No. 23 SMU overwhelms Cal with 42-point second half

Oct 24, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; SMU Mustangs wide receiver Jalen Hale (2) catches a touchdown pass against California Golden Bears defensive back Isaiah Crosby (23) during the second half at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images Kendrick Raphael rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns against his former team to help No. 23 SMU pull away for a 59-20 ACC win against Cal on Saturday afternoon in Dallas. Raphael, who rushed for 943 yards and 13 touchdowns for Cal last season, also snared a touchdown pass from Kevin Jennings, who completed 16 of 23 attempts for 223 yards and three touchdowns. Christian Rhodes added two short touchdown runs for the Mustangs (6-1, 4-1 ACC), who outscored Cal 42-0 in the second half after trailing by three at halftime. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele completed 27 of 36 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown for the Golden Bears (3-5, 2-3), who scored first when they moved the ball 65 yards in seven plays on their opening drive. Sagapolutele capped the march with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Chase Hendricks. After getting on the board with a 29-yard field goal from Brendan Baird, the Mustangs moved ahead 10-7 when Jennings found Raphael wide open on a wheel route that turned into a 22-yard touchdown. Cal regained a 14-10 lead when tight end Mason Mini scored on a 1-yard run off a direct snap with 10:46 left in the first half. After a 41-yard field goal by Towns McGough made it 17-10, Raphael scored on a 1-yard run on fourth down to tie it 17-17. McGough booted a 37-yard field goal as the first half expired for a 20-17 lead. SMU took the second-half kickoff and marched 67 yards on seven plays, scoring on a Rhodes 5-yard run to retake the lead 24-20. The Mustangs forced their second straight three-and-out and Jennings quickly found Derrick McFall for a 21-yard touchdown strike and a 31-20 lead. After another three-and-out, the Mustangs extended the lead to 38-20 on a 3-yard touchdown run by Rhodes with 4:04 left in the third. SMU turned it into a blowout in the fourth quarter as Raphael scored on a 1-yard plunge, Jennings hit Jalen Hale for a 17-yard score and third-stringer EJ Kelly scored on a 10-yard run. SMU, which finished with 492 total yards, did not commit a turnover for the third straight game. --Field Level Media