Saturday, November 16, 2024 – 2:30 p.m. CT
[14/13] SMU (8-1, 5-0 ACC) vs. Boston College (5-4, 2-3 ACC)
Gerald J. Ford Stadium – Dallas, Texas
TV: ESPN
Radio: Radio: The Ticket - KTCK 96.7 FM/1310 AM | Streaming: SMU App (Google Play | Apple App Store)
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SETTING THE SCENE
• No. 13 SMU is set to return from its final off week of the regular season for a home matchup against Boston College on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN.
• The Mustangs enter the contest at 8-1 and ranked No. 14 in the nation, the highest ranking since 1985 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
• The Mustangs have averaged 43.0 points per game during the current six-game winning streak. 
• Club Takeaway continues to be in business this season, forcing 19 turnovers this season, the third most in the nation.
• The Mustangs have forced at least one turnover in seven of the past eight games and in 17 of the past 19 contests dating back to 2023. 
• In its last game, SMU recorded a statement victory over then-No. 18 Pitt 48-25 at home. This marked the second-largest margin of victory for SMU over a ranked opponent.
• SMU's 5-0 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. No other team has started 2-0. 

QUICK HITS
• SMU is 28-5 at home in Ford Stadium since 2019.
• SMU's defense has continued to force turnovers this year, ranking 11th in the country with 19 turnovers gained, along with being second in defensive touchdowns with four.
• The Mustangs have had at least seven receivers catch a pass in 25 of the past 26 games.
• Brashard Smith has made an impact in 2024, ranking seventh in all-purpose yards per game with 145.22, 17th in rushing touchdowns (11) and 21st in rushing yards (906).
• Collin Rogers has tallied 16 field goals this season, which is tied for 10th in the nation.
• Rogers leads the nation in made field goals over 50 yards with seven, one shy of the NCAA single season record of eight set by Tennessee's Fuad Reveiz in 1982.
• Kevin Jennings sits third nationally in yards per pass attempt (9.69) and fifth in passing yards per completion (14.96). 
• Jennings has the highest passer efficiency rating in conference games only in the ACC at 178.6.
• SMU's 51 wins in the last six years are the most by any FBS Texas team. In addition, the Mustangs have won 23 of those on the road, tops for any team in the state since 2019.
• The Mustangs are 17-2 in their last 19 games, and 16-1 in their last 17 regular season contests.
• Rhett Lashlee boasts a 18-3 conference record in his career. His 18-3 record in his first 21 league games on the Hilltop is the best in SMU history.
• SMU has posted a record of 23-1 during Lashlee's three seasons in charge when they score 30 or more points in a game, and have won 21 straight when hitting the magic number.
The Mustangs have been explosive on offense in Ford Stadium in its last 13 home games, scoring 655 points, an average of 
• 50.4 points per game during the 13-game span dating back in 2022. 

THE SERIES
• This the third meeting all time, with the last coming in last year's Wasabi Fenway Bowl when the Eagles defeated SMU, 23-14.

ABOUT THE EAGLES
• Boston College enters the game at 5-4 and 2-3 in the ACC, fresh off a 37-31 victory over Syracuse to snap a three-game losing streak.

THE COACHES
• Rhett Lashlee is in his third season as the head coach at SMU and has a 25-10 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.

• Bill O'Brien was hired as the 37th head coach in Boston College football history on Feb. 9, 2024.

• A 32-year coaching veteran on staffs across the college and professional ranks, O'Brien was elevated to his first head coaching post at Penn State in 2012. He guided the Nittany Lions to an overall record of 15-9 and 10-6 Big Ten mark during the span of two seasons while directing the program through a postseason ban. He was named the head coach of the NFL's Houston Texans in 2014, leading the franchise to a 52-48 record, four AFC South Division titles, and four playoff appearances - including two Wild Card round wins - between 2014 and 2020.

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

PLAYOFFS, WE'RE TALKING PLAYOFFS
• SMU made its debut in the first set of the 2024 CFP rankings on Nov. 6, coming in at No. 13.
• The 13th ranking in the CFP is the highest the Mustangs have had in program history.   

SOMETHING SPECIAL GOING ON HERE
• The Mustangs have been a force in conference play over the last three seasons. 
• SMU has posted an 18-3 record against conference opponents since 2022, highlighted by the current 14-game winning streak. 
• The 14 straight conference wins breaks the program record set back from 1981 to 1982. 

CURRENT 14-GAME CONFERENCE WINNING STREAK 
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)
Oct. 26, 2024    W, 28-27(OT)    at Duke (13)
Nov. 2, 2024        W, 48-25    vs. Pitt (14)

FIREWORKS IN FORD
• SMU has been explosive on offense in Ford Stadium in its last 13 home games, scoring 655 points.
• The Mustangs are averaging 50.4 points per game during the 13-game span dating back in 2022.