SMU Faces Cal With Revenge, ACC Title Hopes And Injuries At Stake

SMU football has revenge on its mind, an ACC championship race to navigate and a California team coming to Dallas with serious quarterback questions.

For Rhett Lashlee's Mustangs, Saturday's matchup is another opportunity to prove they belong among the conference's best.

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No. 23 SMU (5-1, 3-1 ACC) welcomes California (3-4, 2-2) to Gerald J. Ford Stadium for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff on The CW, looking to extend its winning streak to four games.

The Mustangs haven't forgotten last November's stunning 38-35 loss in Berkeley, when Cal rallied late and spoiled what appeared to be another SMU victory.

This time, the circumstances look considerably different.

SMU enters following a 23-13 victory over Virginia, its third consecutive win.

Running back Kendrick Raphael rushed for 119 yards against the Cavaliers, providing some badly needed balance to an offense that has leaned heavily on quarterback Kevin Jennings.

Jennings has thrown for 1,588 yards this season and sits one touchdown pass away from tying SMU's career record of 72.

The Mustangs rank fifth nationally with 325.2 passing yards per game, making their aerial attack one of the country's most productive.

But injuries could complicate Saturday's offensive game plan.

Running back D. Green has been listed out with a hand injury, while L.J. Rhodes remains sidelined following a torn ACL. Tight end M. Uter and receiver C. Reed have also appeared on injury reports with undisclosed issues.

Defensively, the Mustangs have been playing without lineman I. Singleton IV, whose injury is expected to keep him sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Those absences could test SMU's depth, particularly as conference play intensifies.

California has problems of its own, starting at quarterback.

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who engineered last season's comeback against SMU, recently returned from a concussion but didn't start last week's embarrassing 41-7 loss to Wake Forest.

Jackson Brousseau started that game after throwing for 321 yards in Cal's victory over Virginia Tech. However, neither quarterback provided much offensive consistency against the Demon Deacons.

Cal coach Tosh Lupoi now faces a difficult decision about who starts against the Mustangs.

The Golden Bears are also monitoring several offensive injuries, including running backs Ashten Emory and Chany Perry-Smith and receivers Ian Strong and K. Grayes.

Their availability could affect Cal's ability to establish an offensive rhythm.

For SMU, the defensive matchup presents an opportunity.

The Mustangs have allowed opponents to convert just 22 of 83 third-down attempts this season, a 26.5 percent success rate that ranks fourth nationally.

If SMU can generate pressure against Cal's unsettled quarterback situation, the Mustangs could control the afternoon.

Lashlee understands that winning doesn't always look pretty.

"We're finding ways to win games late, and we've got to keep doing that," Lashlee said following the Virginia victory.

But Saturday represents an opportunity to do more than survive.

SMU needs to protect the football, establish Raphael early and avoid the defensive breakdowns that allowed Cal to steal last season's meeting.

With a 3-1 conference record, the Mustangs remain squarely in the ACC championship conversation.

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A fourth consecutive victory would keep that momentum rolling.

Another upset against Cal would be considerably harder to explain.