DALLAS — There is good news to be discussed on the Hilltop, even in the wake of a 41-31 loss at Louisville in which the usual suspects and more endured some ugly moments. There was a time SMU would have dropped right out of the rankings after such a defeat, but the Mustangs held their ground at No. 22 in the AP poll Sunday. SMU is positioned to orchestrate a climb back into the top 20 and ...

Kevin Jennings of the SMU Mustangs runs with the ball against the Louisville Cardinals at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in Louisville, Ky..

Andy Lyons/Getty Images North America/TNS

DALLAS — There is good news to be discussed on the Hilltop, even in the wake of a 41-31 loss at Louisville in which the usual suspects and more endured some ugly moments. There was a time SMU would have dropped right out of the rankings after such a defeat, but the Mustangs held their ground at No. 22 in the AP poll Sunday.

SMU is positioned to orchestrate a climb back into the top 20 and close in on the top 10 before they run into Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., on Nov. 21. The Mustangs will be a touchdown-or-more favorite in every game until then, but they have to avoid the killer mistakes that derailed a mostly good performance against a smart Louisville team Saturday afternoon.

Here are the main observations I took while strolling the stands looking for a seat in the shade (don’t ask why I didn’t get a credential or how I was home by 9 p.m. watching Ole Miss-LSU, it’s not important).

First, a word about Louisville. Clearly more of a basketball school than a football factory by reputation, but as I walked past the Johnny Unitas statue in what I suppose is the south end zone at the poorly named L&N Stadium, I thought this: How many of the big-time football powers can roll out a better modern and not-so-modern duo than Johnny U and Lamar Jackson?

The school that comes to mind is … nobody.

Alabama’s got Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Ken Stabler — Super Bowl winners from a half century ago — but we’re holding off on those statues of Tua and Bryce Young.

Anyway, applause to the Cards for that pairing.

As for SMU:

— Is there any chance Scott Symons wants to come home?

Wouldn’t even need to pack his things.

You might not be aware, but the Cowboys inside linebackers coach was the SMU defensive coordinator the last four years. The Mustangs ranked seventh nationally against the run and 10th in sacks when he was a Broyles Award (top assistant) finalist in ‘24. They were fifth in takeaways and 19th in rushing defense last season.

SMU got obliterated for 442 yards Saturday. Running back Keyjuan Brown had a career-high 163 yards and one long touchdown run featured some incredibly poor tackling efforts. In two ACC games at Florida State and Louisville, SMU’s defense has zero takeaways except for FSU’s desperation lateral play on the final snap, a comedy of errors which inevitably ends in a fumble.

When I talked to coach Rhett Lashlee at the end of fall practice, he thought the coordinator transition to Maurice Crum Jr. and Rickey Hunley Jr. would be “pretty seamless." He didn’t mean that as any shot at Symons, just that two coaches being elevated on the staff were prepared for the task. And maybe the defense will get better as the season goes along. But the failure to make any kind of game-shifting plays has put an enormous burden on the offense.

— Is Kevin Jennings always the one to blame?

He finished with two interceptions and a controversial fumble crossing the goal line (I thought he broke the plane but my view from a shaded spot beneath an SMU suite I might have snuck into for halftime food wasn’t great). And Jennings was his own worst enemy going back to the Clemson and Penn State losses two years ago, always while piling up enormous chunks of positive yardage, so this feels like familiar ground.

But I would point to Lashlee, too, for this defeat. A creative play-caller, he gets carried away — as so many do — with his own cuteness at times. In the third quarter of a high-scoring game, SMU punted once after going 2 yards in five plays and again after a three-and-out. Running back Kendrick Raphael did not touch the ball on either possession. Did I mention Raphael had a career-high 197 yards rushing and three touchdowns and was a force from the first quarter to the last, when given the chance?

I’m guessing the unusual Kentucky heat (95 at kickoff) played a factor, but I think those two series got away from Lashlee, and that put the burden on Jennings who came up short in a tough road environment. SMU won’t face anything of that nature in the conference again this year. In a very weird schedule, having traveled to Tallahassee and Louisville by mid-September, SMU’s remaining ACC road games are at Syracuse on Halloween and Stanford on Nov. 28.

That’s it. Notre Dame is a non-conference game, of course, even though the Irish play six ACC teams per season.

And that’s how this thing is not over yet for the Mustangs. As long as they don’t repeat a Wake Forest or Cal game from a year ago (the school wisely ponied up and made former Cal back Raphael a Mustang this season), they can be knocking on the top 10’s door when they travel to the land of Knute Rockne.

Then it’s up to Jennings. And Lashlee. And some defensive coaches and players in need of a fix. A team that ran through the ACC 8-0 in ‘24 and was the last to beat Miami until the national championship in ‘25 has proved it’s right where it belongs. Stanford might have an Elway statue to match Unitas, but it won’t be a team’s rich quarterback history that keeps the Mustangs from any of their still attainable goals.

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