SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings is a hard guy to bring down — most of the time.
Opposing defenses often flail at attempts to corral the Mustangs signal-caller, who led SMU to a College Football Playoff spot last season and is hoping to do the same this year. Jennings led the 17th-ranked Mustangs to a rout of East Texas A&M in last week’s season opener, but things were due to get a lot harder on Saturday afternoon against Baylor.
The Bears were stung at home by Auburn in Week 1, and so Baylor was going to be motivated to get after Jennings and avoid that 0-2 start. Well, SMU was at home on Saturday, and the Mustangs were indeed getting a big-time challenge from Baylor, with the game tied at 24-24 late into the third quarter.
What Jennings and SMU didn’t expect was the referees to get in their way — like, literally get in their way. That’s what happened early in the third quarter with the Mustangs leading 24-21. Jennings dropped back to pass and was dropped by … one of the officials, who accidentally got his leg in the way of Jennings as he dropped back. Jennings was able to keep his knee above the ground as he grabbed the loose ball and completed a pass. When all was said and done, SMU had lost 9 yards on the play.
Here is the play, in all of its glory:
Jennings had thrown for 249 yards and 2 touchdowns by late third quarter, but SMU was still locked in that 24-24 tie with its in-state foe. Jennings was going to have to lead some late heroics to pull this one out, as he tried to dodge the Baylor defenders … and maybe the referees, too.
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.
