No. 22 Louisville lost 34-27 to SMU on Saturday after an apparent fumble by Mustangs running back Brashard Smith was overturned on replay review.
With the game tied 27-27, Smith appeared to fumble after gaining 19 yards rushing to the Louisville 13-yard line. The ball was recovered by the Cardinals. The fumble was an on-field decision. However, officials who reviewed the play determined that Smith’s shin touched the ground before the ball came off his right arm.
After possessing the ball, SMU advanced to the Louisville 1-yard line on consecutive pass interferences and offside penalties. On the next play, LJ Johnson Jr. ran up the middle and scored, giving them the lead.
On the next series, Louisville clinched a hand on a 32-yard pass from Tyler Schau to Mark Redman and a subsequent face penalty to defensive lineman Cameron Robertson, nine plays into the tying score. He drove 59 yards.
But three plays later, Shaw was picked off in the end zone by Isaiah Nwokobia. The game was effectively over with 2:34 remaining as SMU ran out the clock. The Mustangs trailed by 6.5 points.
SMU QB Kevin Jennings led the Mustangs with 281 passing yards, completing 21 of 27 passes, and added 113 yards on 10 carries. Brashard Smith had 13 rushes for 52 yards and RJ Maryland had six receptions for 83 yards.
Louisville’s Shaw completed 22-of-35 passes for 329 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Isaac Brown rushed for 117 yards on 10 carries, and Jacorey Brooks caught three passes for 121 yards and two scores.
The Cardinals fell to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the ACC.
SMU is a legitimate contender in the ACC
With this win, SMU improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the ACC. This puts the Mustangs in a great relationship with Clemson (3-1, 2-0 ACC) and Miami (5-0, 1-0 ACC), who are also undefeated in the conference.
Head coach Rhett Lashley’s team doesn’t have to play the Tigers or Hurricanes in its remaining six games, but five of its opponents have winning records, including Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh. The record is 0 wins and 0 losses.
Meanwhile, Clemson has Louisville and Pittsburgh (5-0) awaiting them, in addition to a season-ending rivalry game against South Carolina. Miami still has the Cardinals, in-state rivals Florida State and Duke on the schedule.
