SMU Beats Virginia Tech 51-28 as Kevin Jennings Throws for 350 Yards and 4 TDs

SMU beat Virginia Tech 51-28 on Friday night, Nov. 6, 2026, at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, according to the Associated Press and Virginia Tech Athletics. Quarterback Kevin Jennings threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to Yamir Knight, and the Mustangs scored on each of their first eight possessions.

The win lifted SMU to 7-2 (5-2 ACC). Virginia Tech, in its first season under coach James Franklin, fell to 6-3.

How SMU pulled away

SMU led for good after Dramekco Green’s 12-yard touchdown run capped the opening drive, AP reported. The Mustangs led 23-14 at halftime, then scored three straight touchdowns after the break to build a 30-point cushion.

The key stretches:

• First half: Brendan Baird, a former SMU soccer player, kicked field goals of 47, 26 and 50 yards, the last one just before halftime. Jennings hit a wide-open Knight for a 46-yard score with 6:09 left in the half, one snap after edge rusher Marques White stripped Virginia Tech quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer and recovered the fumble.
• Third quarter: Kendrick Raphael ran for a touchdown, and Jennings found Knight again from 13 yards out.
• Fourth quarter: Knight caught a 5-yard touchdown, and Jalen Cooper added a 50-yard scoring catch late.

SMU’s run of eight straight scoring drives (five touchdowns and three field goals) ended with 5:31 left, when a deflected Jennings pass was intercepted by Hokies safety Brennan Johnson. Virginia Tech Athletics said it was the first interception of Johnson’s career.

Key numbers

AP said SMU’s 569 total yards were a season high and the most Virginia Tech has allowed under Franklin. White had two of SMU’s four sacks.

Virginia Tech’s bright spots

The Hokies did move the ball. Grunkemeyer led an 11-play drive that ended in his sixth rushing touchdown of the season, and Overton scored on a 22-yard run late in the first half to keep it close, Virginia Tech Athletics reported. Overton later added a second touchdown, and the school said it was his third 100-yard rushing game. Grunkemeyer also threw a touchdown pass to Que’Sean Brown.

Franklin did not sugarcoat the result. “We did not play well and they played well … For whatever reason, we were bit off in all three phases,” he said, according to AP. “We got humbled.”

What the coaches said about Jennings

SMU coach Rhett Lashlee praised his quarterback, who is now 26-9 as a starter. “I’ve run out of ways to tell everybody he’s literally one of the best quarterbacks in America,” Lashlee said, per AP. “He was almost flawless.”

AP noted that Jennings has thrown multiple touchdown passes in six straight games, and the interception was his first since Sept. 26. Lashlee said the pick came on a run-pass option where Jennings “makes the right read and he gets tipped.”

Why it matters in the ACC race

SMU came in off a 30-27 loss at Syracuse and played as an unranked team for the first time this season, AP reported. The Mustangs are 12-0 in ACC home games since joining the league and 19-4 overall in conference play over that span. Lashlee is 15-2 in November games across his five seasons.

According to AP, only No. 1 Miami and No. 14 Wake Forest were ahead of SMU in the league standings entering the weekend. Wake Forest visits Dallas next week, which could shape the race for a spot in the ACC championship game.

What’s next

• SMU: hosts Wake Forest in its home finale on Saturday, Nov. 14.
• Virginia Tech: hosts Stanford at Lane Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 14, with kickoff set for 7 or 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 or ACC Network, the school said.

FAQ