SMU COACH RHETT Lashlee may need a sleepless first week on the job to thank for this historic Mustangs season.
Lashlee was employed on Nov. 30, 2021, nearly two weeks earlier than signing day. He was attempting to re-recruit the youngsters who had been dedicated to the earlier coach, Sonny Dykes, who departed for TCU. He was attempting to re-recruit his personal roster. And he was trying to doubtlessly add ending touches on the category after arriving from Miami, the place he’d been for 2 years as offensive coordinator.
So on that first Friday night time, he went to look at South Oak Cliff play Lovejoy at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ apply facility in Frisco that additionally doubles as a highschool venue. He was there to see a number of underclassmen from each groups that SMU was already recruiting. But there was another person who caught his eye: South Oak Cliff quarterback Kevin Jennings. Jennings impressed Lashlee along with his composure, his demeanor and his arm. At 6 ft, 175, he wasn’t the largest man, however he performed massive.
Against Lovejoy, Jennings was 18 of 25 for 250 yards and a landing, working 4 instances for 29 yards and two different scores. SOC beat Lovejoy 42-21. The week earlier than, in a large upset, Jennings had led South Oak Cliff to a win over Aledo, a Texas powerhouse that has gained 11 state titles prior to now 15 years (and has not misplaced a playoff recreation since).
But Jennings had just one faculty scholarship supply, from Bobby Petrino at Missouri State, and was dedicated there. Jennings heard all the justifications: South Oak Cliff was loaded with expertise, and he was a recreation supervisor, some extent guard. He was too small. He ought to play a distinct place. But Jennings was decided to play quarterback, which he’d performed since he was 7.
“I used to be with Casey Woods, our offensive coordinator,” Lashlee mentioned. “I did not know what was up from down. I’d been the pinnacle coach for possibly per week. I lastly had a minute to only go mindlessly watch a recreation and do what’s regular. And we’re standing there and about halfway by the second quarter, I checked out Casey and go, ‘What am I lacking about this quarterback?’ So that was the second.”
Lashlee referred to as and provided the following week. Jennings took a go to that weekend and dedicated. Afterward, he led South Oak Cliff to the primary state championship for a Dallas Independent School District program since 1958.
“He was simply as calm and down to earth the entire recreation. He would come to the sidelines, take his helmet off, and you could possibly simply inform he commanded the respect of his guys,” Lashlee mentioned. “He spoke, they listened. He’d make an enormous play, act like he is alleged to do it. A foul play would occur, he’d transfer on to the following. You may simply sense he is a frontrunner and a winner.”
Since taking on for Preston Stone after an 18-15 loss within the Mustangs’ third recreation — SMU’s solely loss — the Mustangs have gone 9-0 since, scoring 30 or extra factors in eight of these video games en path to going undefeated in Year 1 within the ACC, unprecedented for a crew shifting up from the Group of 5 stage.
All SMU needed was an opportunity to play for one thing. All Jennings needed was an opportunity to play for somebody. Now, Jennings, who began final 12 months’s AAC championship recreation whereas Stone was injured and led SMU to its first convention title in 40 years, has an opportunity to cause them to an ACC title with a win over Clemson on Saturday (8 ET, ABC).
No crew has ever began 2-0 in an influence convention after shifting up from a decrease stage. The Mustangs had been picked seventh within the league’s preseason ballot, then went 9-0 within the league throughout an 11-1 season and now sit at No. 8, the highest-ranked crew within the ACC.
A win on Saturday would give SMU, which has gained 11 video games in consecutive seasons for the primary time in class historical past, its first 12-win season since 1935. It’s all fairly a trip for Jennings, who went to highschool 12 miles from the Hilltop.
“It means rather a lot simply to return out each week to play in entrance of my household, to have the ability to keep right here and never be too removed from residence,” Jennings mentioned. “It means rather a lot. I’ve the group on my again.”
LASHLEE WASN’T JUST agonizing over gamers whereas he was dwelling within the Doubletree resort in Dallas attempting to put the groundwork for his first head-coaching job.
He’d work till midnight, then, thoughts racing, he’d get up at 3 or 4 a.m. and begin attempting to determine who he needed on his employees. One of these nights, he grabbed his cellphone and began taking a look at defensive statistics. And one identify excessive up within the rankings jumped out at him: Liberty.
Lashlee had labored with Scott Symons, the Flames’ defensive coordinator, at Arkansas State for about 9 months when Symons was a graduate assistant early in his profession. The extra he considered it, the extra excited he obtained. Symons is from Hurst, within the Dallas-Fort Worth space. And he was doing all this whereas working for Hugh Freeze.
“He’s the DC for an offensive-minded coach who likes to play with some tempo and play quick,” Lashlee mentioned. “And they’re nonetheless enjoying championship protection, which individuals act like you may’t do, however I do know you may.”
Lashlee spoke with Freeze, who gave a glowing evaluate, then flew out to satisfy Symons, who met him about an hour away from campus.
“In about 5 minutes, he pops out an enormous dip [of tobacco]. And I assumed, I’m going to Texas. I would like a DC who’s robust. This may be the man,” Lashlee mentioned, laughing.
In Year 1, SMU gave up 33.9 factors per recreation, 119th within the nation. But Lashlee favored what he noticed schematically. He knew they wanted to improve the expertise, then let gamers develop within the system.
He was proper. Last 12 months, the SMU protection improved to eleventh in factors per recreation (17.8) within the AAC. Despite shifting as much as the ACC this 12 months, nonetheless held opponents to 19.8 factors per recreation, nineteenth greatest nationally and first within the convention.
Notably, the Mustangs allowed simply 2.8 yards per carry, third-best within the nation. They’re sixteenth nationally in completion proportion allowed (56.1) and 18th in quarterback pressures, regardless of blitzing simply 23.3% of performs (83rd).
SMU added 18 Power 4 transfers this offseason, together with eight on the line of defense. The Mustangs landed transfers from Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, Utah, two from Oklahoma and three every from Miami and Arkansas.
“Scott and what they’ve achieved defensively is an enormous a part of it,” Lashlee mentioned. “We hadn’t had a prime 40 protection in 40 years till final 12 months. And now we will return to again years. Changing the protection whereas additionally conserving a great offense has been massive.”
SYMONS ISN’T THE solely private connection Lashlee mined when attempting to form his program. After serving as Manny Diaz’s offensive coordinator at Miami, he knew the expertise Miami had on its roster, and what it was going to take to compete within the ACC. He had seen it up shut.
Lashlee did not deliver any gamers with him in his first 12 months — he thought that’d be a foul look. But after Mario Cristobal took over for Diaz, some gamers began in search of new begins. And they have been enormous for SMU.
Former Hurricanes Elijah Roberts, Jahfari Harvey and Jared Harrison-Hunte have mixed for 15.5 sacks on the line of defense and Keyshawn Smith has 30 catches and 5 TDs at receiver.
“Guys like Elijah, who did not have loads of recreation tape, we knew him as a result of we had been there with him and he had been on scout crew and we could not block him,” Lashlee mentioned. “There wasn’t even sufficient movie for our defensive employees to validate it, however they only trusted us. So a pair guys got here within the first 12 months they usually had an incredible expertise. They see our guys are pleased, they adore it right here, they like Dallas. And so they’d simply begin saying, when guys had been going the portal, ‘Man, it is a good scenario.'”
But none may need been a much bigger discover than Brashard Smith. The Mustangs’ solely preseason all-conference choose (as a kick returner), Lashlee virtually discouraged him from coming to Dallas from Miami, the place he had principally performed receiver, a place the Mustangs felt good about.
“We did not wish to deliver him right here to not play,” Lashlee mentioned. “We additionally do not wish to deliver him in right here and do mistaken by the blokes which can be returning. So we sort of advised him no, truthfully. We simply mentioned we actually haven’t got a spot.”
But Kyle Cooper, SMU’s working backs coach who had been with Lashlee at Miami, stored listening to from Smith. He needed to return, and different coaches, like QBs coach D’Eriq King, who had performed quarterback at Miami when Smith was a receiver, stored reminding Lashlee how good he was. He did not disagree, however wasn’t certain what to do with him.
“It simply so occurred we’re watching the [Kansas City] Chiefs play and Isaiah Pacheco was enjoying nice. I keep in mind texting Coop through the recreation and being like, ‘Hey, how a lot does Brashard weigh?’ He hit me again and it was like 10 kilos lower than Pacheco.”
He would possibly simply be a participant at working again, Lashlee thought, and Cooper agreed. They referred to as Smith and mentioned if you wish to come play play a brand new place and be a kick returner, they had been in. Smith was too.
“After spring, our protection was like, ‘Hey, that man’s completely different,’ Lashlee mentioned.
Then former five-star working again recruit and Alabama switch Camar Wheaton injured his knee on the second day of fall camp, and is out for the season. Then final 12 months’s main rusher, Miami switch Jaylan Knighton, was misplaced for the season with a knee harm in September.
All Smith has achieved since then is rush for 1,157 yards and 14 TDs whereas averaging 6 yards per carry. His 1,667 all-purpose yards (seventh-most within the FBS), are fourth-most in class historical past in a single season behind Eric Dickerson (1,677 in 1982), Jerry LeVias (1,772 in 1968), and Arthur Whittington (1,843 in 1976).
“For him to return in, by no means performed working again earlier than, it is loopy,” Jennings mentioned. “But you see how dynamic he’s, he performed receiver his complete life. He can do every part.”
LASHLEE ADMITS NOW he hoped to downplay expectations earlier than the season.
“I used to be doing my greatest Lou Holtz attempting to get all people to settle down,” Lashlee mentioned concerning the outdated Notre Dame coach’s penchant for praising different groups whereas worrying about his personal. “No one’s ever had a profitable convention report making the leap from Group of Five to Power Five. I did really feel like we had a crew that may compete, however no person is aware of what that appears like.”
But just a little luck, a enjoyable offense and loads of dynamic items round an unflappable quarterback have made for a storybook season for SMU.
Michael Jennings, Kevin’s dad, at all times hoped this second would come. He knew expertise. His youthful brother, Corey Coleman, was a star receiver at Baylor and a first-round choose of the Kansas City Chiefs. When Kevin was nonetheless being ignored, he begged Coleman, who performed for the New York Giants on the time, to place a phrase in with Eli Manning for a Manning Passing Academy invite for his son. Coleman got here by, and he took Kevin to Louisiana for the camp.
Michael mentioned he watched as Peyton Manning put Kevin on the spot, telling him if he stood and threw the ball into the bucket, he’d give him $5.
“Kevin backs up and threw it within the bucket,” Michael mentioned. “Of all the youngsters on the market, he made it. He’s so exhausting on himself that there isn’t any stress as a result of he already places stress on himself. He’s by no means been nervous.
“And Peyton nonetheless owes him $5.”
Jennings has risen to massive moments earlier than. Now 10-1 because the starter (with solely a bowl loss to Boston College final 12 months) he’ll be again on an enormous stage Saturday, trying to make extra historical past for SMU. He credit his time spent behind Tanner Mordecai and Stone, a extremely recruited Dallas native who threw for 3,197 yards with 28 touchdowns to 6 interceptions final 12 months, with serving to him be prepared for this second.
“I feel I waited behind some nice quarterbacks,” Jennings mentioned. “Tanner Mordecai, he is a canine. He was among the best quarterbacks I’ve ever seen. And Preston, he is an incredible quarterback. Just studying from these guys, having the ability to choose up issues these guys do and translating it to my recreation helped me out rather a lot.”
Lashlee, who performed for Gus Malzahn in highschool and coached below him at Auburn once they performed in massive video games, has been there too. But this time, he is doing it someplace that hasn’t been there earlier than.
“I’ve been blessed to teach in two nationwide championship video games and do loads of actually cool issues,” Lashlee, who’s 29-10 at SMU, mentioned. “And to me what could be actually particular is getting a college like SMU again on the stage the place Eric Dickerson and others had us, [like] enjoying in a College Football Playoff or profitable an ACC championship. Let’s do one thing we have not achieved in a very long time.”
