Southwest Roundup : SMU Extends Streak in a 56-21 Win Over TCU

Southern Methodist tailbacks Jeff Atkins and Reggie Dupard exploded for four second-quarter touchdowns as the Mustangs splashed to a 56-21 Southwest Conference victory over Texas Christian Saturday night at Fort Worth, Tex.

Dupard raced 62 yards to break an early 7-7 deadlock and open the floodgates as No. 6-ranked SMU boosted its record to 2-0 and extended the nation’s longest unbeaten, untied streak to eight.

The Horned Frogs, stripped of All-American running back Kenneth Davis and six defensive veterans in a slush-fund payoff scandal, fell to 2-1.

It was the 14th straight win for SMU in the 70-year-old rivalry, and it was the most one-sided victory in the series since 1923. SMU ran up 636 yards of offense, including 467 on the ground.

The potent, but probation-saddled Mustangs drove 67, 55, 72 and 57 yards in the rain-soaked second quarter without having to convert a third down.

Dupard bolted a yard for his second touchdown, and Atkins contributed scoring runs of 10 and 7 yards as SMU rolled up 356 yards and a 35-7 halftime lead.

Atkins and Dupard also picked up second-half touchdowns, Atkins from the one and Dupard on a 46-yard pass from second-team quarterback Bobby Watters. Atkins finished with 139 yards rushing in 23 carries. Dupard got 182 in 21 carries.

Arkansas 45, New Mexico St. 13--No. 10-ranked Arkansas scored on its first five possessions at Little Rock en route to its third straight victory.

Sophomore quarterback Greg Thomas hit 5 of 6 passes for 125 yards in only 17 minutes of action. He completed passes of 25, 44, 21 and 31 yards in the Razorbacks’ first three touchdown drives and didn’t play after that.

Less than two minutes into the second quarter, Arkansas had run 30 plays for 265 yards and led, 31-7. The Razorbacks went 66 yards in 6 plays, 82 yards in 7 plays, 53 yards in 4 plays and 73 yards in 6 plays for touchdowns.

Texas A&M; 45, Tulsa 10--Kevin Murray threw for four touchdowns, and Roger Vick rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns as Texas A&M; rolled up a school-record 702 yards total offense at College Station, Tex.

Murray, a third-year sophomore starting his first game since being injured a year ago, completed 12 of 19 passes for 309 yards. The Aggies’ 702 yards in total offense was also the second best in Southwest Conference history.

The victory gave the Aggies a 2-1 record. Tulsa is 1-3.

Murray, who broke an ankle on Sept. 29, 1984, threw touchdown passes of 8 and 13 yards to flanker Jeff Nelson in the first half, and fullback Roger Vick carried a Murray swing pass 59 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter.

Murray’s fourth touchdown was a 23-yard swing pass to Harry Johnson with 7:13 left in the game.

Baylor 31, Texas Tech 0--At Waco, Tex., Baylor’s Eugene Hall and Steve Grumbine destroyed Texas Tech’s wishbone T, as the Bears, who upset No. 3-ranked USC last week, increased their overall record to 3-1 in winning their conference opener.

Tech quarterback Aaron Keesee was sacked four times, two each by Hall and Grumbine.

It was the first loss in four games for the Red Raiders.

A crowd of 36,000 watched as Baylor, dipping deep into its third string, unleashed fresh runners out of its veer offense on every series of downs.

Rice 29, Lamar 28--Antonio Brinkley rushed for 244 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown run with 2:18 remaining, as Rice snapped its 11-game losing streak, longest in the nation.

Brinkley, who had 25 carries, set an Owls’ regular-season record, surpassed only by Dick Moegle’s 265 yards against Alabama in the 1954 Cotton Bowl, and his running overshadowed a school-record performance by Lamar’s Brent Murchison, who ran for touchdowns of 10 and 76 yards in the third quarter.

Murchison rushed 31 times for 259 yards, breaking his own record of 222 yards.

The Owls (1-2), whose last victory was a 36-19 triumph over Lamar last season, had 430 yards in total offense to 367 for Lamar.