No. No. 22 Louisville lost 34-27 to SMU on Saturday after an apparent fumble by Mustangs running back Brashard Smith was overturned during a replay review.
With the score tied 27-27, Smith looked like he was fumbling 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 review of the play, the officials ruled that Smith’s shin had struck the ground before the ball came loose from his right arm.
After retaining possession, SMU advanced to the Louisville 1-yard line after consecutive pass interference and offside penalties. On the next play, LJ Johnson Jr. scored. with a rush to the middle for the lead.
On the next series, Louisville drove 59 yards in nine plays toward the tying score, highlighted by a 32-yard pass from Tyler Shough to Mark Redman and followed by a hands-to-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 left when SMU ran out the clock. The Mustangs were 6.5-point underdogs.
SMU QB Kevin Jennings passed for 281 yards, completed 21 of 27 passes, and rushed for another 113 on 10 carries to lead the Mustangs. Brashard Smith collected 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 fall to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the ACC.
SMU is a legitimate candidate in the ACC
With the win, SMU improves to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the ACC. That puts the Mustangs in good 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 team does not have to play the Tigers or Hurricanes in its remaining six games, although five of their opponents have winning records, including Duke and Pittsburgh, both 5-0.
Meanwhile, Clemson has Louisville and Pittsburgh (5-0) pending, in addition to the season-ending rivalry game against South Carolina. Miami still has the Cardinals, intrastate rival Florida State and Duke on its schedule.
