Derrick McFall ran for three touchdowns and Kevin Jennings threw for three as visiting SMU rolled past Boston College 45-13 on Saturday afternoon at Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Jennings connected with seven receivers while racking up 326 passing yards to lead the Mustangs (7-3, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) to their second straight victory following last Saturday’s upset of then-No. 10 Miami. Yamir Knight (seven catches, 162 yards) and Jordan Hudson (five catches, 104 yards) each caught a touchdown.
SMU outgained the opposition 574-382 and took advantage of four Boston College turnovers, extending their nation-leading total to 26 on the season. Twenty-eight of its points were scored in the second half.
The Mustangs also sacked the quarterback eight times while handing the Eagles their ninth straight setback.
Dylan Lonergan played the majority of the game for Boston College (1-9, 0-6) at quarterback, going 25-for-37 passing for 232 yards and one touchdown in relief of Grayson James.
After both teams’ first series ended with quarterback sacks, the Mustangs strung together a seven-play, 70-yard drive to take the lead with 8:56 left in the first quarter. Hudson caught a 44-yard screen pass from Jennings to set up McFall’s 1-yard touchdown run.
SMU turned its first of two first-quarter takeaways — James fumbling after being strip-sacked — into Sam Feltner’s 20-yard field goal. T.J. Harden’s 7-yard score two plays after the fumble was wiped away due to a penalty, and the Boston College defense held in the red zone.
The Eagles turned the ball over on downs on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter, including once after Lonergan led them on a 12-play drive to SMU’s 4-yard line. The latter series saw Jennings hit Knight for a 36-yard completion on third-and-3, setting up Hudson’s 25-yard score.
Luca Lombardo kicked field goals of 31 and 36 yards in the final 1:11 before halftime, bringing Boston College within 17-6. Josiah Griffin’s interception and a Lonergan strike to Bond set up the latter kick as time expired.
Another big-hit play on SMU’s first offensive series after intermission extended the lead to 24-6. On first-and-20 following a penalty, Jennings aired out a 61-yard pass to Knight, who made one defender miss and marched into the end zone.
After another Lonergan interception, Matthew Hibner caught a 37-yarder to finish a seven-play series late in the third. The Mustangs forced a third turnover on downs before starting the fourth with a 6-yard McFall score to up the lead to 38-6.
Lonergan found Jordan McDonald for a 5-yard touchdown on Boston College’s next series halfway through the final frame, but McFall busted out a 48-yard touchdown run to cap a quick 4-play drive and end the scoring with 6:38 left.
