Kevin Jennings hasn't thrown a meaningful pass since SMU's playoff run ended last season, and for a stretch of fall camp it looked like he might not be fully healthy when it mattered. A jammed finger on his throwing hand limited him in practice, the kind of injury that sounds minor until it's your quarterback's snapping wrist right before Week 1. Turns out it was minor. Jennings started throwing again this week, and Lashlee is treating it like a speed bump, not a setback.
Lashlee's update to ESPN's Pete Thamel was about as clean as these things get. "Going well," he said. "No pain, and we are working him back in this week and expect him to have a full two weeks to get ready for game one and be 100%." That's a coach who isn't hedging. Two full weeks of ramp-up before kickoff is the kind of buffer that turns a camp scare into a footnote by the time the Mustangs actually take the field.
Context matters here: Jennings isn't some unproven arm SMU is crossing its fingers on. He's thrown for 7,709 career yards with 55 passing touchdowns and another 10 on the ground, numbers that put him among the more productive quarterbacks in the country over the last few seasons. Losing him for any stretch, even in August, is the kind of thing that changes how a program approaches camp.
Jennings had been limited by the jammed finger early in camp. Jennings is one of the most productive quarterbacks in the sport, with 7,709 career passing yards. He has 55 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing.
The timing raises the stakes a little. SMU opens the season on the road at Florida State on Sept. 7, a Labor Day night kickoff in Tallahassee that's set to air nationally on ESPN. It's the Mustangs' first-ever trip to Doak Campbell Stadium and their ACC opener to boot — not exactly the game you want your starting quarterback shaking off rust in front of a national audience.
None of that seems to be in question anymore, though. Between Lashlee's public comfort level and the reported medical all-clear, the finger looks like a camp story that fades once real snaps start piling up. SMU fans just want their quarterback throwing without a wince by the time the lights come on in Florida — and right now, that's exactly the direction this is heading.