CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Mustangs spent three decades pushing to be back in a power conference.

This season — and Saturday’s win over Virginia — showed why.

No. 13 SMU (10-1, 7-0) dominated in its final road contest against the Cavaliers (5-6, 3-4) 33-7 to clinch a spot in the ACC title game on Dec. 7.

Between a lights-out defensive performance, which included shutting out Virginia for the first 55 minutes of play, and another impressive showing from quarterback Kevin Jennings, the Mustangs cruised to victory to become the first team in the conference to secure their trip to Charlotte.

Here are five thoughts from the win.

Mustangs continue to make history in first ACC season

Each week during this historic season, SMU has seemingly achieved more feats many thought were impossible during their first year in the ACC.

After tearing through their first six conference opponents, SMU’s win Saturday made it the first team to make the conference title game in its first season after moving from a Group of Five conference to a power conference.

The Mustangs’ dominant win against Virginia was their 16th straight against a conference opponent and 10th consecutive on the road — both among the longest active streaks in FBS.

The Mustangs were picked to finish seventh in the ACC’s preseason poll, majorly exceeding expectations with their season that now has them on the brink of their first College Football Playoff appearance.

SMU defense led by Isaiah Smith and Jared Harrison-Hunte stifles UVA offense

SMU’s defense has been its most consistent facet this season, but after a weaker performance against Boston College last week, the group was seeking a bounce-back game.

That’s exactly what the Mustangs got from Scott Symons’ group, which was 4:16 away from posting its first shutout of the season. The Cavaliers finished with just 173 total yards and 65 on the ground. Last week against Boston College, the Mustang defense allowed 180 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

SMU was successful in getting to Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea, finishing with nine sacks. Defensive linemen Isaiah Smith and Jared Harrison-Hunte led the team with two each. Kori Roberson had 1.5 sacks.

Virginia made just three red zone trips. It missed a 41-yard field goal in the first half and could not convert a fourth-down attempt in the second half after intercepting Jennings.

With under five minutes to play, Virginia finally found the end zone as Colandrea hit Malachi Fields for the four-yard touchdown.

Kevin Jennings earns spot to compete on conference’s biggest stage

Jennings didn’t even begin the season as an ACC starter, but over the course of the last 12 weeks, he’s proven to be one of the conference’s top quarterbacks.

Against Virginia, Jennings was outstanding again, leading the Mustangs with a career-high 323 yards on 25 of 33 passing (76%) and three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing).

He had a stretch in the first half where he completed 12 straight passes, including a third-down conversion where he dodged multiple sacks before finding Roderick Daniels Jr. for the completion.

Jennings did have two turnovers in the second half, an interception and a fumble.

Nevertheless, a matchup with either Heisman candidate Cam Ward from Miami or Clemson’s Cade Klubnik in the ACC championship will be an intriguing one.

All wide receivers get involved in Jennings’ career day

Jennings has lost two of his top receiving targets over the past few weeks with both tight end RJ Maryand and wide receiver Jake Bailey going down with season-ending injuries.

But Saturday’s win showed the depth of the Mustang pass catchers with six different players recording multiple receptions and combining for 323 total yards.

Jordan Hudson led the group in receptions for the second consecutive week. After recording a career-high seven catches for 99 yards and a touchdown against Boston College, Hudson had six for 56 yards and a 17-yard touchdown reception in the first half against Virginia.

SMU’s leading receiver in yardage, however, was Moochie Dixon, who took four catches 89 yards with a long of 53 yards. Daniels added another five for 58 yards.

Tight end Matthew Hibner had SMU’s final 16-yard touchdown with 1:42 remaining.

The receivers stepped up, as Virginia limited SMU’s running backs, which combined for 111 yards on 35 carries.

Mustangs to close out regular season at Ford Stadium

SMU will get a chance to enjoy senior day next week without worrying about its ACC title game chances.

Having already clinched their spot, SMU will play its final regular-season game at Ford Stadium against Cal with a chance to become the first since the 1992 Florida State Seminoles to finish its inaugural campaign in a power conference unbeaten.

SMU has more to play for beyond the ACC title game. While it looks like the Mustangs will need to win the ACC championship to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff, at-large bids are still at play. Finishing 8-0 in conference play would be key to helping the Mustangs’ chances at one of those seven spots — or a better bowl selection should they miss out on the playoff.

They will also await their ACC championship opponent. Miami can secure their title game berth with a win over Syracuse next week, but Clemson would earn the spot if Miami loses.

Find more SMU coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

The No. 13 SMU Mustangs play against the Virginia Cavaliers in a college football game today. The matchup will begin at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN 2. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.

The Mustangs enter this matchup with a 9-1 record, and they are undefeated in conference play. Notably, the team has won seven games in a row. In their most recent game, the Mustangs defeated Boston College 38-28.

During the victory, SMU accrued 438 total yards. The team’s star quarterback Kevin Jennings threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns. He has thrown for 15 touchdowns and nearly 2,200 yards this season, so he will be a key player to watch today.

The Cavaliers enter this matchup with a 5-5 record, and they are coming off a 35-14 loss against Notre Dame. During the loss, Virginia struggled offensively. The team had five turnovers, which included three interceptions. Notably, Virginia only completed 17-36 passes against Notre Dame, so they will need to rely on their rushing attack today.

Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.

Not all soccer fans may be aware of the +/- statistic used in basketball and hockey which records a team’s point differential when a player is on the floor compared with when she’s not. In theory, this is a clever way to measure not just a player’s scoring but something media types love: the so-called intangibles.  This is a format I use for reporting on the men’s and women’s basketball teams, and I’m feeling punchy following the soccer team’s loss, so I’m going to apply it here.

Minus

It has now been four seasons since the Virginia women’s soccer team has advanced to the Round of 16 in the NCAA tournament.  Just four years ago the women possessed the second longest streak of reaching the Sweet 16 (second only to UNC) but two seasons ago, the women lost in the opening round and last year the team was not invited to the tourney.  And now a loss to a middling Wisconsin: a team like Virginia, which finished an underwhelming 9th in a power conference.

Plus

I’ll label my bias: I love PKs. Once a game hits overtime, I’m actively rooting for penalties. There is no more gut-wrenching cauldron in all of sport than PKs on a soccer pitch. I think it’s the walk. Players stand huddled at midfield and have to walk, by themselves, one by one, to the appointed penalty spot.  Going from a constant-motion game like soccer to a static skill is jarring. Golfers have to make that walk all the time, but soccer players, not so much.  The pressure is unbelievable.

Minus

Wisconsin’s Hailey Baumann sent Victoria Safradin the wrong way for the first penalty.  Maggie Cagle took Virginia’s first and hit it pretty much straight down the middle for an easy save.  Yuna McCormack and Lia Godfrey hit textbook pass-the-ball-into-the-side-netting shots, bringing up Linda Mittermair who pushed the ball wide left.  Season over.  Despite what I said about loving PKs, it is an anti-climactic way to end a season.

Minus

Head coach Steve Swanson had brought in Mittermair cold to take that penalty.  She had not played a minute of the game’s 110 minutes.  Every coach who has designs on playing in the NCAA Tournament knows that there will be no ties and that penalties loom on everyone’s horizon.  Swanson has had all season to determine who his five best penalty takers are, and he must have settled on Mittermair at some point.  But to expect her to take a penalty cold, to put her under that kind of pressure, well, that’s just coaching malfeasance.

Plus

After missing the last seven games, Alexis Theoret returned to the pitch in the second half and she logged 62 minutes.  Theoret is my favorite Virginia player over the past decade and it has been a joy, and privilege to watch her.  Unfortunately, she was not match fit and was not her usual forceful presence.

Minus

Chloe Japic did not play either of Virginia’s two NCAA games, and while inconclusive, I couldn’t see her on the sideline.  I don’t know if her absence was disciplinary or due to injury, but she has been a versatile contributor to the team.  On the bright side, Swanson may have found the replacement for Samar Guidry, who is graduating, in Laughlin Ryan who was solid in defense and adventurous in attack.

Minus

Virginia was called for offsides six times.  That’s just a lack of situational awareness and it cost Virginia because four of those could have sprung a Virginia attacker for a dangerous opportunity.

Minus

Virginia sent way too many crosses into the box.  For the most part, they were lovely balls, but this team doesn’t have anyone with the aerial presence of a Meg McCool, Diana Ordonez or Haley Hopkins.  And because there was no commanding presence, every weak side runner crashed toward the penalty spot – as they should – but no one ever ran to the back of the box.  At least four nice crosses went rolling wide, free for a Wisconsin defender to start the attack.

Plus

Defenders Kiki Maki and Moira Kelley put in lights-out shifts today.  Wisconsin didn’t get a single shot on goal and the pair completely shut down Wisconsin’s best attacker, Aryssa Mahrt.

Minus

Virginia has struggled to play the ball out of the back all year.  For the past two games Swanson has opted for a five-back defensive line, ostensibly to give the defenders more targets.  It didn’t work, even against a decidedly average Wisconsin press.  I personally think you need more targets in midfield.  In any event, Yuna McCormack and Lia Godfrey weren’t able, by themselves, to control midfield.  Virginia was so inept controlling the ball that on the second half kickoff, the Cavaliers possessed the ball for less than three seconds before Kelley hit the ball out of bounds in desperation.

Minus

Karma bit Maggie Cagle in the butt today.  With three minutes left in the game, Cagle got the ball at the top of the box, turned two defenders and got baseline within the six-yard box.  As she turned toward goal, she was brought down.  She sold the foul hard but the referee’s initial call was not a penalty.  Sure, the ref went to VAR for review, but given that the initial call was not a foul, there wasn’t enough evidence to rule for a penalty.  Cagle has developed a penchant for embellishing her fouls as the season progressed, and on this night, the ref simply didn’t believe her.  And it cost Virginia a chance for the win.

Plus… and Minus

For the most part, this was an uninspiring game and yet the announcers gave it their all.  At one point when a Virginia player slipped trying to make a turn in the Wisconsin box, one announcer opined that “the pitch had gotten in her way.”  I’ve watched a lot of soccer and never heard that turn of phrase.

But the announcer gave it away in overtime when he stated that “Virginia had a plethora of chances in a myriad of ways,” which is pretty close to word salad.

Plus

Three times the camera closeup on Wisconsin keeper Drew Stover showed her delivering no-look distributions to her teammates.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.  That was pretty cool.

Next Up? Well, it’s been a pretty crummy mid-week for Virginia athletics. The women are out of the tournament and men’s basketball got hammered in two games in The Bahamas. I invite you to join me watching women’s basketball. The women play with a greater ferocity than do the men, and in Kymora Johnson, the women’s team has maybe the best player in the athletics department. You know, this side of the women’s swim and dive team. Next game is Sunday, November 24th. Game time is 4pm and is on the ACC Network.