Miami went to SMU with its College Football Playoff dreams still intact, but they’re leaving Dallas on Saturday afternoon with a stunning, 26-20 overtime loss that likely put a dagger in those Playoff dreams.
Sam Keltner forced overtime with a 38-yard field goal with 25 seconds left in regulation, tying it at 20-20, then SMU owned overtime to send the 10th-ranked Hurricanes to their 2nd loss in 3 games. It was SMU’s first top-10 victory since 1983, going back to the glory days of the “Pony Express”. On Saturday though, SMU had center stage and brought some newfound glory to its fans in improving to 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the ACC.
The Mustangs made the College Football Playoff field last year before bowing out to Penn State in a 38-10 blowout, and on Saturday SMU likely made sure that Miami wouldn’t be heading to the Playoff in December. The Hurricanes are suddenly 6-2 and just 2-2 in the ACC in a season that once looked so promising with new starting quarterback Carson Beck at the helm. But Beck threw 2 interceptions on Saturday, contributing to Miami’s downfall, though he did throw for 274 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings, who helped lead them to that Playoff berth last year as a sophomore, threw for 365 yards and a TD without an interception to steal the show from Beck, who was a Heisman Trophy candidate not too long ago. But Jennings got the better of Beck, and he also did damage with his legs, scoring on a 3-yard TD run with 12:11 left in the 3rd quarter to put SMU ahead, 14-10.
It was tied at 17-17 going into the final period as the Canes were officially on upset alert, and after the teams exchanged field goals in that final period, it was SMU that threw the last punch with TJ Harden scoring on a 1-yard run in overtime. The Mustangs didn’t even need to kick the extra point, after intercepting Beck on Miami’s overtime possession.
The game was over, Miami’s Playoff hopes were likely over, and SMU football’s social media account celebrated the upset with this post:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
