Jennings, Hale and Baird lift No. 24 SMU past Virginia, 23-13

Kevin Jennings threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Hale early in the fourth quarter, and No. 24 SMU kept Virginia out of the end zone the rest of the way in a 23-13 win Saturday at Ford Stadium. The Mustangs improved to 5-1 and 3-1 in the ACC, with Kendrick Raphael rushing for 124 yards and Brendan Baird making all three of his field-goal attempts.

Hale's score gave SMU a 10-point lead with 12:22 remaining. Until then, the teams had spent most of the afternoon within one possession of each other. Virginia had trimmed the margin to 16-13 late in the third quarter on Will Bettridge's 43-yard field goal; Jennings immediately answered with an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.

SMU finished with 404 total yards to Virginia's 258. Jennings completed 23 of 36 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Raphael supplied 124 yards on 22 carries, while Yannick Smith caught five passes for 87 yards.

Baird helped turn those yards into a lead SMU could defend. His 23-yard field goal opened the scoring in the first quarter. He added a 45-yarder on an untimed down before halftime and a 26-yarder in the third. The former SMU soccer player's three makes came after the Mustangs had entered the day only 3-for-7 on field goals, according to SMU's postgame report.

Virginia briefly led 7-3 after Beau Pribula scored on a 1-yard fourth-down run in the second quarter. Pribula completed 13 of 22 passes for 137 yards, and his short touchdown run proved to be the Cavaliers' only trip into the end zone.

The Mustangs' response involved two fourth-down conversions on the same possession. Yamir Knight caught a pass after Jennings was hit while throwing on fourth-and-3. Later, Jennings found Randy Pittman Jr. for a 6-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1. SMU converted four of its five fourth-down attempts for the game, even as both offenses went 4-for-13 on third down.

The first-half finish also hurt Virginia. Bettridge's 47-yard field goal tied the game at 10 with 25 seconds left. Raphael broke a 28-yard run, and a roughing-the-passer penalty after time expired gave Baird the untimed opportunity that sent SMU into halftime ahead 13-10.

After Hale's touchdown, the Cavaliers could not produce another score. Brandon Booker sacked Pribula on Virginia's last possession, and a fourth-down incompletion ended the drive with 2:11 left. Raphael picked up a final first down before Jennings knelt out the clock.

Virginia fell to 4-3 and 2-2 in the conference. SMU has now won all 10 of its ACC home games since joining the league in 2024. The Mustangs host California next Saturday, while Virginia returns home to play Duke on Friday night.