Kevin Jennings’ 73rd career touchdown pass arrived as part of a drive that already had California leaning backward. His 21-yard connection with Derrick McFall in the third quarter established SMU’s career mark, and Jennings reached 74 before the afternoon ended. The record was memorable. The sustained scoring that surrounded it was the reason SMU turned a close game into a 59-20 demolition.
No. 23 SMU defeated California 59-20 Saturday at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, scoring 42 unanswered points after trailing 20-17 at halftime. Jennings completed 16 of 23 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns. Kendrick Raphael carried 22 times for 104 yards and added two rushing scores, while SMU piled up 256 rushing yards and 31 first downs.
McFall’s record-setting touchdown came on second-and-8 from the California 21. Raphael opened the drive with runs of 5 and 7 yards, then gained 2 more before Jennings found McFall in the end zone on the fourth play. It brought the Mustangs to a 31-20 lead, with a second touchdown in as many second-half possessions.
Jalen Hale supplied the other historical marker. Jennings found him for a 17-yard touchdown with 6:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, giving the quarterback his 74th career touchdown pass. Between those throws, SMU kept making California defend the entire field. The Mustangs’ passing total reached 236 yards as a team, with Ty Hawkins contributing 13, while the running game continued to produce manageable situations.
The groundwork appeared before the avalanche. In the first quarter, SMU faced fourth-and-2 at the California 22. Jennings threw to Raphael, who took the pass for a 22-yard touchdown instead of allowing the possession to end with another field-goal attempt. The play rewarded an aggressive choice from outside the red zone and gave SMU an early answer after California had taken the lead.
Raphael provided another fourth-down answer late in the first half. On fourth-and-1 from the California 1, he ran for the touchdown with 1:57 left, tying the game at 17-17. California still went to halftime ahead after a field goal, but SMU had twice extended possessions when a stalled drive would have changed the shape of the half.
Those conversions also illustrated the offense’s dual threat: Raphael could punish a defense between the tackles, then become the target that broke the structure open.
California’s first half was good enough to make the final margin surprising. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele completed 27 completions from 37 attempts for 265 passing yards and a touchdown, and the Bears committed no turnovers. Their 20 points came without a giveaway helping SMU manufacture a short field. The Mustangs had to create the separation themselves.
They did so immediately after the break. California’s first three second-half possessions ended in punts, and the Bears gained only 50 yards in the half. They went 0-for-7 on third down after halftime, while SMU scored touchdowns on its first six possessions of the half.
That stretch included Raphael’s 104-yard day, Christian Rhodes’ two rushing touchdowns across the game’s middle and late stages, McFall’s record-setting catch and Hale’s fourth-quarter score. The offense was no longer merely moving the ball; it was finishing nearly every meaningful possession.
