DALLAS (Interstat) — Kevin Jennings passed for 350 yards and four touchdowns and SMU pulled away from Virginia Tech for a 51-28 victory on Friday at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Jennings completed 24 of 32 attempts and added 17 yards on five carries for the Mustangs, who improved to 7-2. Virginia Tech fell to 6-3. An announced attendance of 32,566 watched the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision game.

SMU set the tone early with a 12-yard touchdown run by Dramekco Green and a 47-yard field goal by Brendan Baird. Baird later connected from 26 and 50 yards, giving the Mustangs a steady scoring platform. Virginia Tech answered in the second quarter when Ethan Grunkemeyer scored on a 1-yard run and Jeffrey Overton Jr. broke loose for a 22-yard touchdown run. The Hokies moved the ball with balance, but SMU’s defense limited the big plays for long stretches.

Jennings and Yamir Knight connected for a 46-yard touchdown in the second quarter and again for a 13-yard score in the third. K. Raphael added a 3-yard touchdown run in the third as SMU stretched its advantage. Knight finished with six receptions for 103 yards and three touchdowns, while Jalen Cooper had five catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. Yannick Smith added six receptions for 84 yards. Jennings spread the ball to multiple targets and kept SMU’s offense moving after Virginia Tech tried to close the gap.

The decisive stretch came in the second half when SMU answered each Virginia Tech push. After the Hokies scored on Overton’s 2-yard run and Grunkemeyer’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Que’Sean Brown, Jennings found Cooper for a 50-yard touchdown. That sequence kept Virginia Tech from turning the game into a one-possession contest. Overton finished with 123 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns, and he added four receptions for 33 yards and a 19-yard kickoff return. Grunkemeyer completed 28 of 38 passes for 291 yards with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown. Que’Sean Brown caught nine passes for 37 yards and a touchdown. Luke Reynolds had six receptions for 67 yards, Ayden Greene had two catches for 49 yards, Davion Brown had two for 32 and Marlion Jackson had two for 28.

SMU’s defense made enough plays late. Alexander Kilgore recorded 10 tackles, Sael Reyes had nine, Brandon Booker had eight and Jimmy Wyrick had seven tackles and an interception. Marques White added three tackles and two sacks. Jayvon Thomas finished with five tackles. For Virginia Tech, Noah Chambers led with 11 tackles, Kaleb Spencer had 10, and DQ Smith and Keon Wylie each had seven. Quentin Reddish had six tackles, while Curtis Jones Jr. and Cam Chadwick Jr. each had four. Brennan Johnson recorded an interception. Aycen Stevens and Cortez Harris each had three tackles and half a sack, and Jaquez White and Tyson Flowers each added three tackles. Theo Melin Ohrstrom had two receptions for 29 yards for SMU, and Randy Pittman Jr. had two for 22.

Virginia Tech scored 14 points in the first quarter and 14 in the third, while SMU produced 13 in the first, 14 in the second, 14 in the third and 10 in the fourth. The Mustangs controlled the fourth quarter behind Jennings and a defense that tightened after allowing the Hokies to move into scoring range. SMU finished with the stronger closing stretch, and the final touchdown pass to Cooper capped the win. The Mustangs also got a punt of 37 yards from Wade McSparron, while Virginia Tech’s Nathan Totten punted three times for 147 yards. Tyseer Denmark had one reception for 20 yards for the Hokies, and Marcellous Hawkins Jr. added two rushes for 7 yards and two receptions for 25 yards.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of SMU 43, Virginia Tech 28. Interstat’s ELO system had projected SMU with an 88.4 percent probability to win. SMU had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -5.5. The total score of 79 went under the over/under line of 56.5.