SAN DIEGO — Kevin Jennings threw for 278 yards, highlighted by an 80-yard completion on a razzle-dazzle play on the second play from scrimmage, and SMU beat No. 21 Arizona 24-19 in the Holiday Bowl on Friday night.
Jennings completed 21 of 32 passes, and set up two touchdown runs by T.J. Harden and one by Stone Eby for the Mustangs (9-4). They snapped a five-game postseason losing streak that included a 38-10 defeat to Penn State in the opening round of last season’s College Football Playoff. Arizona also finished 9-4.
“These guys brought our program back,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “In the last three years, we won 31 games. For these guys to do that, two of those years were our first two years in the ACC. We've won more games in the ACC than anybody. These guys have put us back on the national stage, with the college playoff berth and now a Holiday Bowl win, and just giving our program a lot of momentum.”
SMU was up 24-0 at halftime, a big enough lead to overcome three interceptions by Jennings in the second half and three touchdown passes by Arizona's Noah Fifita. And unlike its last visit to the Holiday Bowl, the Mustangs didn't blow the big lead.
Led by the “Pony Express” backfield of Eric Dickerson and Craig James in the 1980 Holiday Bowl, the Mustangs took a 45-25 lead over BYU with about four minutes left. But in one of the wildest finishes in college football history, Jim McMahon led a comeback capped by a 41-yard Hail Mary to Clay Brown as time expired for a 46-45 win.
Fifita threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Barmore with 33 seconds left but SMU recovered the ensuing onside kick.
The Mustangs didn't wait for the halftime fireworks to put on a show. On second-and-8 from the SMU 19, Jennings handed off to Harden, who pitched it to wide receiver Yamir Knight, who then tossed it back to Jennings. The QB hit tight end Matthew Hibner, who was tripped up at the 1. Harden scored on the next play.
“It's amazing to see how we executed that play,” Jennings said. "We don't run it that much, but this time we executed it.”
Said Lashlee: “What's funny is, we carried it most weeks and I know that these guys have jokes sometimes. We got to the last game of the year and it was like, we haven't run it this year. We just made sure to make it the second play of the game.”
SMU scored on four of its first five possessions. Harden scored on a 3-yard run late in the first quarter to cap an 87-yard drive, Eby scored on a 1-yard run midway through the second quarter to finish a 94-yard drive and Sam Keltner kicked a 24-yard field goal on the next possession.
Jennings' pass was intercepted by Michael Dansby at the Arizona 4 early in the third quarter, and Fifita capped the drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Javin Whatley. The two-point conversion attempt failed.
Jennings threw another interception on SMU's next possessionm this one by by Riley Wilson and the Wildcats had a first down on the Mustangs 14, but they gained just 4 yards and turned it over on downs.
Fifita threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Tre Spivey to close to 24-12 midway through the fourth quarter.
Wilson intercepted a pass again, but the Mustangs got the ball back a few plays later when Alexander Kilgore intercepted Fifita's pass.
Fifita was 28 of 43 for 265 yards.
“I love the heart and the fight and to get back into it the way they did,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said. “The throws this guy made at the game, incredible. I'm proud of this team. I'm disappointed and (mad) about tonight, but I'm not going to let that wreck how I feel about the team."
In a rare showing of loyalty in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, the two redshirt junior quarterbacks, Jennings and Fifita, have chosen to remain at their schools and appear set to finish their careers where they started.
The takeaway
Arizona: The Wildcats fell short of their second 10-win season in three years.
SMU: The Mustangs won a postseason game for the first time since 2012, when they beat Fresno State 43-10 in the Hawaii Bowl.
Up next
Arizona: Hosts Northern Arizona on Sept. 5.
SMU: Hosts UC Davis on Sept. 12.
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