Baylor Travels to Face No. 16 SMU in Saturday Morning Clash

Mon Sep 1 12:25:32 CDT 2025

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – Sept. 1, 2025

Baylor Travels to Face No. 16 SMU in Saturday Morning Clash
Bears Face Mustangs at 11 a.m. on The CW

For more information contact: Brent Ingram; 210-845-8651, brent_ingram at baylor.edu<mailto:brent_ingram at baylor.edu>  or Max Calderone; 254-265-1639, max_calderone at baylor.edu<mailto:max_calderone at baylor.edu> Josie Hutton; 254-709-7720, josie_hutton at baylor.edu<mailto:josie_hutton at baylor.edu>; or Matt Roberts; 254-227-2280, WM_Roberts at baylor.edu<mailto:WM_Roberts at baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas -- Baylor football will venture to face No. 16/16 SMU in an in-state clash, with kickoff slated for 11 a.m. at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. The game will be televised live on The CW and will be broadcast live on the Baylor Sports Media Network.

Voicing the action on The CW is Rick Allen (play-by-play), former Boston College defensive back Will Blackmon (analyst) and Wes Bryant (sideline). On the call for the Baylor Sports Media Network is the Voice of the Bears, John Morris (play-by-play), Nick Florence (analyst) and Ricky Thompson (sideline).

Baylor (0-1) is coming off a 38-24 loss to Auburn on Aug. 29 in McLane Stadium, as the Bears couldn’t overcome a furious AU running game and 17 unanswered points in the first half that allowed the Tigers to separate. The Bears threw for 419 yards on the strength of star QB Sawyer Robertson, who found WR Kole Wilson for 134 yards on eight catches, and TE Michael Trigg for seven catches and 99 yards and a TD. All-America running back Bryson Washington toted it 14 times for 54 yards and All-America linebacker Keaton Thomas made a career-high 15 tackles.

SMU (1-0) routed East Texas A&M in its season lid-lifter on Saturday, getting 260 yards passing and 35 yards rushing, with three total TDs from star QB Kevin Jennings, who found Rommell Brinson seven times for 121 yards and a score.

This marks the first meeting between the two schools since 2016 and the Bears have won 13 straight in the series. With SMU moving into the Atlantic Coast Conference, and fresh off a College Football Playoff berth in 2024, this marks the first meeting of the two schools as power-four conference members.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS

• SMU comes into the matchup with the Bears after a dominating season-opening win over East Texas A&M on Saturday in Dallas.

• The Mustangs posted a 42-13 win over East Texas A&M on Saturday in Dallas, taking an early 21-0 lead before allowing a score from East Texas A&M. SMU rolled to 400 yards of total offense, including 140 rushing and 260 passing, holding ETA to 351 yards, with 107 rushing and 244 passing. QB Kevin Jennings was 22-for-30 with two scores, RB Chris Johnson rushed for 44 yards on six carries with a TD, and TJ Harden rushed eight times for 42 yards. Romello Brinson caught seven balls for 121 yards and a TD. Jalen Cooper added five catches for 73 yards and a TD. Brandon Miyazono had a team-high eight tackles and Ahmaad Moses had a 95-yard interception return for a TD.

• SMU went 11-3 and 8-0 in the ACC last year, its first in the league, including resounding wins over TCU and Louisville. The Mustangs return six starters on offense and two on defense, including QB Kevin Jennings, three on the offensive line and its tight end, and a pair in the secondary defensively.

• SMU is led by head coach Rhett Lashlee, who is in his third season leading the Mustangs, and has posted a strong 30-12 mark over his career. He took over the program after two seasons as the OC at Miami (Fla.), two seasons as the OC at SMU (2018-19), a season as the OC at UConn (2017), four seasons as the OC at Auburn (2013-16), a season as the OC at Arkansas State (2012) and a season as the OC at Samford (2011). A former Arkansas QB, Lashlee led the Mustangs to the CFP Playoffs last year, with an 11-3 record and posted an 8-0 mark in ACC play. It marked SMU’s second consecutive 11-3 record, with Lashlee also leading SMU to a 7-6 mark in his debut season in 2022.

• Lashlee is assisted by DC Scott Symons, OC/Chief of Staff Casey Woods and special teams coordinator Kyle Cooper, along with Associate Head Coach Rob Likens. Symons is in his fourth year as the DC, previously leading the Liberty defense from 2019-21, which followed a 2018 season at Memphis coaching inside linebackers and a 2014-17 run as the DC at West Georgia (NCAA D2). Woods, who also coaches tight ends, is in his fourth season as SMU, spending two years at Missouri (2021-22), which followed three years at UAB, and a pair of stints with Lashlee at Auburn and Arkansas State. Cooper is in his third season at SMU after two seasons at Miami (2020-21) and two seasons in a previous stint at SMU (2018-19). Likens has been on the SMU staff since the 2022 season, with previous stints at Miami, Arizona State - including as OC from 2018-19 - as the OC at Kansas (2015-16) and Cal (2013-14).

• Damon Evans is in his first year as the AD at SMU, taking over the helm in Highland Park after serving as the AD at both Maryland and Georgia. Colleen Sorem and Brian Ullman serve as Executive Deputy ADs, Lauren Adee, Alex Gary and Dawn Rogers are Deputy ADs.

SERIES HISTORY

• Baylor leads the all-time series with SMU, 39-36-7, including as 19-18-4 mark in games played in Dallas.

• The Bears have won 13 straight vs. the Mustangs, with the last loss coming in 1986 in Waco. Baylor and SMU played annually from 1916-1995, and then six times in the 21st century.

• Over the 13-game win streak in the series, the Bears have outscored SMU, 556-151, an average score of 42.8-11.6.

LAST MEETING

• The No. 23/19 ranked Bears routed SMU in the last meeting in the series, 40-13 in 2016 at McLane Stadium, recovering from a pair of early Mustang field goals to score 26 unanswered points over the second and third quarters to expend a 20-point lead that grew to 40-13 following a pair of fourth-quarter TDs from KD Cannon/Seth Russell and JaMycal Hasty.

• The Bears rolled to 536 yards of total offense in the win, including 261 passing a 275 rushing. SMU collected 405 yards of total offense, throwing for 229 and rushing for 176. Russell threw for two TDs on 26-of-47 passing, with Cannon collecting 10 grabs for 93 yards. Blake Lynch had six catches for 95 yards and a score. Terence Williams rushed 19 times for 81 yards, Hasty rushed seven times for 64 yards, Shock Linwood toted it 18 times for 59 yards and Russell added seven carries for 43 yards and a TD. Chris Callahan drilled a pair of sub-40 yard field goals.

• Orion Stewart picked off a pair of passes and Davion Hall had a 62-yard interception return. Patrick Levels had a game-high 12 tackles, with Hall and Steward each adding eight stops, along with Raaquan Davis.

• SMU got 229 yards passing on 17-of-44 with three interceptions from Ben Hicks. Braeden West carried it 15 times for 89 yards, Ke’Mon Freeman had 19 carries for 81 yards and James Proche had seven catches for 84  yards.

• In the last meeting in Dallas, the Bears, ranked No. 4/4, cruised to a 56-21 win in 2015, opening up a 36-21 lead in the third quarter and using a 28-point run in the second half to post the rout. The Bears totaled 723 yards of total offense, including 423 passing and 300 rushing, holding SMU to 369 yards and 166 passing. Russell threw for five TDs, Jay Lee caught three TDs and Russell and Devin Chafin each scored TDs on the ground.

CONNECTING THE TEAMS

• The Bears and Mustangs have several connecting between the two programs, including BU associate head coach Khenon Hall, who spent the 2022-23 seasons as the running backs coach for SMU. Tyler Foster, the assistant running backs coach at SMU, served as an associate director of player personnel at Baylor. Current SMU Senior Director of Player Personnel Connor Morgan served as a personnel assistant for Baylor from 2021-23.

• SMU Deputy AD for Internal Affairs Dawn Rogers served in a similar role at Baylor from 2018-21, where she was Deputy AD for Sport Program Administration from 2021-23. SMU Associate AD for Marketing & Fan Experience, Mikaela Sullivan, spent the 2022-23 seasons at Baylor as the Director of Strategic Marketing, working directly with men’s and women’s basketball.

• SMU defensive end Trey Wilson played the first two seasons of his career at Baylor and earned a QB hurry in his SMU debut in the ETA win.

UP NEXT

• Baylor will return home to conclude its regular season non-conference slate with Samford. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. on ESPN+ and the Baylor Sports Media Network.

- BaylorBears.com -

--
Brent Ingram | Associate AD for Communications
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 210-845-8651

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