DALLAS, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Richard Bartel passed for 296 yards and three touchdowns Saturday to help Southern Methodist earn its first win of the season, a 37-34 Western Athletic Conference victory over Louisiana Tech.
Bartel, who completed 21 of 30 passes, clinched the win with an 84-yard strike to Cody Cardwell that made it 37-26 with just over six minutes remaining.
The victory snapped an eight-game losing streak for the Mustangs (1-7, 1-3 WAC) dating to last season. In its first seven games this year, SMU surpassed 20 points just once.
But it gained 458 total yards against Louisiana Tech (2-5, 1-2), which suffered its fourth straight setback, a slide that began with a blowout loss at Penn State.
Keylon Kincade rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns on a school-record 46 carries for the Mustangs. His one-yard touchdown run gave SMU the lead for good, 14-10, with four seconds left in the first period.
The Mustangs increased their advantage to 31-10 on Kincade's 15-yard touchdown scamper with 1:36 remaining in the third period before the Bulldogs tried to rally.
Joe Smith, who rushed for 135 yards and three touchdowns, scored on runs of one and 43 yards before Josh Scobee kicked a 36-yard field goal to make it 31-26 with 7:43 remaining.
Luke McCown struggled for Louisiana Tech, completing just 14 of 35 passes for 259 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He found Erick Franklin for a three-yard touchdown pass that completed the scoring with 4:25 to go.
