SMU 59, Cal 20: 42 unanswered points after halftime

Cal led No. 23 SMU at halftime. It did not score again. The Mustangs opened the second half with six straight touchdowns, 42 unanswered points, and turned a 20-17 deficit into a 59-20 win at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on Saturday.

SMU moves to 6-1. Cal falls to 3-5. The full line history is on the game page.

How it was won

The first half belonged to Cal. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele found Chase Hendricks for a 10-yard touchdown at 10:28 of the first quarter. B. Baird answered with a 29-yard field goal, and Kevin Jennings hit Kendrick Raphael for a 22-yard score to put SMU up 10-7 after one.

Cal took over in the second quarter. M. Mini ran in from 1 yard, T. McGough kicked a 41-yard field goal, and after Raphael's 1-yard run tied it at 17, McGough added a 37-yarder with seven seconds left. Cal went to the locker room ahead 20-17.

The second half was one-way. C. Rhodes scored from 5 yards at 10:11 of the third. Jennings found D. McFall for 21 yards. Rhodes added a 3-yard run, and it was 38-20 after three. In the fourth, Raphael scored his second rushing touchdown from 1 yard, Jennings hit Jalen Hale for 17, and EJ Kelly closed it with a 10-yard run at 2:33.

The box score shows how little resistance SMU met. The Mustangs gained 492 yards, 256 of them on the ground, and picked up 31 first downs. They faced only nine third downs all game, converting two, because they rarely needed to.

Jennings was efficient: 16 of 23 for 223 yards and three touchdowns. Raphael ran 22 times for 104 yards and two scores and caught the third, giving him three touchdowns on the day. Ty Hawkins added 60 yards on three carries. Jalen Cooper caught two passes for 37 yards, and Hale two for 34.

Cal held the ball longer, 31:22 to 28:38, and committed no turnovers. Neither did SMU. The difference was the run game. Cal managed 40 rushing yards, with Ashten Emory carrying 14 times for 27. Sagapolutele threw well, 27 of 37 for 265 yards, with Hendricks catching seven for 83 and Ian Strong five for 71. Cal went 5 of 16 on third down, and none of its second-half drives produced points.

Against the number

SMU closed as an 18.5-point favorite and won by 39, covering with plenty to spare. For most of the first half the price looked badly wrong; Cal backers holding the points at halftime were in strong shape before the third quarter undid it.

The total closed at 55.5, and 79 points went over by 23.5. The first half alone produced 37. The closing moneylines were Cal +675 and SMU -1050.

What's next

SMU has won four straight since its 41-31 loss at Louisville, following wins over Missouri State, Boston College and Virginia with this one. Its next opponent is not yet listed in the schedule data we have.

Cal has now lost two in a row, after a 41-7 defeat to No. 21 Wake Forest the week before. Its next game is also not yet listed. We will post prices for both teams' next games as soon as the market opens them.