Tulane vs. SMU score: Mustangs depart AAC with title, pave way for Liberty to reach New Year's Six bowl

The Mustangs kept the Green Wave from back-to-back American titles

By Dean Straka

Dec 2, 2023 at 9:20 pm ET • 1 min read

SMU will depart the American Athletic Conference for the ACC next year with a conference championship in hand. A 26-14 upset over No. 22 Tulane in the AAC Championship Game gave the Mustangs their first outright conference crown since 1982, which was also the last time the Mustangs won 11 games in a season.

The Mustangs not only denied the Green Wave of consecutive AAC titles, they also put No. 24 Liberty in the driver's seat to reach a New Year's Six bowl as the Group of Five champion after winning the Conference USA championship to finish 13-0.

That is if the Mustangs don't jump the Flames, something for which AAC commissioner Mike Aresco has already pushed.

"SMU joins a long list of American Athletic Conference champions that have proven themselves worthy of a New Year's Six bowl bid," Aresco said. "To challenge themselves as they did in nonconference games, playing competitive games on the road against Oklahoma and TCU, and to finish with 11 wins, and beating a ranked team on the road to win The American Championship, shows the Mustangs are undoubtedly one of the top teams in the nation."

SMU took the lead for good on a 48-yard field goal in the third quarter by Collin Rogers, the first of four conversions that accounted for all 12 of the Mustangs' second-half points.
Backup SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, despite his shaky first half, ended his first start 19 of 33 passing for 203 yards and a touchdown with 63 yards rushing. The Mustangs ultimately outgained Tulane 396-269 in total offensive yardage as they took home the league crown with a chance to win 12 games in their second season under coach Rhett Lashlee.
Tulane's loss carries extra weight amid reports that Houston is zeroing in on coach Willie Fritz to replace Dana Holgorsen. Over the past two seasons, Tulane has won 23 games after a two-win season in 2021. Houston is no stranger to Fritz and Tulane; the Cougars were in the AAC before joining the Big 12 this past summer.
SMU joins the ACC next season along with California and Stanford from the Pac-12.

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SMU leads Tulane at halftime

SMU leads No. 22 Tulane 14-7 at halftime in the AAC Championship Game. The Mustangs are threatening to throw a wrench into the race for the Group of Five's New Year's Six bowl bid. SMU's top-ranked AAC defense has flexed its muscles, holding the Green Wave to less than 100 total yards of offense through two quarters as the Mustangs seek their first conference championship in nearly four decades.

SMU fell behind 7-0 early but rallied back to take its first lead of the game late in the second quarter when quarterback Kevin Jennings -- making his first start in place of an injured Preston Stone -- connected with Key'Shawn Smith on a 17-yard touchdown pass. The go-ahead score came after the Mustangs squandered several opportunities on offense earlier in the half. Jennings lost a fumble early and also committed a pair of interceptions, sending SMU to the locker room only up seven despite out-gaining Tulane 249-82 in total offensive yardage.

Tulane is looking to repeat as the AAC champion and earn a New Year's Six bowl berth for a second-straight year. SMU, meanwhile, is seeking its first league title since finishing tied atop the Southwest Conference in 1984. The Mustangs leave the AAC for the ACC in 2024, marking their return to a major conference.