Smith Supplied the Surge, Hale Delivered the Margin for SMU

Jalen Hale’s fourth-quarter touchdown arrived when SMU needed a little breathing room and a lot less suspense. With Virginia within 16-13, Hale turned a third-and-10 situation into a 37-yard touchdown catch at 12:22 of the fourth quarter, giving the Mustangs the final margin in their 23-13 victory at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas.

The finish belonged to Hale. The earlier advantage belonged to Yannick Smith, whose long reception had already changed the afternoon’s geography.

The two receivers gave Jennings important help at separate stages of the game. Kevin Jennings played well, but this was not a quarterback-volume exhibition. Smith provided the sudden gain that powered a second-quarter touchdown drive.

Hale supplied the late strike that restored a two-score cushion. Their contributions came in different forms and at different times, which made them more valuable than a pile of routine completions.

Virginia had taken a 7-3 lead when Smith made his biggest play. The possession began at the SMU 13. On the second-quarter play at 10:56, Jennings connected with Smith on a ball caught at the SMU 41; Smith carried the play to the Virginia 29 for a 59-yard gain.

The catch-and-run moved SMU out of its own territory and into position to threaten. It did not put the ball in the end zone, leaving a substantial finishing job after the gain.

SMU needed eight more offensive plays to finish it. Kendrick Raphael caught a short pass, the Mustangs mixed in runs, and Yamir Knight converted fourth-and-3 with a reception. On fourth-and-1 from the Virginia 6, Randy Pittman Jr. caught the 6-yard touchdown pass. Smith’s play did not do all the work, but it supplied the possession’s decisive burst.

The wider rushing production also gave Jennings help. Raphael carried 22 times for 124 yards, averaging 5.6 per attempt, and SMU finished with 158 rushing yards. The running game kept the offense from depending on constant downfield passing, while Smith’s long catch supplied a gain the Cavaliers could not keep small.

Smith finished with five catches for 87 yards. Four of those receptions totaled 28 yards, a quiet supporting line beside the 59-yard gain. Yet that is exactly what made the play so important: one reception accounted for most of his yardage and helped produce seven points. A receiver can shape a game without spending the whole afternoon collecting decorative statistics.

Hale’s final catch was different. It did not create a promising field position; it ended the drive. SMU opened from its own 25 after Virginia had cut the deficit to three points with a third-quarter field goal. Raphael gained 6 yards, Knight added 7 on a catch, and Pittman followed with a 14-yard reception.

Raphael then ran for another 6 yards. A later Pittman reception was erased by a no-play penalty that still gave SMU a first down, and Jennings followed with an incompletion and a no-gain rush. That left third-and-10 at the Virginia 37. Jennings found Hale on a short-right completion that went for the touchdown, with Virginia’s Matthew Fobbs-White credited with a quarterback hurry on the play.

SMU faced a meaningful down, and Hale converted it into the Mustangs’ only second-half touchdown. Jennings delivered the pass with a hurry credited to Fobbs-White; the receiver supplied the scoring finish.

Virginia deserves credit for making the game look less like a passing contest. Beau Pribula threw 22 times, completing 13 for 137 yards, while the Cavaliers ran 32 times for 121 yards. Their 29:01 of possession was close to SMU’s 30:59, and the lower passing volume helped keep Virginia within reach without asking Pribula to force the game through the air.

SMU was hardly spotless. The Mustangs failed on fourth down on their opening possession and matched Virginia’s 4-for-13 third-down rate. Still, they converted four of five fourth downs overall, avoided turnovers and got the two receiver plays that Virginia could least afford.

Brendan Baird’s three field goals also carried weight, particularly the 45-yarder that broke the halftime tie. SMU had several contributors to thank. Its two touchdown receptions supplied something the kicking game could not: seven-point finishes, first to recover the lead and then to make it harder for Virginia to reach.

Sources

ESPN: box score and play-by-play

SMU: game report and postgame notes