They stuck with their backup QB too long. It was a good decision to give him multiple series early on, as he was moving the ball where as the starter was not. But by halftime, and certainly by the middle of the 3rd period, I was commenting to people in my home that SMU should bring back their starter, the guy who is a good passer. By then it was clear that though Jennings could get them a couple/few first downs on any given drive, he was just not a good enough passer to finish off any longer drives.
SMU made the right call in going with the “hot hand” for about half the game, but by the 4th quarter, Stone, their starter, should have been back in. SMU went away from the strength of their wide open passing attack after a few fruitless possessions by their starter. Yeah, they still almost pulled it out, but Jennings is not a full time starting talent that can consistently win against good/decent defenses, which was evident after he had played the equivalent of two quarters yesterday.