Photo Courtesy: Dominic Ceraldi
By DaVince “Dino” Wright
What’s at Stake
This game will have huge implications in the ACC conference. Right now, Florida State is 1-3 and 1-2 in conference. FSU has 2 losses to Boston College and California right now. This will be SMU’s first conference game in their new conference. They left the American Conference Athletic last season. The winner of this contest will fall in the middle of the pack with Louisville and Boston College sitting at 1 and 2 respectively. Look for the Mustangs to play tough defense and solid on special teams. The Mustangs will need this one at home against a team trying to get to some type of quality bowl game this year.
SMU is 3-1
The Mustangs are currently sitting at 3-1 and have a chance to really make some noise in their new conference. Their loss this season is to BYU by 3 points. They should have won that game easily. The key will be starting off putting points on the board instead of quick 3 and outs. The put pressure on the quarterback play of Kevin Jennings. He has 479 passing yards with 3 touchdowns and an interception this season. He will be one of the x-factors for the Mustangs at home.
Game Info
Florida State Seminoles vs SMU Mustangs
Saturday – September 28 – 7:00 p.m.
TV: ACC Network
Gerald R. Ford Stadium – Dallas, TX
Florida State Seminoles (1-3, 1-2 ACC)
The Seminoles were once one of the most feared teams in the country. Over the past three seasons the Seminoles have endured major coaching changes, transfer portal issues and recruiting problems. Incoming quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei was once a top recruit that played at Clemson. Now, he’s the starter at FSU. He has passed for 842 yards with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions on the young season. Starting running back Lawrence Toafili will be a headache for the Mustangs Saturday. He is a tough runner between the tackles and is a good receiver catching passes from the backfield average 4.5 yards a carry. Keep an eye on the FSU defensive line. They will be the x-factors this week.
SMU Mustangs (3-1, 0-0 ACC)
The Mustangs took care of business last week against the TCU Horned Frogs in their Iron Skillet Game at home. The final score was SMU 66 – TCU 42! It was a great win against a good team. This week FSU is coming into Dallas limping and looking for a win. This is a conference game and it’s SMU’s first game in the newly formed ACC. In order to earn a quality win against Florida State, SMU will need to make their energy on both sides of the ball. Speed along with physical play will be huge this week. SMU cannot turn the ball over or get behind the sticks with costly penalties especially with their back is against their own end zone.
Prediction
ESPN has the Mustangs with a 71.4% chance of winning at home. They can beat FSU if they create turnovers and limit penalties on both sides of the ball. The over/under is 47.5 and the line is SMU -6. This will be an easy one for SMU and I’m taking them by 10!
Final Score
Mustangs – 34
Seminoles – 24
