No. 22 Louisville lost 34–27 to SMU on Saturday after an apparent fumble by Mustangs running back Brashard Smith was overturned on a replay review.
With the game tied at 27–27, Smith looked as if he fumbled after gaining 19 yards on a rush to the Louisville 13-yard line. The ball was recovered by the Cardinals. A fumble was the call on the field. However, upon reviewing the play, officials ruled that Smith’s shin had touched the ground before the ball came loose from his right arm.
After retaining possession, SMU advanced to the Louisville 1-yard line on consecutive pass interference and offsides penalties. On the next play, LJ Johnson Jr. scored on a rush up the middle for the lead.
On the following series, Louisville drove 59 yards on nine plays toward the game-tying score, highlighted by a 32-yard pass from Tyler Shough to Mark Redman and followed by a hands to the face penalty on defensive lineman Cameron Robertson.
But three plays later, Shough was picked off in the end zone by Isaiah Nwokobia. That effectively ended the game with 2:34 remaining as SMU ran out the clock. The Mustangs were 6.5-point underdogs.
SMU QB Kevin Jennings passed for 281 yards, completing 21 of 27 passes, and rushed for another 113 on 10 carries to lead the Mustangs. Brashard Smith compiled 52 yards on 13 rushes, while RJ Maryland had six receptions for 83 yards.
For Louisville, Shough threw for 329 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 22-of-35 passing. Isaac Brown rushed for 117 yards on 10 carries and Ja’Corey Brooks caught three passes for 121 yards and two scores.
The Cardinals drop to 3–2 overall and 1–1 in the ACC.
SMU is a legitimate contender in the ACC
With the win, SMU improves to 5–1 overall and 2–0 in the ACC. That puts the Mustangs in great company with Clemson (3–1, 2-0 in ACC) and Miami (5–0, 1-0 in ACC), who are also undefeated in the conference.
Head coach Rhett Lashlee’s squad doesn’t have to face either the Tigers or Hurricanes in their remaining six games, though five of their opponents have winning records, including Duke and Pittsburgh, both 5–0.
Meanwhile, Clemson has Louisville and Pittsburgh (5–0) awaiting, in addition to its season-ending rivalry game with South Carolina. Miami still has the Cardinals, intra-state rival Florida State and Duke on its schedule.
