Noon, ESPN2

Head Coach: Rhett Lashlee (27-10)

Last Meeting: None

Senior Day has arrived for the Virginia Cavaliers, as Tony Elliott and staff will look to celebrate the senior members of the football program on Saturday in their last home game at Scott Stadium. The Wahoos take on ACC newcomer, SMU, who comes into Charlottesville sporting an undefeated mark in conference play with hopes of playing in the ACC Championship game in two weeks in Charlotte.

Last Saturday, UVa literally fumbled the game away early, against Notre Dame, losing 35-14. The Cavaliers fell behind 28 to 0, after turnovers and miscues, and could not get on track. Offensively, Virginia struggled at the quarterback position with Anthony Colandrea throwing three costly interceptions and just not being able to control the game. After the half, Tony Muskett entered the game and steadied the offense, leading two touchdown drives.

This Saturday, UVa turns their attention to another challenging opponent. SMU, led by head coach Rhett Lashlee, are one of the country’s biggest surprises, sitting at 9-1, sporting a seven-game win streak. The Mustangs enter their first-ever meeting with Virginia as 10-point favorites.

SMU has emerged as a top 25 offense in FBS behind quarterback Kevin Jennings, who replaced former starter Preston Stone in September. The 6-foot redshirt sophomore passed 2,198 yards and 15 touchdowns after starting the season as the backup.

Joining Jennings in the backfield is former Miami Hurricane Brashard Smith. Smith (5-foot-10, 196 pounds) has over 1,200 total yards this season, including 1,026 rushing yards. Smith has 12 touchdowns on the ground, while also hauling in a team leading 26 catches for two more scores.

Another Miami transfer, Key’Shawn Smith, leads the receiving corps for SMU. The 6-foot-1, 186-pound grad student has four touchdown grabs this season, tying him for the team lead with Jordan Hudson (6-foot1, 191 pounds) and tight end RJ Maryland (6-foot-4, 237 pounds). Senior slot Roderick Daniels, Jr. (5-foot-9, 186 pounds) will be the Mustangs’ jack of all trades on Saturday. Daniels has amassed 402 yards and two touchdowns receiving and nearly 200 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground.

SMU has a veteran group on the offensive line led by three graduate students in Logan Parr (6-foot-4, 316 pounds) and Justin Osborne (6-foot-5, 305 pounds) at the guard position and Jakai Clark (6-foot-3, 334 pounds) at center. This group anchors a run offense that averages 191 yards per game.

The Mustangs will trot out a 3-4 defense on Saturday that is elite against the run. This group is sixth in FBS in rushing defense, giving up only 99 yards a game (2.9 yards per rush). As a total unit, SMU is ranked 50th in the country. Their pass defense is ranked 108th nationally, surrendering 250 yards passing a game.

Up front, a pair of Miami transfers lead the way. Elijah Roberts (6-foot-4, 295 pounds) and Jahfari Harvey (6-foot-4, 251 pounds) combine for eight sacks and 14 TFLs. Roberts missed the BC game last week with a hand injury, however backup Isaiah Smith (6-foot-4, 244 pounds) has 4.5 sacks of his own.

Linebacker Kobe Wilson (6-feet, 225 pounds) is the team’s leading tackler with 79 stops this season while safety Isaiah Nwokobia (6-foot-1, 202 pounds) has 73 tackles and three interceptions. His safety-mate Ahmaad Moses (5-foot-10, 200 pounds) also has three picks for the ‘Stangs defense.

It's simple. UVa must protect the football and play above their heads against top competition. SMU is one of the nation’s best teams in 2024 and features a wide open, air raid offense and a stingy defense that is fast. Whether it is Colandrea or Muskett starting at quarterback, Virginia needs to find some success down the field. After the injury to Trell Harris, UVa lost its ability to stretch the field. Malachi Fields has produced but the Wahoos need to find another weapon in these last weeks to ultimately qualify for a bowl.

Virginia has two guaranteed games left in the 2024 season. Saturday’s final home game is an opportunity to gain a sixth win and qualify for a bowl game, and get momentum going into the final game of the regular season at Virginia Tech.

We think that UVa does some good things offensively, but SMU is seemingly on a mission to advance to the ACC championship game. While our defense has had its moments, injuries are mounting on that side of the ball and against a talented SMU team, the lack of quality depth will impact the Hoos.

UVa drops their second in a row, falling to 5-6, heading to Blacksburg in a must-win game to extend its season.