SMU Falls at Syracuse 30-27 on a Touchdown With 17 Seconds Left, Despite 351 Yards From Kevin Jennings
No. 19 SMU led 27-20 in the fourth quarter and 27-23 with 3:36 to play - then Steve Angeli drove Syracuse 68 yards in 11 plays and hit Noah Meyers from 2 yards out with 17 seconds left, and the Mustangs' ranked season took its second loss.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - SMU had the game, the lead and the clock, and lost all three in the last four minutes on Saturday. Syracuse beat the No. 19 Mustangs 30-27 at the JMA Wireless Dome when Steve Angeli found tight end Noah Meyers on a 2-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds remaining, capping an 11-play drive that started at the Syracuse 32 with 3:36 left and the Orange trailing 27-23.
Angeli, playing his second game back after missing three, finished 21 of 34 for 200 yards and went 7 of 8 on the winning drive, including consecutive 15-yard completions to Calvin Russell III and Daunte Bacheyie that moved Syracuse to the 2-yard line. The touchdown was Meyers' first for Syracuse, and the win was the Orange's first over a ranked team since November 30, 2024. Syracuse sealed it by forcing a fumble from SMU's Randy Pittman Jr. after the extra point.
The loss wasted a sharp day from SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, who went 29 of 36 for 351 yards and two touchdowns. Syracuse led 20-10 at halftime behind Angeli's 26-yard touchdown run to open the scoring, but SMU took control in the fourth quarter: an intentional-grounding call on Angeli in his own end zone gave the Mustangs a safety, and Kendrick Raphael's 13-yard touchdown run plus a two-point conversion put SMU ahead 27-20 with about nine minutes left. A Syracuse field goal cut it to 27-23 and set up the final drive.
SMU falls to 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the ACC, its playoff margin now thin with a month left in the regular season. Syracuse improved to 4-4 and 2-4 in league play with its second straight dramatic finish, a week after beating North Carolina in overtime.
