DALLAS – Brashard Smith rushed for 161 yards with a 71-yard sprint for his first two rushing touchdowns and made a slick tip-toe catch for another score as No. 20 SMU overwhelmed previously undefeated and ranked Pittsburgh 48-25. 18, Saturday night to remain tied for the conference lead in their Atlantic Coast Conference debut.

The Mustangs (8-1, 5-0 ACC), last year’s champions in The American, are the first team to start 5-0 in their first season in a power conference after moving up from a Group of Five league.

Kevin Jennings completed 17 of 25 passes for 306 yards with two touchdowns. He hit tight end Matthew Hibner for an 80-yard score on his final pass, one play after Jonathan McGill’s interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter.

Pitt (7-1, 3-1) was trying to open 8-0 for the first time since 1981, when Dan Marino was the Panthers’ quarterback. Redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein, who left late in his previous game with an undisclosed injury, completed 29 of 47 passes for 248 yards and did not play the final 9 1/2 minutes due to the lopsided score.

Saturday night losses by Pitt and No. 11 Clemson left the Mustangs tied with No. 5 Miami (9-0, 5-0) for the lead in the expanded 17-team ACC. SMU does not play the Hurricanes during the regular season.

SMU surged ahead and stayed on LJ Johnson’s 2-yard touchdown run to cap the first drive of the game. Roderick Daniels Jr. added a 3-yard touchdown on a reverse, weaving around one defender in the backfield and leapfrogging another to cross the goal line.

Smith’s long touchdown run came on the first play after Ben Sauls, who had already made a 44-yard field goal, drifted to the right on a 47-yard score for his first miss in 16 attempts since last season. The Mustangs led 28-3 after Jennings rolled right on third-and-goal from the 3-yard line and threw to Smith, who kept his feet inbounds as he reached out for a catch on the other side of the end zone.

On the ensuing kickoff, SMU cornerback AJ Davis remained face-down on the field, and video of the play showed his head making contact with the returner as he lunged trying to make a tackle. Davis was restrained on a stretcher before being transferred to an ambulance that entered the field.

SMU officials said later in the game that Davis had full movement and was in a hospital.

THE TO GO

Pittsburgh: The Panthers didn’t finish some early tackles, resulting in big plays that helped set up touchdowns, and were down 34-3 before scoring a touchdown in the final minute of the third quarter. Three of their wins this season were by four points or less.

SMU: Jennings had an impressive rebound a week after accounting for five of SMU’s six turnovers in an overtime win at Duke. The Mustangs have won five in a row since an 18-15 touchdownless home loss against still-undefeated BYU. That is their only loss in their last 13 home games, a stretch in which they have averaged just over 50 points per game.

IMPLICATIONS OF THE SURVEY

Pitt entered the weekend as the lowest-ranked undefeated Power Four team. The Panthers were 5-0 entering this season, and a loss could leave them on the brink of falling out of the poll. The Mustangs will certainly move up and could challenge the 15th place finish they reached in 2019, their highest since taking third place in 1985.

UP NEXT

Pittsburgh’s next two games will be at home, next Saturday against Virginia and Nov. 16 against No. 11 Clemson.

SMU has an open date before hosting Boston College on November 16.