Postseason-Bound Mustangs Overwhelm Golden Bears

© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The fantastic inaugural season in the Atlantic Coast Conference continued for the No. 9 SMU Mustangs (11-1, 8-0) in their regular season finale against the Cal Golden Bears (6-6, 2-6). The Ponies thumped Cal 38-6, and the game's outcome was never in doubt after kickoff. It was SMU's ninth consecutive win.

Cal's starting quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, did not play due to illness. His backup, redshirt senior Chandler Rogers took over signal-calling duties for the Golden Bears.

With losses by the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten Conference) and the No. 6 Miami Hurricanes (10-2, 6-2 ACC), SMU's ascendance in the College Football Playoff rankings will continue.

Game Summary

SMU opened the scoring in the middle of the first quarter on an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kevin Jennings to 6-foot-5 tight end Matthew Hibbard. After stopping Cal's next drive, the Mustangs took a 14-0 lead on a 5-yard rushing TD by running back Brashard Smith, capping a 62-yard, 7-play drive.

SMU thoroughly dominated the first quarter, gaining 202 yards, while holding Cal to 35 yards. Interviewed by an ESPN sideline reporter between the first and second quarters, Cal coach Justin Wilcox said his team was "really having a problem with [SMU's] speed."

The Ponies kept rolling early in the second quarter, taking a 21-0 lead on an 8-yard rushing TD by freshman Derrick McFall. Cal then drove deep into SMU territory and had a first-and-goal play, but self-destructed with a penalty and a quarterback sack by Mustangs defensive end Elijah Roberts.

In the third quarter, Cal had to go to their third-string QB, sophomore CJ Harris, after Rogers suffered an injury. Harris led the Golden Bears on their first scoring drive of the day, a 12-play 45-yard drive resulting in a 40-yard field goal by Ryan Coe to make the score 21-3.

In the beginning of the fourth quarter, Cal narrowed the lead to 21-6 with a 53-yard FG from Coe. With slightly under 10 minutes remaining in the game, the Mustangs extended the lead to 24-6 with a 48-yard FG by placekicker Collin Rogers.

Immediately thereafter, SMU put the game away, when safety Jonathan McGill intercepted a Harris pass on the first play of the ensuing drive. Two plays later, Jennings connected with Smith on a 23-yard strike to make the score 31-6 at the midway point of the fourth quarter.

SMU concluded the scoring with a 40-yard TD pass from backup QB Preston Stone to WR Key'Shawn Smith.

Mustangs Dominate

Throughout the game, the SMU defense was stout, limiting Cal to 159 passing yards and 95 rushing yards. While the Mustangs scored 3 passing TDs and 2 rushing TDs, they kept the Golden Bears out of the end zone.

Next Up

Per Sports Illustrated, the majority of college football analysts forecast that the Golden Bears will land a spot in the LA Bowl on Dec. 18 and face a team from the Mountain West Conference. That bowl game is played at SoFi Stadium, in Inglewood, Calif. This will be Cal's second straight season with a bowl appearance.

The Mustangs are bound for the ACC championship game at 8 p.m. EST on Dec. 7 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. They will take on the No. 12 Clemson Tigers (9-3, 7-1). Moreover, SMU has likely secured a spot in the 12-team CFP field, regardless of the outcome of the conference title game.