SMU linebacker Kobe Wilson holds the Iron Skillet trophy as the team celebrates its 66-42 victory over TCU in an NCAA college football game, Saturday in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

Staff Wire Reports

DALLAS — Brashard Smith ran for 127 yards and three of his four scores while SMU also had three non-offensive touchdowns for the first time in 12 years on Saturday in a 66-42 win over TCU and former coach Sonny Dykes, who got ejected after two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

Dykes drew an automatic ejection after the two quick penalties at the start of the second half, after a holding call negated an apparent kickoff return for a touchdown. He kept chirping at the officials and was flagged a second time right after the Horned Frogs (2-2) had gained 22 yards on their first snap after that.

“Two penalties from two different officials. I understood why I got the first one, I thought I deserved it,” Dykes said. “The second one, I really don’t know where it came from. The first one I deserved.”

It was the first career ejection for Dykes, who is in his 15th season as a college head coach and was in his 165th game.

ACC newcomer SMU (3-1) had scored 17 points in the final 1:28 of the first half for a 41-21 lead, the most points the Mustangs ever scored in a half during the series that was played for the 103rd time. That quick scoring spurt included Ahmaad Moses’ 69-yard interception return for a touchdown.

“The sequence of events right before half was huge,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said.

The Mustangs jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the game’s first nine minutes, including Brandon Crossley’s 51-yard fumble return for a TD and Roderick Daniels Jr.’s 69-yard punt return only 58 seconds later. Their 66 points were the most scored by either team in a series that doesn’t have another game scheduled after next year.

“We felt like to win, from the first play to the last play we needed to just leave no doubt that we’re the most physical team on the field,” Lashlee said. “That was literally our only thought process coming into game on offense, defense, special teams and credit our guys for carrying it out.”

TCU’s Josh Hoover threw for 396 yards and three touchdowns on 28-of-43 passing, but also had four turnovers — two interceptions and two fumbles. His first fumble was the one Crossley returned and the second was recovered at the Frogs’ 1-yard line, setting up the first of Smith’s two 1-yard TDs in the second half.

Hoover threw into double coverage when Daniels got his pick-6 that was his first interception this year. It came on his 143rd attempt, the most in the nation before throwing one.

Smith also had a 25-yard TD run and caught a 24-yard scoring pass from Kevin Jennings, who made his first start this season.

Jennings was 14-of-19 passing for 137 yards and two touchdowns. and ran 10 times for 41 yards. The Mustangs finished with 375 total yards, 238 on the ground.

Cincinnati 34, Houston 0

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and the Bearcats defense kept Houston off the scoreboard in a 34-0 Bearcats win.

It’s Cincinnati’s first shutout win since Nov. 3, 2018, when the Bearcats blanked Navy 42-0 at Nippert Stadium. Houston is the first Power Four team to be shut out this season, and it’s the Bearcats first shutout of a Power Four team since they blanked Virginia Tech in 1995.

The Bearcats (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) have already equaled their 2023 win total.

“In college football, a shutout is hard to do,” Cincinnati sixth-year safety Derrick Canteen said. “It says a lot about this defense. This is such a hungry group and a team with such a chip on our shoulder.”

Sorsby threw touchdowns of 19 and 15 yards to wide receiver Xzavier Henderson in the first half. The first touchdown came after an opening-drive interception by Bearcats safety Josh Minkins Jr., Cincinnati’s third straight game with an opening-drive interception.

It was the first of three straight scoring drives for the Bearcats, as they raced out to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter. Two of the three scoring drives covered 80 yards while the other 45 yards.

The Cougars struggled offensively throughout, being held to just 233 total yards. Seven penalties for 68 yards didn’t help.

Miscues, including three turnovers, haunted Houston. The closest the Cougars came to scoring was early in the second quarter when kicker Joseph Kim missed right on a 32-yard field goal attempt. It was one of only two drives to end in the red zone for the Cougars.

North Texas 44, Wyoming 17

DENTON — Chandler Morris threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns and Makenzie McGill, from Mount Vernon, ran for three touchdowns to lead North Texas past Wyoming 44-17 on Saturday.

McGill scored on runs of 24, 4 and 2 yards on six carries for just 38 yards. Meanwhile, Shane Porter ran for 120 yards on 13 caries for a 9.2 yards per carry average.

McGill’s 4-yard score with 1:17 before halftime made it 24-10 for North Texas (3-1). On the kickoff, Tyler King ran it back 100 yards to bring Wyoming within a touchdown but the Cowboys never scored again.

Wyoming’s Evan Svoboda threw for 155 yards and a 41-yard touchdown to Sam Scott.

It was the first meeting between the two teams. The Cowboys (0-4) are off to their worst start since 2015 when they dropped their first six and finished 2-10.

SFA 48, Colorado 7

NACOGDOCHES — Sam Vidlak threw three touchdown passes and Jerrell Wimbley ran for two scores as Stephen F. Austin rolled to a 48-7 win over Northern Colorado on Saturday night.

The Lumberjacks evened their record at 2-2 by amassing 509 total yards of offense while their defense smothered the Bears’ passing game, allowing just 18 net yards.

Vidlak capped an eight-play, 75-yard opening drive by throwing 20 yards to Kylon Harris barely two minutes into the game and Wimbley capped a four-play, 67-yard drive by scoring from the 1 to make it 14-0 after a quarter. Vidlak bracketed TD passes to Jordan Nabors and Rohan Fluellen around Wimbley’s 2-yard TD run in the second quarter for a 35-0 halftime lead.

Darius Stewart broke free for a 59-yard touchdown run for Northern Colorado’s lone score to open the second half.

Vidlak finished 16-of-26 passing for 219 yards. Jaylen Jenkins carried six times for 80 yards and a touchdown and Qualan Jones added 79 yards on 10 carries.

Kia’i Keone completed 10 of 14 passes for 20 yards for Northern Colorado (0-4), adding 76 yards rushing on 17 carries. Stewart added 61 yards on nine carries as the Bears amassed 224 yards on 45 carries.

Lamar 20, Texas Southern 17

BEAUMONT — Khalan Griffin former Chapel Hill standout, ran for 124 yards and two second-half touchdowns, including a 3-yard scoring run with 1:05 to play, to help Lamar beat Texas Southern 20-17 Saturday night.

Lamar (3-1) faced fourth-and-8 from Tigers 21 with 1:28 left before back-to-back offsides penalties against Texas Southern. The first negated an interception in the end zone by MJ Hinson and the second gave the Cardinals a first-and-10 from the 11. Two plays later, Griffin ran off right tackle — virtually untouched — into the end zone to cap the scoring.

Chaunzavia Lewis, whose 7-yard touchdown run made it 10-0 just before halftime, ran for a 6-yard TD that gave Texas Southern (1-2) a 17-13 lead with 3:48 to play.

Jakolby Longino was 9-of-16 passing for 63-yards and added 43 yards rushing for the Cardinals. His 13-yard touchdown pass to Devyn Gibbs gave Lamar its first lead at 13-10 after Chris Esqueda missed the PAT attempt with 8:32 to play.

Griffin scored on a 1-yard run with 5 minutes remaining in the third quarter that trimmed Lamar’s deficit to 10-7.

Sam Houston St. 31,

New Mexico St. 11

HUNTSVILLE — Hunter Watson rushedfor 116 yards and two touchdowns to lead Sam Houston State to a 31-11 victory over New Mexico State in the Bearkats’ Conference USA opener on Saturday night.

New Mexico State (1-3, 0-2) scored first on a 32-yard field goal by Abraham Montano, but it was all Bearkats after that.

Watson answered with a 46-yard touchdown run four plays later to give Sam Houston (3-1, 1-0) the lead for good.

Isaiah Cash picked off a Santino Marucci pass and returned it 22 yards to the New Mexico State 35-yard line, setting up Jay Ducker’s 1-yard dive for a 14-3 lead after one quarter.

Watson’s 8-yard touchdown run pushed the Bearkats’ lead to 21-3 midway through the second quarter and it stood at halftime.

Backup quarterback Jase Bauer connected with Simeon Evans for a 20-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter and Christian Pavon kicked a 46-yard field goal late to complete the scoring for Sam Houston.

Sacramento St. 34,

Texas A&M-Commerce 0

COMMERCE — Carson Conklin passed for two touchdowns, Elias Mullican intercepted two passes, including a pick-6, and Sacramento State blanked Texas A&M-Commerce 34-0 on Saturday night.

After pair of Zach Schreiner field goals opened the scoring, Mullican had a 35-yard interception return for a TD and Conklin threw a 22-yard score to Jared Gipson for a 20-0 halftime lead.

The Hornets (2-2), ranked 11th in the FCS coaches poll, added 14 third-quarter points to put the game away with Conklin throwing a 16-yard TD to Elijah Tau-Tolliver and Ezra Moleni finishing off a nearly seven-minute drive with a 1-yard run.

Conklin finished 13-of-22 passing for 154 yards. Tau-Tolliver had 127 yards rushing on 20 carries and Gipson 85 yards receiving on four catches.

Colorado St. 27, UTEP 17

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Avery Morrow ran for 156 yards with two touchdowns and Colorado State defeated UTEP 27-17 on Saturday.

Morrow’s 2-yard touchdown run made it 7-0 in the first quarter and his 73-yard jaunt gave the Rams a 14-3 lead about 5 1/2 minutes before halftime.

In the third quarter, Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi’s short touchdown pass to Armani Winfield, followed by a 37-yard Jordan Noyes field goal made it 24-3 midway through the period.

UTEP rallied with touchdown passes of 28 and 56 yards from Cade McConnell pass to Kenny Odom to make it 24-17 early in the fourth.

Tarleton St. 28,

North Alabama 14

FLORENCE, Ala. — Kayvon Britten ran for 273 yards and four touchdowns to lead Tarleton State to a 28-14 victory over North Alabama on Saturday night in a United Athletic Conference opener.

Britten broke loose on a 96-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter and his 65-yard scoring run gave Tarleton State (3-1, 1-0) a 21-14 lead with 5:57 left in the third. Britten also ran for a 2-yard touchdown earlier in the third quarter and scored on a 9-yard run with 3:22 left in the game.

Britten’s rushing total was the most since Derrel Kelly III ran for 239 yards against Houston Christian on Nov. 19, 2022.