Saturday, October 26, 2024 – 7 p.m. CT
[22/22] SMU (6-1, 3-0 ACC) at [RV/RV] Duke (6-1, 2-1 ACC)
Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium – Durham, N.C.
TV: ACC Network
Radio: KLIF 570 AM | Streaming: SMU App (Google Play | Apple App Store)
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SETTING THE SCENE
• No. 22 SMU goes for its ninth straight road win when the Mustangs take on Duke on Saturday at 7 PM CT on the ACC Network.
• The Mustangs have averaged 45.5 points per game during the current four-game winning streak. 
• Club Takeaway continues to be in business this season, forcing 17 turnovers this season, the third most in the nation.
• The Mustangs have forced at least one turnover in the last six games and in 16 of the past 17 contests dating back to 2023. 
• SMU recorded a well-rounded win over Stanford, eclipsing 500 yards of total offense for the second time this season. SMU outgained the Cardinal by 295 yards during the dominating 40-10 victory.
• SMU's 3-0 start in conference play is a first for a team jumping into a Power-4/5 conference from a Group of Five in their first season.  

QUICK HITS
• The Mustangs have won eight straight road games dating back to Sept. 2023, tied for the longest active streak in all of FBS. 
• SMU's defense has continued to force turnovers this year, ranking tied for third in the country with 17 turnovers gained, along with being second in defensive touchdowns with four.
• The Mustangs have had at least seven receivers catch a pass in 24 straight games, dating back to at Tulane on Nov. 17, 2022.
• Brashard Smith has made an impact in 2024, ranking eighth in rush yards per carry (6.90) and 12th in all-purpose yards per game (138.43).
• Ahmad Moses ranks ninth in the nation in interceptions with three after picking off TCU twice during the victory and becoming the first Mustang with multiple interceptions since Nick Roberts vs. Houston on Nov. 5, 2022.
• Collin Rogers has tallied 14 field goals this season, which is tied for fifth in the nation.
• Rogers leads the nation in field goals made longer than 50 yards with six.  
• Kevin Jennings sits 12th nationally in yards per pass attempt (9.09) and 15th in passing yards per completion (13.77).
• Jennings leads the ACC in passing efficiency rating at 186.7 in conference games only. 
• SMU's 49 wins in the last six years are the most by any FBS Texas team. In addition, the Mustangs have won 22 of those on the road, tops for any team in the state since 2019.
• The Mustangs are 15-2 in their last 17 games, and 14-1 in their last 15 regular season contests.
• Rhett Lashlee boasts a 16-3 conference record in his career.
• SMU has posted a record of 22-1 during Lashlee's three seasons in charge when they score 30 or more points in a game, and have won 20 straight when hitting the magic number.
• SMU had 20 players earn various accolades prior to the start of the season. 

THE SERIES
• This the third meeting all time, first since 1956, with Duke taking both meetings.

ABOUT THE BLUE DEVILS
• Duke has a record of 6-1 on the year, and 2-1 in the ACC.
• Four of the Blue Devils' six wins have come by just one possession, including both of their ACC victories.
• Last week, Duke upended Florida State, 23-16, at home. This marked the first win over the Seminoles in program history.

THE COACHES
• Rhett Lashlee is in his third season as the head coach at SMU and has a 24-10 career record. Lashlee, who served as offensive coordinator for the Mustangs for two seasons (2018-19), also served as the offensive coordinator at Miami in 2020 and 2021. A one-time finalist (2013) and two-time semifinalist (2019, 2020) for the Broyles Award, Lashlee has the distinction of being the only coach ever nominated for the Broyles Award four different times at four different schools (Arkansas State, Auburn, SMU, Miami).

• Lashlee was named a finalist last season for the prestigious Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award, handed out the nation's top coach as voted on by the National Sports Media Association, the Bryant Awards' Executive Leadership Team, and the Bryant Family. The Arkansas native was also named Co-Coach of the Year by the Dave Campbell's Texas Football publication, a finalist of the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, and a semi-finalist for Coach of the Year Award by the Maxwell Football Club for the job he did in 2023.

• Manny Diaz was named the 23rd head football coach at Duke University on December 7, 2023. 
 
• Diaz, 49, has coached in 21 bowl games, including two BCS national championship games, and led the Miami Hurricanes to three consecutive bowl appearances during his time as head coach. Those bowl games were the 2019 Walk-On's Independence, the 2020 Cheez-It and the 2021 Tony the Tiger Sun bowl.

TIES TO THE GAME 
• Head coach Rhett Lashlee served as Manny Diaz's offensive coordinator at Miami from 2020-21. 
• Duke offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer worked with Lashlee at numerous stops, including SMU (2022-23), UConn (2017) and Auburn (2013-16), serving in offensive analyst roles (2016-17) and as a graduate assistant with the Tigers' offensive line (2013-15).
• DUke defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke worked with Lashlee at Miami for two seasons from 2020-21. 

MUSTANG CAPTAINS
• Kevin Jennings, Jonathan McGill, Justin Osborne, Elijah Roberts, Preston Stone and Kobe Wilson were voted captains for the 2024 season. 

SOMETHING SPECIAL GOING ON HERE
• The Mustangs have been a force in conference play over the last three seasons. 
• SMU has posted a 16-3 record against conference opponents since 2022, highlighted by the current 12-game winning streak. 
• The 12 straight conference wins breaks the program record set back from 1981 to 1982. 

CURRENT 12-GAME CONFERENCE WINNING STREAK (PROGRAM RECORD)
Nov. 26, 2022            W, 34-31        vs. Memphis (1)
Sept. 30, 2023           W, 34-16        vs. Charlotte (2)
Oct. 12, 2023             W, 31-10        at ECU (3)
Oct. 20, 2023             W, 55-0          at Temple (4)
Oct. 28, 2023             W, 69-10        vs. Tulsa (5)
Nov. 4, 2023               W, 36-31        at Rice (6)
Nov. 10, 2023             W, 45-21        vs. North Texas (7)
Nov. 18, 2023             W, 38-34        at Memphis (8)
Nov. 25, 2023             W, 59-14        vs. Navy (9)
Sept. 28, 2024            W, 42-16        vs. Florida State (10)
Oct. 5, 2024                W, 34-27        at No. 22 Louisville (11)
Oct. 19, 2024              W, 40-10        at Stanford (12)

LET'S TAKE THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD
• SMU's seven-game current road winning streak is tied for the longest in college football and longest in program history since a 13-game streak from Sept. 26, 1981 to Sept. 15, 1984. 
• SMU has averaged 36.1 points per game during the streak. 
• The Mustangs have scored at least 26 points in all eight road wins dating back to 2023. 

CURRENT 8-GAME ROAD WINNING STREAK 
Oct. 12, 2023       W, 31-10         at ECU (1)
Oct. 20, 2023       W, 55-0           at Temple (2)
Nov. 4, 2023         W, 36-31        at Rice (3)
Nov. 18, 2023       W, 38-34        at Memphis (4)
Dec. 2, 2023         W, 26-14        at Tulane (5)
Aug. 24, 2024       W, 29-24        at Nevada (6)
Oct. 5, 2024          W, 34-27        at No. 22 Louisville (7)
Oct. 19, 2024        W, 40-10        at Stanford (8)

JENNINGS AS QB1 
• This season, Jennings has gone 97-147 passing for 1,336 yards, nine touchdowns and just two interceptions. In addition, he has recorded 280 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. 
• Since Jennings has taken over as the starter at quarterback in week 4, he has posted a 92.3 offensive grade by PFF, the highest by any offensive player amongst all Power 5 teams (70 teams) (Min. 50 snaps). 
• Jennings has the highest passer efficiency rating in conference games only at 186.7.
• Jennings career day against Stanford resulted in career highs in passing yards (322) and passing touchdowns (3). 
• He was named by the Davey O'Brien Foundation a Great 8 quarterback for week 8. 

CLUB TAKEAWAY
• Club Takeaway is back and open for business again in 2024. 
• In the victory against TCU, the Mustangs forced a season-high five turnovers, the most since 2016 against ECU.
• SMU has forced a turnover in 16 of the past 17 games, 38 of the past 47 games, 47 of the past 57 games and 67 of the past 79 games.