Kevin Jennings passes for career-high 4 TDs, as SMU beats Syracuse 31-18

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DALLAS (AP) — Kevin Jennings passed for 285 yards and a career-high four touchdowns as SMU beat Syracuse 31-18 in the Mustangs’ ACC opener on Saturday afternoon.

Jennings completed 29 of 35 passes with one fourth-quarter interception for 82.9%, second highest in program history for 20-plus attempts to Justin Willis’ 87% (20 of 23) in 2006.

Jennings threw scoring passes of 15 yards to Yamir Knight, 16 yards to RJ Maryland, 14 yards to Derrick McFall and 9 yards to Jordan Hudson as SMU (3-2, 1-0 ACC) broke to a 31-3 lead early in the fourth quarter.

“Probably one bad play in the whole game, late, the interception,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said of his junior quarterback. “Touch when he needs touch. Driving it when he needs to drive it. You can tell he’s playing with a lot of confidence and seeing the field really well.”

Jennings, who completed 16 straight, said he did nothing special.

“Just putting the ball in those guys’ hands,” he said. “They make plays.”

Sam Keltner added a 26-yard field goal for SMU after the Mustangs’ Brandon Miyazono intercepted Rickie Collins.

Collins ran for a 6-yard touchdown and threw an 11-yard TD pass to Johntay Cook II for Syracuse (3-3, 1-2), which dropped its second straight game since losing quarterback Steve Angeli to a season-ending Achilles injury during the second half of the Orange’s 34-21 road upset of Clemson on Sept. 20.

Collins, making his second straight start, was 22-of-45 passing for 279 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Each interception came inside SMU’s 20-yard line.

Syracuse’s Tripp Woody kicked a 38-yard field goal, and David Omopariola tackled SMU’s Dramekco Green in the end zone for a safety.

The Orange were in position to take an early lead, beginning their first possession at SMU’s 42-yard line following a 14-yard punt by the Mustangs’ Wade McSparron. They drove to SMU’s 1, where Collins was stuffed carrying up the middle short of the goal line.

Syracuse punter Jack Stonehouse took off under a heavy rush on fourth-and-10 on the Orange’s first possession of the second half and gained 11 yards. Except SMU was ruled offside, and the play didn’t count, though it wasn’t whistled dead as a pre-snap penalty.

Syracuse: The Orange have dropped consecutive games for the first time in coach Fran Brown’s two seasons.

SMU: The Mustangs have won 18 consecutive regular-season conference games, the last nine in the ACC following their final nine played in The American.

Syracuse, off next weekend, will host Pittsburgh on Oct. 18.

SMU will host Stanford next Saturday.

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