SMU Daily Blitz: ACC Title Hopes Take Major Hit After Stunning Syracuse Collapse

DALLAS - SMU football had Syracuse right where it wanted it Saturday.

A seven-point fourth-quarter lead, an outstanding performance from quarterback Kevin Jennings and an opportunity to strengthen its position in the ACC championship race.

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Instead, the Mustangs watched everything unravel.

Syracuse stunned No. 19 SMU 30-27, scoring the winning touchdown with just 17 seconds remaining and handing Rhett Lashlee's team a devastating second conference loss.

On the latest episode of SMU Mustangs Daily Blitz from FanStreamSports.com, the collapse became the central question: How does a team with championship expectations let a game like this slip away?

The numbers made the defeat even more frustrating.

Jennings completed 29 of 36 passes for 351 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

His 80.6 percent completion rate represented the kind of efficient quarterback performance that should have put SMU in position to win comfortably.

Yannick Smith contributed five receptions for 95 yards, while Jalen Hale and Yamir Knight caught touchdown passes.

The Mustangs finished with 421 total yards and 25 first downs, outgaining Syracuse by 83 yards.

But impressive passing statistics couldn't disguise an offense that struggled to establish any balance.

SMU managed just 70 net rushing yards on 31 attempts, an average of 2.3 yards per carry.

Kendrick Raphael contributed 51 yards and a touchdown, but the Mustangs never consistently controlled the line of scrimmage.

Syracuse also sacked Jennings four times, costing SMU 52 yards.

Then came the mistakes.

The Mustangs lost two fumbles while Syracuse finished without a turnover, handing the Orange a significant advantage in a game decided by three points.

Defensively, SMU's performance was equally difficult to explain.

The Mustangs limited Syracuse to four conversions on 16 third-down attempts. Ordinarily, holding an opponent to a 25 percent conversion rate would be encouraging.

But Syracuse converted all four of its fourth-down opportunities.

That inability to finish defensive possessions ultimately proved costly.

SMU held a 27-20 advantage in the fourth quarter before Syracuse cut the deficit with a field goal.

The Orange then delivered the decisive blow when Steve Angeli connected with Noah Meyers for the winning touchdown in the final seconds.

The loss dropped SMU to 6-2 overall and 4-2 in ACC competition, significantly complicating its path to the conference championship game.

For Lashlee, the problems extend beyond one disappointing Saturday.

The Mustangs have demonstrated an ability to produce explosive offense, including their 59-20 victory over California the previous week.

But inconsistency in the running game, offensive line breakdowns and an inability to protect late leads threaten to undermine that progress.

SMU now faces Virginia Tech on November 6, Wake Forest on November 14 and Stanford on November 28 in its remaining ACC games, along with a nonconference visit to Notre Dame on November 21.

Winning its final three conference games is essential to preserving a realistic opportunity to reach the ACC Championship Game, although the Mustangs will also need favorable results elsewhere.

As discussed on SMU Mustangs Daily Blitz, the challenge isn't simply getting more production from Jennings.

It's building a team capable of winning when the passing game alone isn't enough.

The defense must get off the field. The offensive line must improve. And the Mustangs can't continue giving opponents extra possessions through turnovers.

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SMU's championship hopes aren't officially dead. But after Saturday's collapse at Syracuse, the margin for error has all but disappeared.

SMU Mustangs Daily Blitz features SMU football news, game analysis and ACC coverage on FanStreamSports.com.