SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Kevin Jennings threw for 281 yards and a touchdown, T.J Harden ran for 96 yards and two more scores, and SMU bounced back from a double-overtime loss to Baylor by rallying for a 28-10 win over Missouri State on Saturday.
Dramekco Green added a touchdown run for the Mustangs (2-1), who trailed 10-0 early before finishing with four unanswered touchdowns against the Bears (1-2), who were playing their first home game as a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision.
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The Bears' Jacob Clark threw for 275 yards and a touchdown. But he also was picked off three times, including once in the end zone, when Missouri State had a chance to regain the lead early in the second half.
The Bears, who were blown out by USC in their opener, had rebounded with a comeback win over Marshall. And they carried that momentum into revamped Plaster Stadium, where a big crowd turned up for one of the biggest home games in school history.
Missouri State turned an early interception into a field goal. Then, after swapping possessions, the Bears needed just six plays to go 74 yards, and Clark finished off the drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Dash Luke for a 10-0 lead.
For much of the first half, SMU looked as if it was still recovering from last week's loss to Baylor, which knocked the Mustangs out of the Top 25. But coach Rhett Lashlee's bunch finally hit its stride late in the second quarter, driving 73 yards and 80 yards on consecutive possessions to take a 14-10 lead into the break.
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Harden added a 37-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and RJ Maryland's TD catch in the fourth put the game away.
Art signs off
The first FBS home game for Missouri State was the last game for longtime radio voice Art Hains, who is retiring after 46 years behind the microphone. The game against SMU, the 69-year-old Hains' alma mater, was his 463rd football broadcast on a resume of nearly 3,000 athletic events for Missouri State dating to the 1977 season.
The takeaway
SMU has yet to look like the team that lost to Penn State in the College Football Playoff last season. The Mustangs struggled for much of a season-opening win over East Texas A&M before tough tussles with Baylor and Missouri State.
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Missouri State won eight games at the FCS level last season, matching its most since 1990. The transition to the FBS level was expected to be difficult, but the Bears have shown their ability to compete the last two weeks.
Up next
SMU plays its second Big 12 opponent next Saturday at TCU.
Missouri State plays FCS-level UT Martin next Saturday.
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