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Cougars fall to SMU

| September 19, 2010 9:00 PM

DALLAS (AP) - Kyle Padron threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another to lead Southern Methodist to a 35-21 win over Washington State on Saturday.

Padron connected with wide receiver Aldrick Robinson on scoring passes of 67, 16 and 10 yards. Robinson finished the game with 111 yards on four catches after entering the game with only 101 yards on 7 receptions through the first two games.

"The way the balls were coming at me, I know he was on," Robinson said. "He came in the huddle a little more enthusiastic."

It was the first win for the Mustangs (2-1) against a school from a BCS conference since they defeated Kansas 31-17 on September 2, 2000.

"I just read that on Thursday," said SMU coach June Jones, who spent 12 years as an NFL coach earlier in his career. "We're 7-1 in our last eight home games and to be a good team you have to win home games. If you do that it doesn't matter if you play in the NFL or C-USA."

The Mustangs were 0-17 against BCS schools during that span including a 30-27 overtime loss last year at Washington State. In that game the Cougars rallied from a 14 point deficit in the game's final 10 minutes.

The Cougars (1-2) have lost 11 straight games against FBS (formerly Division I-A) schools with their last win coming against SMU last year.

"They ran a lot more this year," said Cougars defensive back Deone Bucannon.

The Mustangs ran for 80 yards in last year's loss and 140 yards in Saturday's win. Zach Line led all rushers with 82 yards on 8 carries.

SMU scored 21 consecutive second-half points, including Robinson's 10-yard touchdown catch with 2:08 left in the game for 35-14 lead.

"We showed what we can do and what we're capable of in that second half," Padron said. "We just need to do that for a full 60 minutes."

Padron's 10-yard strike to Darius Johnson allowed SMU to take a 21-14 lead with 5:01 left in the third quarter. That capped a 12-play, 73-yard drive that lasted more than seven minutes.

"On that drive they just chipped away, converted on third downs. They captured the game," Washington State coach Paul Wulff said.

The Cougars tied the game at 14 just before halftime after Johnson fumbled a punt at the SMU 10-yard line and Washington State safety Kyle McCartney recovered it in the end zone.

Washington State twice drove inside the SMU 30-yard line in the fourth quarter and failed to score.

The first time, quarterback Jeff Tuel threw an incomplete pass on 4th-and-7 from the SMU 26-yard line with 12:35 left in the game. The second time, the Mustangs' defense broke up a pass on the end zone on 4th-and-20 from the SMU 25-yard line with 6:24 left.

"If we came out in the second half like we did in the first half we would have been in the game," Bucannon added.

Tuel did connect with Marquess Wilson with 1:50 left in the game on a 68-yard touchdown pass for the game's final points.

Padron scored on a 13-yard run on SMU's opening drive for a 7-0 lead with 10:20 left in the first quarter.

"He ran around and made some things happen," Jones said of Padron. "He did what he was supposed to do on some key situations and made some key throws."

The Cougars tied the game at 7 on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Tuel to Jared Karstetter with 54 seconds left in the first quarter. Tuel finished 18 of 33 for 284 yards and two touchdowns.