-of-99 on third down, fourth in the country, and SMU's 145 sacks since 2023 are the most in FBS, per SMU Athletics. SMU is tied with Wake Forest for second in the ACC, one game behind Miami.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: this is a classic trap game, and Lashlee knows it. A ranked team traveling halfway across the country for an early kickoff against a team that just found its quarterback and its confidence? That is how you lose in October and spend November explaining it.

But I like SMU here, and it comes down to third down. Syracuse wants Angeli to stay on schedule and hit Hatcher over the top. SMU's defense lives on third-and-long, and that sack rate is not a fluke, it is three years of evidence. Get Angeli into obvious passing downs and the dome gets quiet fast.

On offense, the Cal second half is the blueprint. Six straight touchdown drives is not luck. It is a quarterback who knows exactly where the ball is going. If Jennings plays clean, SMU wins comfortably.

The danger is a slow start. SMU trailed Cal at the half. Do that in a loud dome against a team with momentum and it gets uncomfortable.

What to watch next

Watch SMU's first two drives and Syracuse's third-down conversions in the first half. For our full preview from earlier this week, read our Oct. 30 SMU-Syracuse preview, and follow the Mustangs on our SMU Football page.

Radio question: is Kevin Jennings a real Heisman candidate, or does SMU need a statement win in a big spot before anybody takes that seriously?

Sources: SMU Athletics - No. 19 SMU on the road to take on Syracuse, Saturday at 11 AM CT; CBS Sports - Kevin Jennings leads No. 19 SMU into ACC road test at Syracuse.