Kevin Jennings threw for 278 yards, including an 80-yard performance on the second play from scrimmage, and SMU defeated No. 21 Arizona 24-19 in the Holiday Bowl on Friday night.
Jennings completed 21 of 32 passes and had two touchdowns to T.J. Harden and one to Stoney Bee for the Broncos (9-4). They snapped a five-game playoff losing streak, including a 38-10 loss to Penn State in the first round of last season’s College Football Playoff. Arizona also finished 9-4.
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“These guys brought our program back,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “In the last three years, we’ve won 31 games. For these guys, two of those were our first two years in the ACC. We’ve won more games than anyone in the ACC. These guys have brought us back to the national stage, a college playoff berth and now a Holiday Bowl, which gives our program a lot of momentum.”
SMU led 24-0 at halftime, a lead that was enough to overcome three second-half interceptions by Jennings and three touchdown passes by Arizona State’s Noah Fifita. Unlike the last time they played in the Holiday Bowl, the Broncos didn’t have a big lead.
In the 1980 Holiday Bowl, the Broncos, led by the “Pony Express” backfield of Eric Dickerson and Craig James, led BYU 45-25 with about four minutes left in the game. But in one of the wildest games in college football history, Jim McMahon led a comeback that ended with a 41-yard Hail Mary to Clay Brown in a 46-45 victory.
Fifita threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Barmore with 33 seconds left, but SMU recovered the ensuing onside kick.
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The Broncos didn’t wait until halftime to put on a fireworks display. On second-and-eight from the SMU 19, Jennings handed the ball to Harden, who passed it to wide receiver Yamir Knight, who then passed the ball back to Jennings. The quarterback hit tight end Matthew Hibner, who was tripped at first. Harden scored on the next play.
“It was amazing to see how we executed this play,” Jennings said. “We don’t run it very often, but this time we executed it.”
“The funny thing is, we’ve been running it most weeks, and I know these guys joke about it sometimes,” Lashley said. “We got to the last game of the year and it was like we weren’t running it this year. We just made sure to make it the second game of the tournament.”
SMU scored on four of its first five possessions. Harden scored on a 3-yard run late in the first quarter and completed an 87-yard field goal. Eby ran 1 yard and scored midway through the second quarter to complete a 94-yard field goal. Sam Keltner kicked a 24-yard field goal on the next possession.
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Early in the third quarter, Jennings’ pass was intercepted by Arizona’s Michael Dansby, and Fifita completed the drive by passing it to Javon Wortley for a 28-yard touchdown. Two-point conversion attempt failed.
Jennings threw another interception on SMU’s next possession, this one by Riley Wilson, and the Wildcats got a first down at the Broncos 14, but they only gained 4 yards and turned it over on downs.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Fifita scored on a 10-yard pass to Trey Spivey, chasing the score to 24-12.
Wilson intercepted a pass again, but a few plays later, the Broncos got the ball back when Alexander Kilgore intercepted Fifita’s pass.
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Fifita went 28-of-43 for 265 yards.
“I love the heart and fighting and getting back into it like they did,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said. “This guy made unbelievable shots in the game. I’m proud of this team. I’m disappointed and (crazy) about tonight, but I’m not going to let that ruin how I feel about the team.”
In a rare show of loyalty in the era of NIL and transfer portal, two redshirt junior quarterbacks, Jennings and Fifita, chose to stay in school and appear poised to finish their careers where they started.
takeout
Arizona State: The Wildcats fell short of their second 10-win season in three years.
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SMU: The Broncos won their first playoff game since 2012, when they defeated Fresno State 43-10 in the Hawaii Bowl.
Next
Arizona: Host Northern Arizona on Sept. 5.
SMU: Hosts UC Davis on Sept. 12.
