SMU Report Card: Grading every Major Position Group from SMU's 34-24 win over Missouri State

DALLAS, Texas-- The No. 21 SMU Mustangs picked up their third win of the 2026 College Football season with a 34-24 victory over the Missouri State Bears Saturday night in University Park. As SMU heads full-on into ACC play this week, here is the report card from the Mustangs' win before conference play continues.

QUARTERBACK: B+

After the Mustangs' home opener win against UC Davis earlier in the season, SMU Head Football Coach Rhett Lashlee said that if SMU senior quarterback Kevin Jennings could stay healthy, he could continue to shatter records as the season went on. Jennings completed an SMU-record 21 consecutive passes and had a career-high 33 completions to set the SMU career completions record while extending other program accolades.

He finished his night going 33/39, throwing for 464 yards with three touchdowns to one interception, with a score on the ground. Jennings was a pivotal cog in SMU coming back in the first half after a bevy of miscues early on. Jennings himself threw a pick-six that gave Missouri State a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Nevertheless, he rebounded in the second, leading two scoring drives, one of which ended in a rushing touchdown for senior running back Kendrick Raphael to start the quarter. The other ended with Jennings connecting with senior tight end Theo Melin hrstrm to give SMU its first lead of the game heading into the locker room. Coming out of halftime, Jennings' play helped the Mustangs maintain momentum with three scores in the second half, including his first rushing touchdown of the season. His play helped the Mustangs stop a Missouri State comeback in the fourth and close out another win at home.

Despite an early quarter in which everything that could have gone wrong for the Mustangs did go wrong for SMU. Jennings rebounded nicely and, crucially, coming off the pick-six, not only brought SMU back in it but also came out on top.

RUNNING BACKS: A

To start the season, Kendrick Raphael has shined in the run game for the Mustangs. The senior running back had another nice day on the ground, running the rock 23 times for 98 yards, averaging 4.3 yards per carry and scoring once on the ground. Raphael served as the bell cow rusher for the Mustangs, with sophomore running back Dramecko Green the only other back to get carries on the night. Raphael has seen his carry number jump to over 20 attempts in the last two games. Against Louisville, he rushed for over 100 yards and three scores. With Rhett Lashlee's emphasis on having a more balanced attack, Raphael running the football has been a vital piece in SMU's offensive machine. Through four games, Raphael is in the top 5 in the ACC in rushing yards as he continues to play a vital role in SMU's rushing attack as the lead back in the Mustangs' backfield.

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: A-

Coming into this season, SMU lost four of their five top pass catchers from last season. There were many questions, naturally, about who would fill the void. Through the first few games of the season, senior wide receiver Yamir Knight has emerged as one of the top pass catchers on this unit. Knight had a season-high 11 catches for 164 yards for the Mustangs vs. Missouri State, averaging 14.9 yards per catch. Knight also scored a pivotal touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the Mustangs up by 16. Knight has shown exceptional chemistry with Jennings to start the season, putting up back-to-back games with more than 60 yards receiving in each and at least one score. Sophomore wide receiver Jalen Cooper had a season-high day, putting up eight catches for 125 yards vs. Missouri State.

Cooper only had one catch in the last two games, with his previous season high of four in SMU's season opener at Florida State. Cooper was vital to the offense moving the ball downfield. Tight end was also a position of need for the Mustangs in the offseason. Through the first four games, the duo of seniors Theo Melin Ohrstrom and Randy Pittman Jr. has been a key part of SMU's passing game. They operate a lot like RJ Maryland and Matthew Hibner did last season for SMU. Melin Ohrstrom had a season-high 49 yards off three catches with two scores. Pittman also had three grabs for 27 yards. Both do well getting open in the middle of the field or going vertical. Melin Ohrstrom has really begun to come alive in the passing game over the last three games. Pittman has also had a really nice showing of his yards after the catch along with his receiving ability. Both have been 1A and 2A at tight end for the Mustangs to start the year with another nice night against Missouri State.

Offensive line: A

The SMU offensive line saw its first major shuffle against Missouri State. Starting right tackle, senior Andrew Chamblee moved to left guard. At the same time, true freshman offensive lineman Drew Evers made his first start at right tackle for the Mustangs. The switch came due to an injury to starting left tackle PJ Williams. Nevertheless, Chamblee filled in on the left side after leaving the game against Louisville early due to his own injury. Ever filled in for Chamblee in the loss at Louisville, with the freshman tackle performing well in his first home start on the offensive line. Nevertheless, with the shuffle, the unit held up well in pass protection, allowing only one sack and doing well to open up holes in the run game.

Defense: A+

This came after a game in which the Mustang defense did not record a takeaway or a sack. The SMU defense did well to keep Missouri State from not only growing its lead when the Bears had it to start the game but also getting their opponents off the field. SMU recorded seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss with an interception on the night. The defense only allowed two true scores, both coming off long drives in the fourth quarter from Missouri State. There was a big emphasis in the week to stop the run, and the SMU's defense did just that, holding the Bears to under 70 yards rushing and just 2.4 yards per carry. Overall, a nice night for the SMU defense that saw the unit fly around and make many plays when needed while keeping its surging opponent at bay.

Special Teams: C

Special Teams gets a nod this week as, against Missouri State, some major issues came up in the Mustangs' win. Senior kicker Nick Reed came into the game banged up with a hip injury during the week at practice. According to Lashlee, Reed tweaked his injury after the first extra point. Thereafter, Reed missed a 29-yard field goal on the next offensive series and was pulled after the miss. Senior Brendan Baird took kicks for the remainder of the game, knocking down all of his extra points but missing a 42-yard field goal on the night. Baird joined the football team in July after playing the last few seasons on the SMU Men's Soccer Team as a midfielder. The kicking game is a big area of concern going forward for the Mustangs.

More SMU articles here

PREVIEW: No. 22 SMU hosts Missouri State to Kickoff Four Game Home Stand

SMU Report Card: Grading every major position group from this weekends loss to Louisville

SMU Mustangs Report Card: Grading every Major position group in the No.16 Mustangs win 56-10 vs UC Davis

No.22 SMU overcome first half struggles to beat Missouri State 34-24

Stay up-to-date on SMU athletics by bookmarking SMU On SI.

Today's best reads

• SMU Report Card: Grading every major position group from this weekends loss to Louisville
• No.22 SMU overcome first half struggles to beat Missouri State 34-24
• PREVIEW: No. 22 SMU hosts Missouri State to Kickoff Four Game Home Stand

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/smu as SMU Report Card: Grading every Major Position Group from SMU's 34-24 win over Missouri State.