Buechele sets career marks as unbeaten SMU tops Temple 45-21

DALLAS (AP) - Shane Buechele set career highs with six touchdown passes and 457 passing yards as No. 19 SMU improved to 7-0 with a 45-21 win over Temple on Saturday.

Reggie Roberson Jr. had a career-high 250 receiving yards on seven catches, including touchdowns of 75, 75 and 33 yards.

The Mustangs have opened the season with seven straight wins for the first time since 1982, when they were 10-0-0 en route to an 11-0-1 finish. The seven-game winning streak is their longest since winning eight straight during the 1984-85 seasons. SMU (3-0 American) remains in first place in the West Division.

Temple (5-2, 2-1) scored on a 1-yard runs by Ra'Mahn Davis and Anthony Russo and a 25-yard pass from Russo to Branden Mack. The Owls are one game behind first-place Cincinnati in the East.

Buechele, in his first year at SMU after playing the previous three years at Texas, was 30 for 53 passing. He also threw touchdown passes of 10 yards each to James Proche and Kylen Granson and 5 yards to Xavier Jones. Buechele's previous yardage high was 375 as a Longhorn in 2017.

THE TAKEAWAY

Temple: Facing an undefeated opponent on the road, the Owls made too many mistakes early. That began on their first offensive play, when Isaiah Wright dropped a wide-open pass that would have been a 23-yard gain into SMU territory.

SMU: The Mustangs went into Saturday ranked 99th in FBS pass defense allowing 259.3 yards per game but held Temple to 204 while continuing to be strong against the run (69 yards).

UP NEXT

Temple: The Owls will try for their ninth straight home win next Saturday against UCF.

SMU: The Mustangs will visit Houston on Thursday night having lost six straight road games to the Cougars.