Kevin Jennings throws 3 TD passes to lead No. 21 past Stanford, 40-10

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Jennings threw three long touchdown passes in the first quarter and No. 21 SMU rolled to a 40-10 victory over Stanford on Saturday night.

The Mustangs (6-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) started fast on the way to winning their eighth straight road game.

Jennings set the tone with an 87-yard pass to Moochie Dixon on the first play from scrimmage. He added a 45-yarder to Key’Shawn Smith later in the opening quarter and then a 38-yarder to RJ Maryland to make it 21-0 before the end of the first quarter. He finished with 322 yards passing.

Jennings has accounted for nine touchdowns with only two turnovers, while averaging 294.5 yards per game of total offense in four starts since taking over as starter following a loss to BYU on Sept. 6.

That was more than enough to put away the Cardinal (2-5, 1-3), who remain winless at home against FBS opponents in coach Troy Taylor’s two seasons at the helm. Stanford has lost 11 straight home games against FBS opponents and 16 straight against ranked teams since beating No. 3 Oregon 31-24 on Oct. 2, 2021.

SMU running back LJ Johnson Jr., right, is tackled by Stanford cornerback Brandon Nicholson during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Elijah Brown replaced Ashton Daniels at quarterback in the first half and threw for 153 yards with an 18-yard TD to Elic Ayomanor. Brown also had two interceptions.

The takeaway

SMU: Despite the lopsided win, there were plenty of mistakes made by the Mustangs. Roderick Daniels fumbled away two punts, with the second setting up a Cardinal field goal, and Jennings threw an INT deep in his own territory to set up a TD for Stanford.

Stanford: After winning the ACC opener at Syracuse, the Cardinal haven’t even been competitive the last few weeks. They have been outscored by 122 points during a four-game losing streak and allowed 70 consecutive points before getting on the board late in the first half against SMU.

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