Led by quarterback Kevin Jennings and an explosive air attack, the Mustangs charge into Tallahassee as ACC contenders ready to test Florida State’s defense on Labor Day.
Entertaining matchups in week 1 of the 2026 season will be plentiful on Labor Day weekend, especially in the ACC. Florida State will start conference play early by hosting the SMU Mustangs on Monday, Sep. 7.
SMU is coming off a 9-4 season in 2025, and those four losses were by seven points or fewer. They will be loaded on offense in 2026. Led by a third-year starter at quarterback and one of the best coaches in the game, the Mustangs are considered to be the No. 2 team in the ACC, behind the Miami Hurricanes.
Here is a way-to-early look at SMU and what makes their powerful offense gallop, post-spring, as we head into summer.
QB Kevin Jennings
Jennings is going into his third season at the helm of the Mustangs’ offense that averaged 32 points per game last season, and is coming off back-to-back 3,000-yard seasons throwing the football. SMU ranked 13th nationally in passing offense at 283 yards per game.
Last season, he completed 66 percent of his passes for 3,641 yards, 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Jennings also rushed for four scores.
Against Miami, Jennings passed for a season-high 365 yards and accounted for two touchdowns (1 passing, 1 rushing). This season, Jennings will operate behind an experienced offensive line that returns most of its starters and ranked fourth in the ACC in sacks allowed with 19.
WR Yamir Knight
Knight is the leading returning receiver for the Mustangs, and he caught 54 of Jennings’ passes last season for 637 yards and five touchdowns.
RB Kendrick Raphael
A transfer from Cal, Raphael rushed for 943 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. In addition, he caught 34 passes for 245 yards and a score. Raphael’s nose for the end zone gives the Mustangs balance and keep opposing defenses honest.
Head Coach Rhett Lashlee
Lashlee was a hot commodity for every coaching search that occurred last season, and he turned down every coaching interview or offer that came his way so he and his family could stay in Dallas. Since taking over the Mustangs, Lashlee has posted a 38-16 record and was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2024.
Lashlee’s knowledge of offenses is a result of his nurturing as a coach from former Florida State offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s coaching tree. What a storyline this game would have been: the student vs. the master. With Malzahn now retired, that storyline now fades into the annals of what could have been in college football history.
Florida State lost the first and only meeting with SMU in a 42-16 defeat in 2024. With coach Mike Norvell handling play-calling duties for the upcoming season, we will see if Florida State will be ready to stop the stampede of Mustangs headed toward Doak Campbell Stadium in September.
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