Fenway Bowl Turns Out to Be Miserable Experience All the Way Around

SMU falls to Boston College in football game played on baseball field in dreadful conditions

BOSTON – The situation couldn't have been worse for SMU. Not only did the Mustangs have the emotional letdown of missing out on a New Year's Six bowl game they thought they deserved, the Ponies got shipped to Boston to face Boston College in a true road game in nasty weather conditions that took away everything SMU does well while playing into the strengths of the Eagles.

It will now be at least 12 years before a bowl trophy comes to Dallas after SMU fell to the Eagles, 23-14. The Mustangs had their worst offensive output of the year with only 309 total yards, falling short of a season worst 334 yards in a road game at East Carolina early in the season. It was also second only to a 28-11 loss to Oklahoma for least points scored this season.

"I think as a team we just we did the things that you got to do to lose the game today," SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee said. "You know, we didn't make ourselves hard to beat."

While images of games at Florida State, Miami and Clemson is what most imagine when thinking of ACC play, Thursday morning provided a glimpse into the less glamorous side of the league. Road games in nasty weather in the dreary Northeast are also part of the equation and was a miserable day throughout. 

The Mustangs were clearly the more athletic team, but cold, rainy conditions and high winds were the great equalizer. Multiple times open SMU receivers saw passes zip through their hands when the wind didn't carry balls high over their heads resulting in quarterback Kevin Jennings only completing 24-of-48 for 191 yards. Even when catches were made, there was little footing with which to make cuts to generate yards after the catch.

On defense, conditions limited the speed and quickness that has been the Ponies' hallmark decreased SMU's advantage over the Boston College offense. That turned the game into a run-fest, which tipped the scales to the Eagles and the combination of run-first quarterback Thomas Castellanos and running back Kye Robichaux. Catellanos barely topped the 100-yard mark on 11-of-18 passing and an interception, but he ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, while Robichaux added another 91 yards and a touchdown on the ground on 13 carries.

Things looked promising in the first half. While the opening drive ended in a fumble after the ball was stripped and recovered by Boston College despite Jennings' forward progress having already been stopped, the SMU offense showed it could put together a long drive.

In the second quarter things took off. Jennings got hot, completing five straight as part of a 15-play, 78 yard drive that was capped off by a pair of runs by LJ Johnson to cover the final 16 yards to go up 7-3 with nine minutes left in the half. Boston College immediately answered with an equally long drive resulting in a Robichaux 6-yard touchdown that was one of the nine runs on a 10-play drive to go up, 10-7.

Not willing to lose the momentum, SMU clapped back with a touchdown drive of their own to end the half that required a bit of magic from Jennings.  The Dallas product found himself running the wrong direction. Following a snap at the Boston College 42-yard line, he was pursued a good 23 yards back to the SMU 35, reversed field while running backward, slipped two tackles and narrowly avoided a defender while making his way back toward the line of scrimmage and ripping a pass to Adam Moore for a 15-yard gain.

The Mustangs managed to take advantage, pushing just outside the Eagle' 5-yard line when Jennings went under center then reversed field on the misdirection and  to find Knighton for a touchdown pass with six seconds left to go into the half up 14-10. 

The Mustangs' QB got hot again midway through the third quarter, connecting on 5-of-6 at one point in the midst of a 60-yard drive that ate up over six minutes, which would prove costly as SMU found itself desperate for time late in the game. Unfortunately for Lashlee, a wet ball and high winds meant Collin Rogers had to kick the ball low to get enough power for his 46-yard field goal attempt. As a result, it was blocked and the Mustangs never regained their footing offensively.

"We played better in the second quarter," Lashlee said. "We scored. We got to, what was it, 14-10, and then we had a chance in the third quarter to take control of the game. I think we dropped at least one touchdown, maybe a couple others, but one that would have put us up 21-10. We would have seized control and momentum and we didn't do it."

From there, Castellanos and Robichaux took over, leading the Eagles to powerful touchdown drives on the next two possessions while having to pull back the reins on the final drive to stop from scoring so as not to run up the score on the final possession.

"The guys returning, the guys coming in, now know what's ahead of us because that's a good team, but that's not the best team in our league we'll play next year,' Lashlee said. "We just will have to learn that we got to show up and do the things that we've become accustomed to doing to play in SMU football if we want to win." 

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