UC Davis Aggies at SMU Mustangs

Jennings tosses 5 TDs as No. 17 SMU routs UC Davis 56-10 in scorching Texas heat

The teams agreed to play two 12-minute quarters after halftime with SMU leading 42-0. The temperature for the midafternoon kickoff was 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) with a heat index of 107.

“The heat for sure,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said of the option to shorten the game presented to him and UC Davis coach Tim Plough. “It's the first time in my career that's been presented to us. I'm sure they want to get back as quick as they can. A lot of our younger guys on both teams still got to play a lot.”

Yannick Smith had a 44-yard catch and run to cap the first-half scoring for the Mustangs (2-0) when he attempted to hurdle two defenders at the 10-yard line but came down between them, and ran through them on the way to the end zone.

“He didn't do the hurdle very well,” Lashlee said. “It was so bad, it faked everybody out, and I guess he ends up scoring. That was interesting.”

Derrick McFall was all alone down the middle on a 52-yard touchdown, and Theo Melin Ohrstrom had two scoring catches. McFall also had a 40-yard run.

A week after throwing for five TDs in a win over San Diego, Treynor Cleeland was 11 of 25 for 83 yards with an interception. The Aggies (2-1), who qualified for the FCS playoffs each of the past two seasons, pulled Cleeland when trailing 49-0 late in the third quarter.

Jennings was 14 of 16 without an interception a week after the Mustangs overcame his two second-half picks in a 27-24 victory over Florida State.

The takeaway UC Davis: The Aggies had the ball on second down at their 4-yard line at the 2-minute timeout of the first half, trailing 28-0. Just 96 seconds later, SMU had two more touchdowns while using one timeout. Cleeland's interception on the second-down play gave the Mustangs the ball at the UC Davis 20. A three-and-out with two incompletions on the next possession was followed by Smith's highlight reel TD.

SMU: Jennings' school-led Heisman campaign is off to a strong start. He has 767 yards passing and eight touchdowns in two victories. He broke Ben Hicks' decade-old school record of 8,977 total yards. Jennings finished the game at 9,073. On this season's pace, Jennings would break Hicks' record for passing yards in Week 4.

The heat is on The SMU sideline had eight air-conditioned benches with shade coverings, plus the shade of the press box in the second half. No such relief for UC Davis on the east sideline, where a half-dozen misting fans had to do all the work. The stands behind the UC Davis bench were virtually empty after halftime. Almost all of what was left of the crowd was in the shady west stands.

Up next UC Davis: After three consecutive road games to start the season, the Aggies play the first of three in a row at home next Saturday against Stetson.

SMU: A second Atlantic Coast Conference game in the first three of the season is at No. 24 Louisville next Saturday.

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