Know The Enemy 2025: Southern Methodist University Football

Our kinship is an unlikely animal friends video

This week’s KTE is with our friend Not Craig James, an SMU burner who Get It. After we spoke he mentioned his Dad played for Cal in the 80’s. He had a game day program from when these schools met in 1957, and a bench from Memorial stadium in his kitchen, pictures after the article.

image courtesy of @SMUFB

1. What’re the vibes at SMU like at this point in the season? Are the early season in-state losses in the rearview after this heater you’re on?

Vibes are high. It’s been an odd season. You had the two losses early in the year, and then two lackluster wins over Cuse and Stanford, then an impressive win over Clemson. A lot of people bought in after that. Then came the 13-12 loss to Wake Forest in one of the worst football games I have ever watched in my life. It wasn’t even fun like the Cheez-It Bowl. That sank the vibes. You had all this hope that you could run the table in the ACC and then it just came crashing down. The next week was the Miami game, and that was a great win, not to mention a deeply emotional one. Since then, this team has a fire under them, it seems. They’re playing with emotion and I think they know what’s at stake this week. SMU fans are chomping at the bit for another chance at Charlotte after the Clemson loss there last year, and another possible CFP berth. And you have to beat Cal to do that! But those in-state losses seem like a lifetime ago, and as much as they hurt, all will be forgiven if this team can finish 10-3.

2. Who’s an offensive player Cal fans should know?

The easy answer would be Kevin Jennings. He’s the guy that makes this offense run. But I’ll go with Jordan Hudson, and no, not Bill’s GF... Jordan was hurt on the first play of the season and missed some time. Big things were expected of him, so it was not ideal. But once he got back to full speed, he’s been a game -changing player, and Kevin’s favorite target. If my math is correct (I’m no Cal grad!) he has 24 catches for 336 yards and 2 TDs in the last three games, and finished over or around 100 yards in each of those. He’ll be Kevin’s favorite target again Saturday, and someone they try to get the ball to early and often.

3. Who’s a defensive player Cal fans should know?

Isaiah Smith has 4.5 sacks in the last 3 games. On the season, he has 8.5 sacks and 17 TFLs. He has 23 sacks in his career and needs one more to break the program record. He has an outside shot at the season record of 12, too. He’s 5 TFLs off the single-season SMU record, so I imagine he will be hungry to add to those against an offense that 1) doesn’t run the ball all that effectively and 2) passes a lot.

4. What can Cal do to win this thing?

Find mismatches in the secondary on offense. Force Kevin into mistakes defensively and turn SMU over., which is what Wake Forest did. SMU may step on their own tail if given the opportunity, especially if it’s a tight game late. But JKS would need to be on his A game and the line would need to keep him clean.

5. SMU feel like the kind of program that is prepared for this brave new world of College Football. What would you tell your new Cal compatriots as we navigate the ACC and look for our new HC?

A head coach means nothing if you can’t get institutional support. It takes boosters, admins, and coaches to all be on the same page. Ron Rivera seems to have Cal on the right path in that regard, but there’s a lot of work to be done. We got lucky in that a lot of pissed-off people opened their wallets after that snake Sonny left. Cal may need to find that moment. At the end of the day, it may be considered “cool” in Berkeley to act like you are above sports -- the university has long had this mindset. But that really has to change if Cal wants to see sustained success in any sport, really. Sports can thrive at Cal — they just need to be given the chance to do so.

6. We don’t condone violence here at Write for Cal, but who would you like to punch in the face?

Young Sheldon. That dude is way too smug and the way he dresses pisses me off. It would be on sight with him.