No. 19 SMU brings Kevin Jennings and a dangerous offense to Florida State for a Labor Day ACC showdown under the lights in Tallahassee.
No. 19 SMU opens its 2026 season Monday night against Florida State, and the Labor Day spotlight won’t leave either team much room to hide.
The Mustangs arrive at Doak Campbell Stadium as a 3.5-point favorite, with the total sitting around 53.5 points as of Aug. 31. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
Florida State already has one game in the bank.
The Seminoles beat New Mexico State 34-17 in Week 0, producing 419 total yards and scoring on all six of their red-zone trips.
It wasn’t a flawless performance, but after losing seven of its final nine games in 2025, Mike Norvell’s team needed something resembling stability.
Quarterback Ashton Daniels delivered 232 total yards and two touchdowns in his Florida State debut.
He completed 17 of 27 passes for 202 yards but also threw an interception. Running back Ousmane Kromah supplied the explosion, rushing for a career-high 115 yards on 14 carries, including a 52-yard run.
The Seminoles’ defense may be the more important storyline.
Florida State held New Mexico State to 47 rushing yards, collected three sacks and forced an interception. Repeating that performance against SMU will be considerably harder.
Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings enters his third season as the starter with more than 8,000 career yards of offense and 65 total touchdowns.
He threw for 3,641 yards in 2025, finishing third in the ACC and tied for eighth nationally.
Jennings is experienced, mobile and comfortable operating Rhett Lashlee’s tempo-heavy attack.
The questions surround his reconstructed supporting cast.
SMU lost four of its five leading receivers from last season, including Jordan Hudson and Romello Height, who combined for 104 receptions, 1,404 yards and nine touchdowns.
Jalen Cooper, Yamir Knight and Alabama transfer Jalen Hale will be asked to keep the passing game humming.
Kendrick Raphael leads a backfield that should test whether Florida State’s encouraging Week 0 run defense was real or merely opponent-assisted.
For Florida State, the formula is straightforward: run Kromah, keep Daniels out of obvious passing situations and prevent Jennings from turning the game into a track meet.
SMU has the better quarterback and the more trustworthy recent résumé. Florida State owns home-field advantage, an extra week of preparation and the benefit of having already knocked off some rust.
