Missouri St vs. SMU Recap: 592 Yards and a 464-Yard Jennings Day

SMU beat Missouri State 34-24, and the game was much closer than the yardage. SMU outgained the Bears 592 to 239, yet trailed 10-0 after one quarter. Its first drive went 70 yards and ended on downs, its second went 78 yards and ended in a fumble, and Joel Boamah returned a Kevin Jennings interception 60 yards for a touchdown with 41 seconds left in the first. SMU then scored 21 straight points to lead 21-10 in the third. Missouri State cut it to 21-18 early in the fourth before Jennings threw two touchdown passes in under two minutes. Two DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game, both posted before kickoff.

What cashed

Kendrick Raphael anytime TD: CASHED

• Our read: Raphael led SMU with 275 rushing yards and 4 TDs in 3 games. Missouri State was allowing 207 rushing yards and 31.3 points a game.
• What happened: He scored SMU's first points on a 1-yard run in the second quarter. He finished with 23 carries for 98 yards and 4 catches for 48, including a 36-yarder.
• Worth watching: He got 27 touches and the short-yardage carry. That's the role we were betting on, and it is worth checking again.

ALT: Kevin Jennings 225+ passing yards (alt, targeted -170 to -200): CASHED

• Our read: Jennings had 989 passing yards in 3 games (330 a game) at 73.6%, and SMU averaged 537 yards. The risk was a blowout that ended his night early, so we used 225 instead of his average.
• What happened: He threw for 464 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception on 33-of-39 passing, clearing 224.5 by 239.5. Yamir Knight caught 11 passes for 164 yards, and Jalen Cooper added 125 yards on 8 catches. Jennings also ran in a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
• Worth watching: The blowout risk never showed up because the game stayed close, and he kept throwing. The lower rung was the right call either way, and 11.9 yards per attempt says his main number deserves a look too.

How the game played out

Skyler Locklear completed 15 of 19 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, and Henry Belin IV completed 7 of 15 passes for 69 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Breezy Dubar ran 7 times for 76 yards, with a long of 49. Missouri State converted 4 of 16 third downs, and 10 of its 24 points came in the first quarter off a field goal drive and the pick-six. SMU hurt itself with two turnovers, two failed field goal tries and 12 penalties for 111 yards.

Trends to watch

• Jennings threw 39 times for 464 yards in a close game. His passing yards alt lines are the cleanest way to back SMU's offense.
• Raphael had 27 touches and scored from the 1. His touchdown props are worth a look while he keeps the goal-line role.
• Knight had 11 catches and Cooper 8. Those two soak up most of Jennings's volume.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. New to these terms? Read up on the alt line, the player prop and the anytime touchdown.