No. 19 SMU opens ACC slate at Florida State with three running backs out

DALLAS - Kevin Jennings is not waiting for a soft landing to start ACC play. With three running backs already ruled out and rain possible in Tallahassee, the SMU quarterback said the Mustangs still intend to establish the run early when No. 19 SMU visits Florida State on Monday night.

"Especially the way Florida State plays defense, it's very important to establish a run game to start off with," Jennings said Thursday, according to the Dallas Sports Journal. "So I think we're gonna do a really good job of that. Our whole line is ready for the job, our running backs ready for the job, tight ends, everybody's ready."

The assignment is harder than the quote makes it sound. The initial ACC availability report listed running backs Link Rhodes, Christian Rhodes and EJ Kelly out for the opener. Link Rhodes tore an ACL and is done for the season.

Offensive lineman Abel Hoopii, who broke a foot while competing for the left guard job, is also out for the year. Coach Rhett Lashlee announced both season-ending injuries in late August.

Availability ahead of Labor Day night

Safety Ahmaad Moses remains questionable while he awaits medical clearance, Lashlee said Thursday. Moses has practiced through fall camp; Lashlee described the hold-up as medical rather than legal after a Dallas County temporary restraining order related to extra-year eligibility. Receiver Daylon Singleton and safety Jaden Milliner-Jones are also listed as questionable on the first ACC report, with Milliner-Jones dealing with a hamstring.

Seven Mustangs were ruled out on that initial sheet: the three running backs, Hoopii, linebackers Kenneth Goodwin III and Caden Marshall, and cornerback Deuce Gilbert. The ACC now requires availability updates across a longer window before kickoff, so the final picture can still shift before Monday.

Cal transfer Kendrick Raphael is the projected lead back after rushing for 943 yards on 232 carries at Cal last season. Jennings said he expects a true rotation this year rather than the concentrated carry load SMU used in 2025.

Conference Week 1, not a tune-up

Monday is a conference game - a new reality under the ACC's nine-game league schedule. Florida State is already 1-0 after a 34-17 win over New Mexico State on Aug. 29. SMU is ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press poll and No. 20 in the coaches poll entering its first snap.

"With this being a conference game, first game of the year, it's a little something out there," Jennings said. "Normally we treat this like a get-ready-for-the-season game, but this one is a challenge for us. It's a great one."

The programs have met once since SMU joined the ACC. The Mustangs won 42-16 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in 2024. Tight end Randy Pittman Jr., now at SMU after a season in Tallahassee, adds a familiar-facing element on offense.

Jennings, an Oak Cliff product who won a state title at South Oak Cliff, enters his fifth year with 19 wins as a starter. He threw for 3,641 yards with 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions across 13 starts last season.

A jammed finger on his throwing hand limited him early in camp; ESPN's Pete Thamel reported he was ramping back up in the final weeks before the opener and is expected to start.

Kickoff at Doak Campbell Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. For a ranked Dallas program opening on the road in conference play with its backfield thinned, the first series will tell whether Jennings' run-first plan can survive a depleted depth chart against a Seminoles defense that has already played a game.

Sources

https://dallassportsjournal.com/kevin-jennings-smu-florida-state-run-game-three-running-backs-out/

https://dallassportsjournal.com/ahmaad-moses-smu-florida-state-medical-clearance/

https://accsports.com/news/smu-kevin-jennings-finger-injury/