SMU
Louisville
No. 16 SMU Heads East To Face No. 23 Louisville
Sep 15 | Football
Saturday, September 22, 2026 – 2:30 p.m. CT
[16/16] SMU (2-0, 1-0 ACC) vs. [23/RV] Louisville (1-1, 0-0 ACC)
L&N Federal Union Stadium – Louisville, Ky.
TV:Â ESPN2
Radio: KTCK 96.7 FM/1310 AM & SiriusXMÂ 81/ ESPN Radio
Streaming: SMU App (Google Play | Apple App Store)
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SETTING THE SCENE
• The 16th-ranked Mustangs hit the road to take on No. 23 Louisville in a Top 25 matchup on Saturday.
• SMU comes into the game ranked 16th in both the US LBM Coaches and AP Top 25 Polls.
• The Mustangs come off a commanding 56-10 victory in the home opener against UC Davis.
• Kevin Jennings was dominant again in the win, throwing for 337 yards and five touchdowns in one half of action.
• SMU set a school record with 16 players catching a pass in the victory.
QUICK HITS
• SMU has posted a 28-5 record against conference opponents since 2022, highlighted by the 20-game winning streak that lasted from 2022-25.
• The Mustangs have gone 15-2 in ACC play since joining the conference in 2024, the most wins by an ACC team during that span.
• SMU has recorded 129 sacks since 2023, that is the most in all FBS during that span.
• Since 2024, the Mustangs have forced 53 turnovers, which ranks tied for seventh most in the in country during that span and tied for first in the ACC.
• Jennings has posted a record of 21-7 as the starter for the Mustangs, the 21 wins are tied for second most by a returning Power 4 quarterback (Rocco Becht 28, Noah Fifita 21, Connor Weigman 21, Jayden Maiava 21, Josh Hover 21).
• Jennings is the ACC active leader in career passing yards (8,476) and career total yards (9,072).
• The Mustangs are 30-8 in their last 38 games, and 29-5 in their last 34 regular-season contests.
• SMU has posted a record of 33-4 during Lashlee's five seasons in charge when they score 30-or-more points in a game.
• The Mustangs have had at least seven receivers catch a pass in 42 of the past 45 games.
• SMU recorded 22 offensive scoring drives since 2025 that resulted in touchdowns in under two minutes.
• Rhett Lashlee boasts a 28-5 conference record in his career, best in program history.
• Jennings has racked up the preseason accolades, being named to the Maxwell Award Watch List, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List, the Davey O'Brien Award Watch List, the Manning Award Watch List and the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List.Â
THE SERIES
• This is the fifth meeting in the series.
• SMU holds a 4-0 record against Louisville
• The Mustangs won last year's meeting, 38-6, at Ford Stadium.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
• Louisville is coming off a 59-13 win over Villanova.Â
THE COACHES
• Rhett Lashlee is in his fifth season as the head coach at SMU and has a 40-16 career record. His 40 wins are the most for a head coach in his first four years in program history. Lashlee, who served as offensive coordinator for the Mustangs for two seasons (2018-19), also served as the offensive coordinator at Miami in 2020 and 2021. A one-time finalist (2013) and two-time semifinalist (2019, 2020) for the Broyles Award, Lashlee has the distinction of being the only coach ever nominated for the Broyles Award four different times at four different schools (Arkansas State, Auburn, SMU, Miami).
• Lashlee was named a finalist last season for the prestigious Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award, handed out the nation's top coach as voted on by the National Sports Media Association, the Bryant Awards' Executive Leadership Team, and the Bryant Family. The Arkansas native was also named Coach of the Year by Dave Campbell's Texas Football publication, a finalist of the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, and a semi-finalist for the George Munger National Coach of the Year.
• Jeff Brohm — a former letterwinner and alumnus — enters his fourth season as head football coach at the University of Louisville, quickly rebuilding the Cardinals into a postseason contender. Louisville has posted back-to-back nine-win seasons for the first time since 2014, reinforcing Brohm's reputation as one of the nation's most innovative offensive minds.
Brohm was named Louisville's 24th full-time head coach on Dec. 8, 2022. He has guided the program to a 29-13 overall record, highlighted by four wins over Top 25 opponents, a 24-21 win at No. 2 Miami in 2025, a dramatic 35-34 victory over Washington in the 2024 Sun Bowl, and the school's first appearance in the ACC Championship in 2023.
MUSTANG CAPTAINS
• The 2026 captains for the Mustangs are Brandon Booker, Alexander Kilgore, Kevin Jennings, Yamir Knight, Brandon Miyazono, Ahmaad Moses and PJ Williams.
LET'S TAKE THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD
• The 10-game streak was the second longest in program history, trailing only a 13-game streak from Sept. 26, 1981 to Sept. 15, 1984.
• The Mustangs are now 14-3 in their last 17 road contests in the regular season and 14-4 in their last 18 road games overall.
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LAST 18 ROAD GAMES
Oct. 12, 2023Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 31-10Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at ECU (1)
Oct. 20, 2023Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 55-0 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at Temple (2)
Nov. 4, 2023Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 36-31Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at Rice (3)
Nov. 18, 2023Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 38-34Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at Memphis (4)
Dec. 2, 2023*Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 26-14Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at No. 17 Tulane (5)
Aug. 24, 2024Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 29-24Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at Nevada (6)
Oct. 5, 2024Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 34-27Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at No. 22 Louisville (7)
Oct. 19, 2024Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 40-10Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at Stanford (8)
Oct. 26, 2024Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 28-27(OT)Â Â Â Â Â at Duke (9)
Nov. 23, 2024Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 33-7 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at Virginia (10)
Dec. 21, 2024*Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â L, 38-10 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at No. 6 Penn State (CFP First Round) (11)
Sept. 13, 2025Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 28-10Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at Missouri State (12)
Sept. 20, 2025Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â L, 35-24 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at TCU (13)
Oct. 18, 2025Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 35-24Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at Clemson (14)
Oct. 25, 2025Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â L, 13-12 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at Wake Forest (15)
Nov. 8, 2025Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 45-13Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at Boston College (16)
Nov. 29, 2025Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â L, 38-25 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at Cal (17)
Sept. 7, 2026Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â W, 27-23Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at Florida State (18)
* Denotes Postseason Contest
I WANNA GO FAST
• The Mustangs proved last year that they could score quickly when they have the ball on offense.
• SMU recorded 22 offensive scoring drives since 2025 that resulted in touchdowns in under two minutes.
•The Mustangs have put together seven scoring drives of less than two minutes this season, including five against UC Davis.
I WOULD WALK 500 YARDS...
• Lashlee's offense has produced 500+ yards of total offense in each of the two contests to open the 2026 campaign.
• The last time SMU recorded back-to-back games with 500 yards of total offense was in 2023 (at Temple - 563, vs. Tulsa - 638)
