SMU Defeats Syracuse 31-18 Behind Strong Second Quarter
SMU dominated Syracuse 31-18 in Week 6, with the Mustangs' defense forcing critical turnovers and their offense capitalizing on early momentum. SMU jumped out to a 3-0 first-quarter lead before exploding for 21 points in the second quarter to take control of the game.
Syracuse mounted a fourth-quarter comeback attempt, scoring 15 unanswered points to make the final score closer than the game's trajectory suggested. However, the Orange's late rally fell short of the 17.5-point spread, with Syracuse covering as the away team.
SMU's defense was the difference-maker, particularly in the second quarter where they generated a critical defensive stop. Syracuse quarterback Rickie Collins struggled throughout, including an interception to Marcellus Barnes Jr. in the fourth quarter. Johntay Cook II led all receivers with 82 yards for Syracuse, while SMU's TJ Harden rushed for 67 yards. SMU's Ty Hawkins completed 9 passes in the victory.
The game stayed under the 57-point over-under total, finishing with 49 combined points.
AI-generated recap · Aug 11, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Syracuse | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 18 |
 SMU | 3 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Syracuse | SMU |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 22-45 | 30-36 |
| Pass Yards | 279 | 294 |
| Rush Yards | 110 | 76 |
| Total Yards | 389 | 370 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| 3rd Down | 6-16 | 5-12 |
| Penalties | 6-60 | 2-15 |
| Possession | 31:25 | 28:35 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Jadyn Oh kickoff for 65 yds , Chris Johnson Jr. return for 20 yds to the SMU 20
Kevin Jennings run for 7 yds to the SMU 27
Kevin Jennings pass incomplete to Jalen Cooper
T.J. Harden run for 1 yd to the SMU 28
Wade McSparron punt for 14 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the SMU 42
Yasin Willis run for 4 yds to the SMU 38
Rickie Collins pass complete to Dan Villari for 4 yds to the SMU 34
Yasin Willis run for 3 yds to the SMU 31 for a 1ST down
Yasin Willis run for 13 yds to the SMU 18 for a 1ST down
Will Nixon run for no gain to the SMU 18
Rickie Collins pass complete to Will Nixon for 8 yds to the SMU 10
Yasin Willis run for 1 yd to the SMU 9
Dan Villari run for 2 yds to the SMU 7 for a 1ST down
Yasin Willis run for 4 yds to the SMU 3
Yasin Willis run for 2 yds to the SMU 1
Yasin Willis run for no gain to the SMU 1
Rickie Collins run for no gain to the SMU 1
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Jordan Hudson for 4 yds to the SMU 5
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Romello Brinson for 5 yds to the SMU 10
T.J. Harden run for 22 yds to the SMU 32 for a 1ST down
Dramekco Green run for 1 yd to the SMU 33
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Matthew Hibner for 4 yds to the SMU 37
Kevin Jennings pass incomplete to Yamir Knight
Wade McSparron punt for 53 yds, fair catch by Davien Kerr at the SYR 10
Rickie Collins pass intercepted Brandon Miyazono return for no gain to the SYR 13
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Chris Johnson Jr. for 2 yds to the SYR 15
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Yamir Knight for 6 yds to the SYR 9
Kevin Jennings pass incomplete to Jordan Hudson
Sam Keltner 26 yd FG GOOD
Will Nixon run for 3 yds to the SYR 28
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Johntay Cook
Rickie Collins pass complete to Darrell Gill Jr. for 13 yds to the SYR 41 for a 1ST down
Will Nixon run for 1 yd to the SYR 42
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Will Nixon
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Justus Ross-Simmons
Jack Stonehouse punt for 41 yds, fair catch by Yamir Knight at the SMU 22
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Jalen Cooper for 23 yds to the SMU 45 for a 1ST down
T.J. Harden run for 11 yds to the SYR 44 for a 1ST down
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Jordan Hudson for 8 yds to the SYR 36
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Romello Brinson for 20 yds to the SYR 16 for a 1ST down
Dramekco Green run for a loss of 3 yards to the SYR 19
T.J. Harden run for 4 yds to the SYR 15
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Yamir Knight for 15 yds for a TD (Sam Keltner KICK)
Sam Keltner kickoff for 63 yds , Will Nixon return for 19 yds to the SYR 21
Yasin Willis run for a loss of 3 yards to the SYR 18
Rickie Collins pass complete to Dan Villari for 6 yds to the SYR 24
Rickie Collins run for 7 yds to the SYR 31 for a 1ST down
Rickie Collins pass complete to Justus Ross-Simmons for 6 yds to the SYR 37
Will Nixon run for 3 yds to the SYR 40
Yasin Willis run for no gain to the SYR 40
Yasin Willis run for no gain to the SYR 40
T.J. Harden run for 9 yds to the SYR 31
T.J. Harden run for no gain to the SYR 31 T.J. Harden fumbled, recovered by SMU Kevin Jennings
(08:11) No Huddle-Shotgun Jennings,Kevin pass incomplete deep left to McFall,Derrick thrown to SYR05 PENALTY SYR Pass Interference (Heard Jr.,James) 15 yards from SYR31 to SYR16, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Kevin Jennings pass complete to RJ Maryland for 16 yds for a TD (Sam Keltner KICK)
Rickie Collins pass complete to Johntay Cook for 5 yds to the SYR 20
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Justus Ross-Simmons
Rickie Collins run for 14 yds to the SYR 34
Yasin Willis run for 6 yds to the SYR 40 for a 1ST down
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Justus Ross-Simmons
(06:02) No Huddle-Shotgun Collins,Rickie pass incomplete short right to Ross-Simmons,Justus thrown to SMU48 PENALTY SYR Holding (Mack,Trevion) 10 yards from SYR40 to SYR30. NO PLAY.
Rickie Collins pass complete to Justus Ross-Simmons for 52 yds to the SMU 18 for a 1ST down
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Justus Ross-Simmons
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Johntay Cook
Rickie Collins pass complete to Johntay Cook for 8 yds to the SMU 10
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Yasin Willis
Kevin Jennings pass complete to RJ Maryland for 24 yds to the SMU 34 for a 1ST down
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Matthew Hibner for 29 yds to the SYR 37 for a 1ST down
Dramekco Green run for 13 yds to the SYR 24 for a 1ST down
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Romello Brinson for 5 yds to the SYR 19
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Romello Brinson for 5 yds to the SYR 14 for a 1ST down
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Derrick McFall for 14 yds for a TD (Sam Keltner KICK)
Sam Keltner kickoff for 65 yds , Will Nixon return for 2 yds to the SYR 18 Will Nixon fumbled, recovered by SYR Will Nixon
Yasin Willis run for a loss of 1 yard to the SYR 17
Rickie Collins pass complete to Johntay Cook for 38 yds to the SMU 45 for a 1ST down
Rickie Collins pass complete to Dan Villari for 6 yds to the SMU 39
Rickie Collins pass complete to Johntay Cook for 7 yds to the SMU 32 for a 1ST down
Will Nixon run for no gain to the SMU 32
Rickie Collins pass complete to Will Nixon for 4 yds to the SMU 28
Rickie Collins pass complete to Emanuel Ross for 8 yds to the SMU 20 for a 1ST down
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Johntay Cook
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Emanuel Ross
Rickie Collins pass incomplete
Tripp Woody 38 yd FG GOOD
End of 2nd Quarter
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Darrell Gill Jr.
(14:56) No Huddle-Shotgun Collins,Rickie rush middle for 9 yards gain to the SYR34 (Booker,Brandon) PENALTY SYR Holding (Mack,Trevion) 10 yards from SYR25 to SYR15. NO PLAY.
Rickie Collins sacked by Terry Webb for a loss of 8 yards to the SYR 7
Rickie Collins run for 13 yds to the SYR 20
(13:02) No Huddle Stonehouse,Jack rush left for 11 yards gain to the SYR31 (Nettles,William), out of bounds PENALTY SMU Offside (Moses,Jaylen) 5 yards from SYR20 to SYR25. NO PLAY.
Jack Stonehouse punt for 50 yds, fair catch by Yamir Knight at the SMU 25
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Romello Brinson for 14 yds to the SMU 39 for a 1ST down
Kevin Jennings run for 4 yds to the SMU 43
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Yamir Knight for 4 yds to the SMU 47
T.J. Harden run for 4 yds to the SYR 49 for a 1ST down
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Yamir Knight for 7 yds to the SYR 42
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Romello Brinson for 2 yds to the SYR 40
T.J. Harden run for a loss of 1 yard to the SYR 41
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Matthew Hibner for 11 yds to the SYR 30 for a 1ST down
Dramekco Green run for 1 yd to the SYR 29
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Jalen Cooper for 5 yds to the SYR 24
Kevin Jennings pass incomplete to RJ Maryland
Sam Keltner 41 yd FG MISSED
Yasin Willis run for 3 yds to the SYR 27
Yasin Willis run for 9 yds to the SYR 36 for a 1ST down
Yasin Willis run for no gain to the SYR 36
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Emanuel Ross
Rickie Collins sacked by Isaiah Smith for a loss of 7 yards to the SYR 29
Jack Stonehouse punt for 46 yds, fair catch by Yamir Knight at the SMU 25
Dramekco Green run for 4 yds to the SMU 29
Kevin Jennings pass complete to RJ Maryland for no gain to the SMU 29
Kevin Jennings sacked by Jamie Tremble for a loss of 17 yards to the SMU 12
Wade McSparron punt for 43 yds
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Darrell Gill Jr.
Rickie Collins run for 3 yds to the SYR 48
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Johntay Cook
Jack Stonehouse punt for 45 yds , Yamir Knight returns for 16 yds to the SMU 23
T.J. Harden run for 3 yds to the SMU 26
T.J. Harden run for 9 yds to the SMU 35 for a 1ST down
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Romello Brinson for 20 yds to the SYR 45 for a 1ST down
Dramekco Green run for 5 yds to the SYR 40 SMU Penalty, Offensive Holding (Romello Brinson) to the 50 yard line
Ty Hawkins pass complete to Yamir Knight for 9 yds to the SYR 41
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Jordan Hudson for 20 yds to the SYR 21 for a 1ST down
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Jordan Hudson for 3 yds to the SYR 24
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Link Rhodes for 22 yds to the SYR 2 for a 1ST down
(12:42) No Huddle-Shotgun Jennings,Kevin pass incomplete deep left to Brinson,Romello thrown to SYR00, 1ST DOWN, PENALTY SYR Pass Interference (Delaine,Greg) 15 yards from SYR24 to SYR09, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Jordan Hudson for 9 yds for a TD (Sam Keltner KICK)
Rickie Collins pass complete to Emanuel Ross for 20 yds to the SYR 45 for a 1ST down
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Emanuel Ross
Rickie Collins pass complete to Dan Villari for 26 yds to the SMU 29 for a 1ST down
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Chris Thomas
Rickie Collins run for 22 yds to the SMU 7 for a 1ST down
Will Nixon run for 1 yd to the SMU 6
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Chris Thomas
Rickie Collins run for 6 yds for a TD (Tripp Woody KICK)
T.J. Harden run for a loss of 2 yards to the SMU 23
Kevin Jennings pass intercepted Davien Kerr return for 13 yds to the SMU 29
Rickie Collins pass intercepted Marcellus Barnes Jr. return for no gain to the SMU 5
David Omopariola Safety
Sam Keltner kickoff for 62 yds , Fran Brown Jr. return for 20 yds to the SYR 38
Rickie Collins pass complete to Yasin Willis for no gain to the SYR 38
Rickie Collins pass complete to Dan Villari for 19 yds to the SMU 43 for a 1ST down
Rickie Collins pass complete to Johntay Cook for 15 yds to the SMU 28 for a 1ST down
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Johntay Cook
Rickie Collins pass complete to Johntay Cook for 8 yds to the SMU 20
Rickie Collins pass complete to Jaylan Hornsby for 12 yds to the SMU 8 for a 1ST down
Will Nixon run for 2 yds to the SMU 6
PENALTY SYR Delay Of Game 5 yards from SMU06 to SMU11. NO PLAY.
Rickie Collins pass complete to Johntay Cook for 11 yds for a TD (Two-Point Conversion failed)
T.J. Harden run for 1 yd to the SMU 45
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Matthew Hibner for 4 yds to the SMU 49
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Matthew Hibner for 7 yds to the SYR 44 for a 1ST down
T.J. Harden run for 3 yds to the SYR 41
Kevin Jennings pass complete to Jordan Hudson for 9 yds to the SYR 32 for a 1ST down
T.J. Harden run for 1 yd to the SYR 31
T.J. Harden run for 3 yds to the SYR 28
T.J. Harden run for a loss of 1 yard to the SYR 29
Kevin Jennings run for no gain to the SYR 29
Rickie Collins run for 7 yds to the SYR 36
Rickie Collins pass complete to Will Nixon for 13 yds to the SYR 49 for a 1ST down
Rickie Collins pass incomplete to Will Nixon
Syracuse Penalty, Illegal Motion (Braheem Long Jr.) declined
(00:08) Kneel down by SMU at SMU02 for loss of 1 yard.