DALLAS - Southern Methodist's Johnnie Freeman played his best game, and the Mustangs recorded their first conference win.
Meanwhile, Nevada was in a giving mood, turning the ball over five times - including four interceptions - as SMU beat the Wolfpack 21-7.
The Mustangs (2-6, 1-3 Western Athletic Conference) snapped a six-game losing streak. Nevada (1-7, 0-4) dropped its fifth consecutive game.
Freeman had 138 all-purpose yards and scored three touchdowns, matching his previous scoring total this season.
He caught seven passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Freeman also picked up 51 yards on four carries, including a 19-yard touchdown scramble in the first quarter.
''This is the best game I have played since I came to SMU,'' Freeman said. ''I was really focused today. I have been practicing hard, and it's starting to pay off. Catching the ball takes concentration, and I had that today.''
David Page completed 25-of-35 passes for 255 yards and the two touchdowns in just his second career start.
''I felt great out there today,'' said Page, who replaced Josh McCown as the starter last week against Hawaii. ''That game (Hawaii) helped me settle in, and I felt a lot more comfortable today. I was great to win a game like this.''
Nevada quarterback David Neill separated a shoulder late in the first half. His backup, Brett Staninger, finished with 166 passing yards, including a 44-yard touchdown to Nate Burleson less than 5 minutes into the third quarter.
''Brett really stepped up for us today,'' Nevada head coach Chris Tormey said. ''He's a gutsy kid that has shown improvement all year. I thought he helped put us in a position to win the ball game.''
Leading 14-7 midway through the fourth, the Mustangs put the game away using the ground attack. Kris Briggs, who had minus-3 yards rushing at halftime, finished with 113 and had 49 on five consecutive carries on one drive, which ended on Page's 20-yard touchdown pass to Freeman.
''Johnnie has really been improving in practice catching the ball, and we threw it to him today,'' SMU head coach Mike Cavan said. ''And Kris Briggs really ran hard, too. He had some good runs, especially on that last drive.''
Neill and Staninger each threw two interceptions. SMU freshman defensive back Ruben Moodley caught two of them.
''Turnovers really help your confidence,'' Cavan said. ''We got five today, and that's really good for our defense. When you lose six in a row, your confidence is down. We definitely got some confidence back with this win.''
