DALLAS — Case Keenum threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Tyron Carrier with 24 seconds left as Houston rallied for its third straight win, beating SMU, 44-38, last night.

Houston (4-3, 3-0 Conference USA) trailed 35-23 heading into the fourth quarter before Keenum, who surpassed 300 yards passing for the eighth straight game, engineered the comeback.

Trailing 38-36, the Cougars got the ball at their own 15 with 1:58 left.

Keenum, who completed 28 of 36 passes for 404 yards, was 5 of 6 on the eight-play drive. He capped it with his TD pass to Carrier, who made a nice over-the-shoulder catch in the end zone.

SMU (1-7, 0-5) has lost 14 straight conference games and 17 in a row to FBS teams. The Mustangs' only win this season was against FCS school Texas State.

Bo Levi Mitchell was 29 of 39 for 365 yards and four touchdowns, and Aldrick Robinson had 186 yards receiving and two touchdowns for the Mustangs.

Bryce Beall rushed for 105 yards and three touchdowns, and Mark Hafner had 160 yards receiving for the Cougars, who are 3-0 in league play for the first time since 1990.

Keenum's 9-yard touchdown run brought the Cougars within 35-30 early in the fourth.

After an SMU field goal, Beall scored on a 1-yard run but Houston's two-point conversion attempt to tie the game failed. The Mustangs were forced to punt on their next possession, setting up the Cougars' game-winning drive.

ACC

GEORGIA TECH 21, CLEMSON 17: Josh Nesbitt threw for one touchdown and rushed for another to lead the visiting Yellow Jackets (6-1, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) to a victory over the Tigers (3-4, 1-3) and new coach Dabo Swinney.

Miami 49, Duke 31: Freshman Jacory Harris threw four touchdown passes and ran for another, accounting for three third-quarter touchdowns, to lead the visiting Hurricanes (4-3, 1-2) over the Blue Devils (3-3, 1-2).

BIG 12

Nebraska 35, Iowa State 7: Joe Ganz passed for 328 yards and a touchdown as the visiting Cornhuskers (4-3, 1-2 Big 12) broke a three-game losing streak and avoided their first 0-3 start in conference play in 63 years by beating the Cyclones (2-5, 0-3).

Colorado 14, Kansas State 13: Freshman Tyler Hansen, whose photo wasn't even in the media guide, entered the game in the second quarter and threw for 71 yards with one TD and also ran for 86 yards to lead the host Buffs (4-3, 1-2 Big 12) past the Wildcats (4-3, 1-2).

BIG EAST

Rutgers 12, UConn 10: Kordell Young rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown and the host Scarlet Knights (2-5, 1-2 Big East) held on when Huskies' (5-2, 1-1) kicker Tony Ciaravino's 42-yard field-goal attempt hit the right upright with 1:09 remaining, his third miss of the game.

Louisville 42, Middle Tennessee 23: Brock Bolen scored on three short runs, and Victor Anderson ran for 161 yards, including an 88-yard touchdown, leading the host Cardinals (4-2) over the Blue Raiders (2-5).

BIG TEN

Northwestern 48, Purdue 26: C.J. Bacher threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth score to help the host Wildcats (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) send the Boilermakers (2-5, 0-3) to their fourth straight defeat.

Iowa 38, Wisconsin 16: Shonn Greene rushed for 217 yards and scored on runs of 52, 34, 34, and 12 yards as the host Hawkeyes (5-3, 2-2 Big Ten) handed the Badgers (3-4, 0-4) their first 0-4 start in the Big Ten since 1996.

Illinois 55, Indiana 13: Freshman Jason Ford rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns, and the host Illini (4-3, 2-2) led 28-7 at the half in handing the Hoosiers (2-5, 0-4) their fifth straight loss.

CONFERENCE USA

East Carolina 30, Memphis 3: Rob Kass threw two second-half touchdown passes to help the visiting Pirates (4-3, 2-1 Conference USA) beat the Tigers (3-5, 1-3) to snap a three-game losing streak.

Rice 45, Southern Miss 40: Chase Clement threw for 444 yards and six touchdowns, including three to Jarrett Dillard, who pushed his NCAA record for career touchdowns to 54, helping the host Owls (4-3, 3-1) hold off the Golden Eagles (2-5, 0-3).

UAB 23, Marshall 21: Joe Webb ran 28 yards for a touchdown with 14:53 left to play for a 23-14 lead and the host Blazers (2-6, 1-3) held off the Thundering Herd (3-4, 2-1) when Craig Ratanamorn missed a 37-yard field-goal attempt with 2:50 left.

TULSA 77, UTEP 35: David Johnson threw for 434 yards and five touchdowns, and Brennan Marion had six catches for 233 yards and three touchdowns to help the host Golden Hurricane (7-0, 4-0 CUSA) to a blowout of the Miners (3-4, 3-1).

MID-AMERICAN

Central Michigan 38, Western Michigan 28: Brian Brunner passed for 346 yards and a touchdown, and Bryan Schroeder ran for 106 yards and two scores to lead the host Chippewas (5-2, 4-0) past the Broncos (6-2, 4-1) in a game which had a combined 1,044 yards of offense.

Buffalo 27, Army 24: A.J. Principie kicked a 34-yard field goal in the first overtime, as the host Bulls (3-4) snapped a three-game losing streak by rallying from two 14-point deficits to defeat the Black Knights (2-5).

Miami (Ohio) 27, Bowling Green 20: J.R. Taylor rushed for 127 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown run with 2:35 remaining, to lift the visiting RedHawks (2-5, 1-2 Mid-American Conference) over the Falcons (3-4, 1-2)

Akron 42, Eastern Michigan 35: Dennis Kennedy ran for 277 yards and three touchdowns, the last of which was set up when Andy Hildreth recovered a blocked field-goal attempt, to lead the visiting Zips (2-2, 4-4) over the Eagles (2-6, 1-3).

Northern Illinois 38, Toledo 7: Redshirt freshman Chandler Harnish threw for three touchdowns in his first start since spraining his foot five weeks ago, to lead the host Huskies (4-3, 3-1) over the Rockets (2-5, 1-2).

MOUNTAIN WEST

New Mexico 70, San Diego State 7: Rodney Ferguson scored four touchdowns and the host Lobos (4-4, 2-2 Mountain West) romped to a 49-0 halftime lead and never looked back in defeating the Aztecs (1-6, 0-3 MWC) for the eighth straight time.

Air Force 29, UNLV 28: Tim Jefferson threw two touchdown passes and Ryan Harrison kicked a 19-yard field goal with 2:36 to play, lifting the visiting Falcons (5-2, 3-1) over the Rebels (3-4, 0-3), who trailed 14-0, but rallied and took a 28-20 lead on Frank Summers' 45-yard TD run on the first play of the fourth quarter.

PACIFIC-10

UCLA 23, Stanford 20: Kevin Craft threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Cory Harkey with 10 seconds left to cap an 11-play, 87-yard drive to lift the host Bruins (3-4, 2-2 Pac-10) over the Cardinal (4-4, 3-2), who led 20-16 after Aaron Zagory kicked a 29-yard field goal with 2:31 remaining.

SEC

Tennessee 34, Mississippi State 3: Eric Berry shattered a 60-year-old Southeastern Conference record with a 72-yard interception return, and the host Volunteers (3-4, 1-3) avoided their worst league start in two decades with a victory over the Bulldogs (2-5, 1-3).

Kentucky 21, Arkansas 20: Mike Hartline threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Randall Cobb, the second a 21-yarder with 2:21 left to play, lifting the host Wildcats (5-2, 1-2) over the Razorbacks (3-4, 1-3).