SMU has gotten to know Boston College quite a bit through its early Atlantic Coast Conference tenure.
The No. 21 Mustangs (3-1, 1-1 ACC) welcome the Eagles (2-2, 0-1) to Dallas for the second time in three seasons on Saturday. It will be the teams’ fourth meeting in many years since the 2023 Fenway Bowl, which was SMU’s final game before officially transitioning to the ACC.
In SMU coach Rhett Lashlee’s preparations, though, a different look has jumped out from this Boston College team.
“They’ve altered who they are offensively, which I think just shows you that (Eagles head coach Bill O’Brien is) willing to do what he thinks gives him the best chance to win,” Lashlee said. “You can already see they’re better than they were a year ago in all phases. They’ve got an identity.”
The matchup features two do-it-all quarterbacks in SMU’s Kevin Jennings and Boston College’s Mason McKenzie, who rank first and sixth in the ACC in total offense, respectively. Jennings is No. 1, averaging 382.25 yards per game; McKenzie is at 280.5.
SMU opened its four-game homestand with a 34-24 win over Missouri State last week, bouncing back from an ACC loss at Louisville by racking up 592 total yards and notching seven sacks on defense.
Jennings — now the program’s all-time leader in total offense (9,797), passing yards (9,162), completions (722) and touchdowns responsible for (67 passing, 11 rushing) — threw for a career-high 464 yards and three touchdowns against the Bears. One TD was to key target Yamir Knight (career highs of 164 yards, 11 receptions). Jennings also rushed for a score.
“You have to be able to look in the mirror, all around, good and bad,” Lashlee said. “Right now, we’re the second-best total offense in the country (550.8 yards per game) … and 14th in third-down offense (52%). We’re really good at moving the football. We’re being explosive.”
Lashlee also praised the Mustangs’ top-20 defense against the pass, tackles for loss and sacks. However, SMU has left some red-zone opportunities on the table, has a minus-5 turnover margin and has been penalized eight times per game on average.
“You’ve (also) got to be honest with who you’re not (as a team),” he said. “When you couple the turnover margin and the penalties, that’s what I mean by not making ourselves hard to beat.”
Boston College looks to turn the page from a disappointing finish against Virginia Tech. The Eagles were in a good position to post their first three-game win streak since 2023, allowing just three first-half points before surrendering 15 in the fourth quarter in a 21-14 home loss.
Playing through rain and wind, McKenzie accounted for 249 of the team’s 261 yards (138 rushing, 111 passing).
“That was a difficult game to throw the ball in, and we tried to do the best we could to throw the ball when the wind was at our back,” O’Brien said. “I wouldn’t judge the offense on that game. … We absolutely know that (we have to be better). Hopefully, we will.”
The Eagles, who dealt with player illnesses during game week, hope to remain solid on defense against the dynamic Jennings and SMU.
No ACC team has intercepted more passes than Boston College’s six, and it also made a pair of fourth-down stops against Virginia Tech.
“We have to do a great job of tackling. We’ve got to be competitive on the perimeter. We’ve got to spin the dial,” O’Brien said. “Once you let (Jennings) out of the pocket, you’ve got no chance. He’s going to make massive plays down the field.”
