RENO — After Kevin Jennings led SMU to its first touchdown drive against Nevada on Saturday night, it appeared the second-year quarterback had earned the starting quarterback job for the rest of the night.

Although junior Preston Stone was given the starting role for the second year in a row, his first half after his injury was a struggle. He intercepted his first pass attempt of the season and had two more near interceptions later in the half.

Stone started the game 1-of-5 for 23 yards, while Jennings came on for SMU’s third and fourth drives.

But despite going 4 of 5 for 54 yards on his two drives as center, Jennings returned to the bench for the remainder of the game.

Saturday’s 29-24 comeback win over Nevada provided the first glimpse of how SMU plans to rotate two quarterbacks this season, though Rhett Lashlee said the circumstances of the game forced some adjustments to their original plan. The decision to keep Stone back for the entire second half — where he improved greatly and led SMU to a comeback win — showed the coaching staff’s confidence in their returning starter.

“Preston went down early in the second half and I think we started looking a little bit like SMU football. We were getting points. We didn’t want to go back and forth as the clock was ticking down,” Lashlee said after the game. “It had nothing to do with us not fully believing in Kevin. You’re going to see more of Kevin.”

Lashlee admitted after the game that the decision to play Jennings on the third and fourth drives had nothing to do with Stone’s early struggles. The decision to play Stone back on the fifth drive was also in the planning.

After earning the starting role, Stone would naturally take more snaps, but Lashlee felt it was fair that Jennings play the third and fourth drives. The rest of his playing time wasn’t contingent on him leading the team in touchdown drives, he said.

“If you asked me, I would have thought we would have played Kevin more,” Lashlee said. “He did a great job and he’s going to continue to play. But the way the game went, we didn’t get a lot of possession. … You don’t want to go back and forth, so you have to go with someone. (Stone) earned the starting position. He has the experience, so we stuck with him.”

The strategy of sticking with one quarterback paid off. In the third quarter, Stone began to look more confident, and in the fourth quarter, he found a solid connection with RJ Maryland and led the team to an impressive fourth-quarter comeback. Stone orchestrated two touchdown drives and a two-point conversion attempt in the final eight minutes. He finished the game 17 of 30 for 254 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

“That was an emotional roller coaster of a football game. Myself, and I think us as a unit, definitely didn’t come out the way we wanted to,” Stone said. “I think adversity, it breeds excellence throughout the season, and I feel like in the first quarter, the second quarter, the third quarter, and certainly the fourth quarter, we just kept moving forward.”

SMU came in as a 27.5-point favorite and likely expected to rotate Stone and Jennings and get enough snaps for both. The need to rally from a two-score deficit in the fourth quarter wasn’t in the plan — but it gave Stone a chance to redeem himself and show he can thrive under pressure.

Both quarterbacks had good moments in their season debuts. A game against FCS opponent Houston Christian next week should provide a chance for a more even load sharing, barring another disastrous start.

From that point on, when SMU’s power-conference schedule begins, Stone could again dominate snaps in close games, but the Week 0 game showed he’s determined to keep both quarterbacks involved.

“Not many people play with two guys, but we have two guys that led us on touchdown drives today that are capable of making plays,” Lashlee said. “Hopefully we can get into a rhythm that’s more offensive, that gives us more drives and more opportunities to do that.”

On X/Twitter: @Lassimak

Find more SMU coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.