SMU’s potential comes to life in second half demolition of Cal

Story by

Story by
SMU’s potential comes to life in second half demolition of Cal

DALLAS, TX - October 24: SMU Mustangs safety Jarvis Lee(#1) celebrates after a defensive stop during the Atlantic Coast Conference college football game between the SMU Mustangs and the California Golden Bears on October 24, 2026, at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, TX. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Steve Helwick

Tue, October 27, 2026 at 3:15 PM UTC ·

6 min read

About Our Ads

SMU entered Saturday ranked No. 23 in the country, equipped with a 5-1 record and in control of its own destiny for an ACC Championship Game appearance.

Yet, something felt off about the Mustangs' start to the season. Too often, wins felt more like relief than triumph.

In Week 1, SMU lost the turnover battle 4-1 against Florida State but escaped with a 27-24 win on a last-minute field goal. Two weeks later, those mistakes proved costly. The Mustangs lost the turnover battle 3-0 at Louisville and failed to convert two critical fourth downs in a 41-31 road defeat.

SMU hadn't lost since, but its three subsequent victories — all at home — left more to be desired. The Mustangs defeated Missouri State 34-24, and the Bears had possession in the fourth quarter with an opportunity to take the lead. Then they overcame slow starts against Boston College and Virginia, winning 25-16 and 23-13, respectively.

It appeared as if the fourth game of an extended homestand against California would follow the same script. SMU trailed the Golden Bears 20-17 at halftime before unleashing its full potential in a dominant second half performance. The Mustangs scored 42 unanswered points to cruise to a 59-20 victory, avenging their 2025 loss to Cal that denied them from the ACC Championship Game.

"Two weeks ago, before the last game, we talked about — this did come from my wife actually — how we were really, really close to breaking through, and we just needed a spark," SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee said. "We just felt like we were close. We felt like last week (against Virginia) was the spark, even though it didn't completely come to fruition like it did in the second half (against Cal)."

DALLAS, TEXAS - OCTOBER 24: Kevin Jennings #7 of the SMU Mustangs celebrates a touchdown during the first half against the California Golden Bears at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Mustangs erupted for 42 points in the final 30 minutes of action, demonstrating their usual offensive explosiveness but remaining free of turnovers and limiting costly penalties. Kevin Jennings threw for an efficient 223 yards and three touchdowns, while the ground game, led by Cal transfer Kendrick Raphael, erupted for 256 yards and five scores. SMU even found considerable success with two true freshmen manning the left side of its offensive line — tackle Drew Evers and guard Sam Utu.

The Mustangs finished with 492 total yards, including 306 after halftime, and scored touchdowns on each of their final seven completed drives.

"We've had games this year where we haven't put the game away," Lashlee said. "Offensively, it's been a little frustrating because with the exception of the BC game, we've moved the ball on everybody we've played. We just weren't finishing with points. Today, I'm really proud of the guys for doing that."

SMU's defense matched the offense's second half intensity, recording routine stops without even needing to rely on takeaways. The Mustangs controlled the line of scrimmage, managing three sacks and eight tackles for loss while holding the Golden Bears to 40 rushing yards on a 1.4 average.

"It's hard to score consistently for four quarters when you can't run the ball," Lashlee said. "What we did well on defense was we didn't let them have the big play. We stayed on top of them. We made them dink and dunk. We didn't let them run the ball, so it made them one-dimensional, and then it allowed us to get pressure later in the game when we needed to."

It was a night-and-day difference before and after the break. Cal scored on four of its five first half possessions but opened the second half with three consecutive three-and-outs.

"We asked the defense to set the tone," Lashlee said. "I know they were a little upset giving up that three before half and really just frustrated in general, because we weren't playing bad, but (Cal) had those 20 points. I don't know if it was three, four, or five straight drives with three-and-out, but it felt like a bunch and that really gave the offense short fields and kept us on the field on offense and allowed us to wear them down."

Oct 24, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (3) is sacked by SMU Mustangs defensive end Marques White (16) during the first half at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 39-point victory was SMU's most convincing evidence that it can contend for an ACC championship in 2026. The potential was evident in the first six games as the Mustangs fielded a top-10 passing offense, a top-15 total offense, and ranked top-15 in sacks. But turnovers, penalties and slow starts had prevented them from translating that potential into a truly dominant performance. Saturday against Cal was different.

"Love the battle, love the journey, and love the fact that we went into halftime down 20-17," Lashlee said. "It's not what we want, but we're in the battle. We're getting to do something that not a lot of people get to do. They love it. They love doing it together. That's all I said at half to the team. 'Love the battle. Let's go play our ball.'"

SMU's depth was another encouraging feature. Three different rushers exceeded 40 yards. No receiver produced more than three receptions or 37 yards, despite the Mustangs finishing with 236 passing yards and three touchdowns. No defender recorded more than six tackles, yet 24 different players registered at least one. Balance had been a common theme of Rhett Lashlee's teams, particularly the squads that reached conference championships in 2023 and 2024. SMU didn't need a star player carrying the load. Rather, contributions came across the entire roster.

Now, the Mustangs have proven their ability to contend for the ACC title after Saturday's multifaceted domination, where they improved to 11-0 at home in ACC matchups. SMU's remaining conference matchups include road trips to Syracuse and Stanford and home games against Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. But to contend for the ACC, the next challenge is making the level of execution shown against Cal the norm rather than the exception.

"It's only one win," Lashlee said. "It won't matter if we don't go on the road next week and follow it up. But it was good to get another home win."

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: