2024 SMU Mustangs football team

The 2024 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mustangs were led by Rhett Lashlee in his third year as the program's head coach. The Mustangs played their home games at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University Park, Texas.

The 2024 season was SMU's first in the ACC since moving from the American Athletic Conference (The American). The Mustangs clinched a berth in the 2024 ACC Championship Game with a 33–7 win over Virginia, becoming the first team transitioning to a power conference to reach a conference championship game in the national championship game era (since 1998). The Mustangs lost the conference championship game to Clemson, but still secured a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP). In their CFP first-round game, SMU was defeated by Penn State, ending their season with an overall 11–3 record.

Incoming

The Atlantic Coast Conference preseason poll was released on July 31. The Mustangs were predicted to finish seventh in the conference.

SMU handily defeated HCU, a team in the Football Championship Subdivision, 59–7 in the team's home opener. This was the first game played in Gerald J. Ford Stadium following the completion of the Garry Weber Endzone Complex.

Ford Stadium during the game against BYU, showcasing the new Gary Weber Endzone Complex

SMU lost to BYU 18–15 in a defense-heavy game. Preston Stone started as quarterback for SMU, but was replaced by backup Kevin Jennings three drives into the game. Neither quarterback led the team to a touchdown, with placekicker Collin Rogers instead kicking 5 field goals to score all 15 of the team's points, setting a school record for most field goals in a single game in the process.

SMU defeated TCU 66–42 to win back the Iron Skillet. Prior to the game, Kevin Jennings took over the role as starting quarterback from Preston Stone. The team capitalized on a strong defense, which forced five turnovers, two of which were immediately returned for touchdowns. The team additionally scored a touchdown on a punt return. At the beginning of the second half, TCU head coach Sonny Dykes, who was SMU's head coach from 2018–2021, was ejected from the stadium after receiving two consecutive penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct. Dykes had been arguing with officials over a holding penalty that resulted in a kickoff return touchdown being called back. Dykes was the first head coach of a team in a power conference to be disqualified from a game for this reason since the rule was established in 2016.

SMU defeated Louisville 34–27, their first win against a ranked opponent for the season. Quarterback Kevin Jennings became the first SMU player to pass for over 200 yards and rush for over 100 yards in a game since 2014, including a 59-yard touchdown run. Jennings sustained a minor injury during a drive in the first quarter, forcing backup quarterback Preston Stone to finish the drive, but Jennings returned to the field shortly after. The team took an 11-point lead entering halftime, but Louisville came back to tie the game during the third quarter. SMU's defense prevented Louisville from scoring during the fourth quarter, enabling SMU to take the victory with one final touchdown and an interception by safety Isaiah Nwokobia. Many observers saw SMU's victory as placing them in contention for a spot in the ACC Championship.

SMU defeated Stanford 40–10, but star tight end R. J. Maryland was injured after being tackled at the knees during the game. The injury removed Maryland from play for the remainder of the season.

SMU narrowly defeated Duke in overtime after Duke failed a two-point conversion attempt. Quarterback Kevin Jennings threw three interceptions and turned the ball over on two fumbles. Overall, the Mustangs turned the ball over six times, while Duke did not turn the ball over a single time. Despite this, Duke never scored off of any turnover. SMU became one of only two teams in the twenty first century to win despite committing at least six more turnovers than their opponent. Duke kicker Todd Pelino missed an extra point in the third quarter, although the team made up the points with a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to tie the game. Pelino missed one field goal during the fourth quarter that would have given Duke the lead, while SMU defensive end Jahfari Harvey blocked another field goal as time expired, sending the game to overtime.

SMU handily defeated Pitt 48–25, giving the team their first loss of the season. Following their victory, SMU was ranked number 13 in the country by the Associated Press, the highest such rating the team had received since 1985. A concurrent loss by Clemson left SMU and Miami as the only remaining undefeated teams in ACC conference play, clearing SMU's potential path to the ACC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff. SMU's 5–0 start in conference play made them the best performing former Group of Five team in their first year in a Power conference.

SMU defeated Boston College 38–28 in a rematch of the 2023 Fenway Bowl. Though SMU led for most of the game, their defense faltered after the first quarter, allowing Boston College to briefly take the lead at the start of the second half. Though SMU took back the lead on the next drive, Boston College played the game close enough to have a chance to make a comeback late in the fourth quarter. However, SMU's defense had regained its footing by this point, sacking quarterback Grayson James on back to back plays to force a turnover on downs, setting SMU up for a game-sealing touchdown.

SMU defeated Virginia by a wide margin, 33–7, clinching a spot in the ACC Championship Game. SMU's defense nearly forced a shutout, sacking Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea nine times, but Colandrea threw one touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. This game would have been a rematch of the 2021 Fenway Bowl, but the latter game had been canceled due to issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the large number of upset defeats of other highly-ranked teams this week, SMU moved up to number nine in the College Football Playoff poll, raising the possibility of the team making the playoffs as an at-large team even if they lose the conference championship.

SMU faced Clemson in the ACC Championship game, with Clemson advancing after Miami's loss to Syracuse the prior week. SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings fumbled the ball on the opening drive, giving Clemson favorable field position to take the lead early in the game. On the following drive, a punt return and a penalty against SMU allowed Clemson to easily score again. Clemson led 21–7 by the end of the first quarter after both teams traded touchdowns. Jennings threw an interception late in the first quarter, but SMU's defense held Clemson to only a field goal throughout the second quarter, leaving Clemson with a 24–7 lead at halftime.

At the start of the second half, SMU forced a punt, then scored on their opening drive, attempting to begin a comeback, but Clemson scored another touchdown in the third quarter to regain their 17-point lead. SMU began their comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 points unanswered in four drives to tie the game with 16 seconds left, opening up the possibility to send the game to overtime. However, a favorable kickoff return and a single passing play gave Clemson the chance to win the game on a walk-off field goal. Freshman kicker Nolan Hauser converted a 56-yard field goal to give Clemson a 34–31 lead as time expired, winning the ACC Championship and earning a spot in the College Football Playoff.

SMU's loss to Clemson sparked debate over whether SMU should still qualify for an at-large bid in the College Football Playoff. This debate primarily focused on the qualifications of SMU versus Alabama, who was ranked number 11 in the CFP poll prior to the game. Questions arose over the issues of each team's strength of schedule and whether teams should be punished for playing in and losing conference championships. SMU only had one loss to a ranked team, BYU, prior to the championship game, and no wins against ranked teams, whereas Alabama had three losses, including to unranked teams Oklahoma and Vanderbilt. However, Alabama had also beaten Georgia, the winner of the SEC Championship, in the regular season, and had a much higher strength of schedule than SMU. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, the Clemson team, and ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips all supported SMU's potential place in the playoffs. Prior to the release of the final CFP rankings, the AP Poll had ranked Alabama (11) above SMU (12) by one vote. Ultimately, the CFP committee ranked SMU tenth, edging Alabama out of the playoffs and setting up a first-round game against Penn State at Beaver Stadium.

SMU matched up with Penn State, with each team making their respective CFP debuts in their first round game. The game was their third meeting, after a Penn State win in 1978 and a tie in the 1948 Cotton Bowl Classic. Prior to the game, both SMU backup quarterback Preston Stone and Penn State backup quarterback Beau Pribula announced they would enter the transfer portal. Stone announced he would stay on SMU's team through the playoffs, while Pribula announced he would not, citing conflict between the timing of the transfer window and the playoffs. Penn State, the higher seed of the two teams, hosted the game at Beaver Stadium, announcing a white out for the game despite the noon kickoff.