Stanford remained winless in four road games – all in different time zones – as SMU scored the first 17 points in a 34-10 win in Dallas on Saturday.
The Cardinal (2-4, 1-2 ACC) allowed an 87-yard touchdown run with 35 seconds left in the first half to fall behind 17-0, and SMU had a 96-yard interception return for a touchdown that made it 31-10 midway through the fourth quarter.
Stanford committed 10 penalties for 95 yards, allowed six sacks, fumbled a punt and was stopped at fourth-and-goal from the 1 to keep it from having any chance of pulling an upset against SMU (4-2, 2-0), who won its 19th straight regular-season conference game.
CJ Williams (7 catches, 109 yards), who went over 100 receiving yards for the third straight game, caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Ben Gulbranson with two seconds left in the first half. But Kevin Jennings threw a 42-yard touchdown on SMU’s first drive of the third quarter to put the margin back to 17.
Gulbranson followed his 400-yard passing game in Stanford’s previous game against San Jose State by completing 22 of 40 passes for 278 yards. The pick-6 was his first interception in four games, and SMU’s third defensive touchdown of the season.
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Stanford cornerback Aaron Morris left the field on a stretcher in the first quarter but was released from the hospital before the game ended.
The Cardinal previously lost at Hawaii, BYU and Virginia. It hosts No. 25 Florida State next Saturday night.