Sport Recap: Soccer | 11/3/2024 1:07:00 AM

DALLAS (AP) — Brashard Smith ran for 161 yards with a 71-yard dash for the primary his two dashing touchdowns and made a nifty tiptoe catch for one more rating as No. 20 SMU overwhelmed beforehand undefeated and 18th-ranked Pittsburgh 48-25 on Saturday evening to stay tied for the convention lead of their Atlantic Coast Convention debut. 

The Mustangs (8-1, 5-0 ACC), final yr’s champions in The American, are the primary group to start out 5-0 of their first season in an influence convention after shifting up from a Group of 5 league. 

Kevin Jennings was 17-of-25 passing for 306 yards with two touchdowns. He hit tight finish Matthew Hibner for an 80-yard rating on his remaining move, one play after Jonathan McGill’s interception ultimately zone within the fourth quarter. 

Pitt (7-1, 3-1) was attempting to open 8-0 for the primary time since 1981 — when Dan Marino was quarterback of the Panthers. Redshirt freshman QB Eli Holstein, who left late of their earlier recreation with an undisclosed damage, accomplished 29 of 47 passes for 248 yards, and did not play the ultimate 9 1/2 minutes due to the lopsided rating.

The losses Saturday evening by Pitt and No. 11 Clemson left the Mustangs tied with No. 5 Miami (9-0, 5-0) for the lead within the expanded 17-team ACC. SMU would not play the Hurricanes throughout the common season.

SMU went forward to remain on LJ Johnson’s 2-yard TD run to cap the sport’s opening drive. Roderick Daniels Jr. added 3-yard TD on a reverse, getting round a defender within the backfield and leaping one other to recover from the objective line. 

Smith’s lengthy TD run got here on the primary play after Ben Sauls, who had already made a 44-yard subject objective, was extensive proper on a 47-yarder for his first miss in 16 makes an attempt since final season. The Mustangs led 28-3 after Jennings rolled proper on third-and-goal from the three and threw to Smith, who stored his ft inbounds whereas reaching out to make the catch on the far aspect of the tip zone.

On the following kickoff, SMU cornerback AJ Davis stayed face down on the sphere, and video of the play confirmed his head making contact with the returner whereas lunging attempting to make a sort out. Davis was immobilized on a stretcher earlier than being put into an ambulance that drove onto the sphere. 

SMU officers mentioned later within the recreation that Davis had full motion, and was at a hospital. 

THE TAKEAWAY

Pittsburgh: The Panthers did not end some early tackles, leading to massive performs that helped arrange touchdowns, and had been down 34-3 earlier than scoring a landing within the remaining minute of the third quarter. Three of their wins this season had been by 4 factors or fewer.

SMU: Jennings had a powerful rebound every week after accounting for 5 of SMU’s six turnovers in an additional time win at Duke. The Mustangs have gained 5 in a row since an 18-15 house loss with no landing towards still-undefeated BYU. That’s their solely loss of their previous 13 house video games, a stretch after they have averaged simply greater than 50 factors a recreation. 

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Pitt went into the weekend because the lowest-ranked undefeated Energy 4 group. The Panthers had been 5-0 earlier than getting on this season, and one loss may have them on the verge of falling out of the ballot. The Mustangs will definitely transfer up, and will problem the No. 15 rating they reached in 2019, their highest since being third in 1985.

UP NEXT

Pittsburgh’s subsequent two video games are at house, subsequent Saturday towards Virginia and Nov. 16 towards No. 11 Clemson.

SMU has an open date earlier than internet hosting Boston Faculty on Nov. 16.