(BCSNN) — No. 19 SMU opened its ACC era with resilience and late‑game poise, shaking off turnovers, a muffed punt and a two‑hour power‑outage delay to edge Florida State 27–24 on Monday night at Doak Campbell Stadium. Quarterback Kevin Jennings delivered a gutsy performance, rebounding from two second‑half interceptions to engineer the winning drive capped by Nick Reed’s 20‑yard field goal with 21 seconds remaining.

Jennings finished with 430 passing yards, completing 26 of 36 attempts and throwing three touchdowns, including a 50‑yard strike to Jalen Cooper and a 10‑yard score to Randy Pittman, a former Seminole. Despite SMU’s miscues, the Mustangs piled up 585 yards of offense and converted 8 of 14 third downs, controlling the fourth quarter when it mattered most.

Florida State (1–1, 0–1 ACC) leaned heavily on running back Ousmane Kromah, who rushed for 116 yards on 22 carries, including a 54‑yard burst and a seven‑yard touchdown. Kromah has now opened his sophomore season with back‑to‑back 100‑yard games. Quarterback Ashton Daniels added a 39‑yard touchdown pass to Samuel Singleton Jr. and an eight‑yard scoring run to cap a 14‑play drive in the first quarter.

The game’s start was chaotic. Scheduled for 7:35 p.m., kickoff was pushed to 9:15 p.m. due to a stadium power outage, with officials keeping time on the field. Once underway, both teams traded early blows. Daniels’ touchdown run gave Florida State a 7–0 lead, but Jennings responded with a deep shot to Cooper to tie the game. Pittman’s touchdown later put SMU ahead before the Seminoles capitalized on a muffed punt to pull even.

Florida State’s defense tightened in the second half, with Ashlynd Barker and Nehemiah Chandler intercepting Jennings on consecutive possessions. The Seminoles turned one of those turnovers into points, briefly grabbing momentum as SMU’s offense sputtered.

But Florida State struggled on third down all night, failing to convert its first 10 attempts and finishing just 2 of 15. SMU’s defense repeatedly forced punts, giving Jennings enough chances to settle in and regain command.

With the game tied 24–24 late in the fourth, Jennings orchestrated a composed, methodical drive, mixing short passes and tempo to move inside the Florida State 5‑yard line. Reed then stepped up and drilled the 20‑yard field goal, securing SMU’s first ACC win and a gritty road victory in unusual circumstances.

SMU improves to 1–0, while Florida State heads into its bye week at 1–1. The Mustangs return home Saturday to host UC Davis, while the Seminoles prepare for a Sept. 19 trip to No. 13 Alabama.