The SMU Mustangs have been a team to reckon with, making the 2024 College Football Playoffs and defeating Arizona St in the 2025 Holiday Bowl. Now the Mustangs (-3) get a chance to take down Florida State in Tallahassee on Monday night.
It’s SMU’s opening contest of the ’26 season, and FSU’s second game, having vanquished New Mexico State at home last weekend in a tougher-than-expected 34-17 win.
Kevin Jennings (photo courtesy Tomahawk Nation)
For the Mustangs, senior quarterback Kevin Jennings (3,641 passing yards, 26 TDs, 13 INTs/4 TDs) returns to lead the team. Thanks to a court order that allowed him to return to college after a short stint in the NFL, SMU will feature running back T.J. Harden (787 rushing yards, nine TDs, 99 receiving yards, one TD) as well as California transfer Kendrick Raphael (943 rushing yards, 13 TDs, 4.1 yards per carry, 245 receiving yards, one TD). At 5’11” and 200 pounds, Raphael offers a strong blend of vision, speed, and interior power, alongside reliable pass-catching ability out of the backfield.
With last season’s leading receivers Jordan Hudson having moved on to the Dallas Cowboys, this season’s receiving core will rely on senior Yamir Knight (54 receptions, 637 yards, 11.8 avg., five TDs) and East Carolina transfer Yannick Smith (44 receptions, 583 yards, 13.4 avg., five TDs).
On defense, senior safety and leading tackler Ahmad Moses (104 total tackles, 50 assists, one sack, five INTs, one TD, two fumble recoveries) returns to anchor a unit that had more than half of its starters move to the NFL. Joining Moses in leading the defense are senior linebacker Brandon Miyazono (44 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, pne INT), junior USF transfer defensive end Ira Singleton (17 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries), and sophomore cornerback William Nettles (37 tackles, one INT, four passes defended).
Ashton Jennings vs. New Mexico State (photo courtesy FSU Wire – USA Today)
Seeking to counter that talent, Florida State’s offense will be led by senior quarterback Ashton Daniels, who replaces Tommy Castellanos (now at Texas Tech), who threw for 2800 yards and rushed for 600 yards (total 18 touchdowns) for FSU last season. Talahassee will be Daniels’ third stop in his college career, after spending three seasons at Stanford and one season at Auburn. Daniels was the #2 QB for the Tigers in 2025, where he completed 57% of his passes for 800 yards and three touchdowns.
Complementing Daniels and the passing attack will be sophomore running back Ousmane Kromah, who ran for 115 yards last week against NMSU and racked up 400 yards with a 5.7 YPC for the Seminoles in 2025.
It should be a highly competitive game, and you can watch it live on ESPN starting at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, September 7, 2026.
