DALLAS -- Ben Hicks threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns and SMU beat No. 17 Houston 45-31 on Saturday night, the second time in three years the Mustangs beat a ranked Cougars team.
The Mustangs (4-5, 3-2 American) never trailed, jumping out to a 17-0 lead after Hicks threw his second TD, a 17-yarder to Tyler Page less than a minute into the second quarter. Houston played its first game as a ranked team under second-year coach Major Applewhite.
Hicks threw three touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in the shocker two years ago, when SMU beat the then-No.