By Reggie Gatlin-Holt

Thursday, December 28, 2023 – 10 a.m. CT
[17/19] SMU (11-2, 8-0 AAC) vs. Boston College (6-6, 3-5 ACC)
Fenway Park – Boston, Mass.

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SETTING THE SCENE
• No. 17 SMU looks to cap off an historic season with a win over ACC-mate Boston College on Dec. 28 at Fenway Park.
• The Mustangs closed out competition in the AAC in style on Dec. 2, capturing its 12th conference championship in program history with a 26-14 victory against then-17th ranked Tulane in Yulman Stadium.
• SMU went unbeaten during its final year as a member of the AAC with the win, knocking off all nine conference opponents.
• Kevin Jennings, making his first career start, got the job done, finishing with 203 yards passing and 63 rushing in the victory.
• SMU broke into the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time in 2023, coming in at 24 on Dec. 3.
• The Mustangs jumped up to 17th and 19th in the most recent AP and AFCA Coaches polls, respectively.

QUICK HITS
• The Mustangs are 10-0 this year when they have scored at least 30 points in a game.
• SMU has had at least seven receivers catch a pass in every game in 2023 and is the only team in all of the FBS with eight players with at least 300 yards receiving on the year.
• The Mustangs’ sack total of 47 this year rank second in the NCAA and second most in program history for a single season.
• SMU’s defense continues its supreme play this season, ranking in the top 20 in NCAA in third down pct defense (3rd), defensive touchdowns (1st), rushing defense (18th), scoring defense (12th), team passing efficiency defense (13th), team sacks (2nd), tackles for loss (13th) and total defense (12th).
• The Mustangs took it to the conference opposition, posting an average margin of victory of 28.9 points (45.9-17.0) in conference games this year, the largest margin for any team in the NCAA in conference play in 2023.
• SMU outscored its conference opponents 140-41 in the first quarter this year.
• The Mustangs have scored at least 55 points four times this season, the most in program history for a single season.
• The are looking for the 12th win of the year, which has been done only one other time program history with the 1935 National Championship team (12-1).
• SMU is seeking its first bowl win since 2012, a 43-10 win against Fresno State in the Hawaii Bowl.
• The Mustangs tied an AAC record with 18 players getting selected to all of the AAC All-Conference Teams on Nov. 29.

THE SERIES
• This is the second meeting in the series, with SMU leading 1-0.
• The teams only meeting was on Oct. 4, 1986, a 31-29 win for the Mustangs.

ABOUT THE EAGLES
• Boston College has a record of 6-6 this year.

THE COACHES
• Rhett Lashlee is in his second season as the head coach at SMU and has a 18-8 career record. Lashlee, who served as offensive coordinator for the Mustangs for two seasons (2018-19), also served as the offensive coordinator at Miami in 2020 and 2021. A one-time finalist (2013) and two-time semifinalist (2019, 2020) for the Broyles Award, Lashlee has the distinction of being the only coach ever nominated for the Broyles Award four different times at four different schools (Arkansas State, Auburn, SMU, Miami).

• Jeff Hafley is in his fourth season as head coach of Boston College. He has a career record of 21-26 with the Eagles.

SOME BOWLING HISTORY
• SMU will be appearing in its 21st bowl game in program history when they play Boston College.
• The Mustangs have a bowl record of 7-10-1 in their history.

THE ALL-AMERICAN MAN
• Senior Elijah Roberts got rewarded for his breakout season in 2023 with the Mustangs.
• Roberts was named to Action Sport’s All-America First Team on defense.
• The first-year SMU player has enjoyed a career year, picking up a career-high 10.0 sacks this season, tops on a team that ranks second in the NCAA in sacks with 47.