No. 21 East Carolina 45, Southern Methodist 24: Shane Carden tossed four touchdown passes for the second straight game and Justin Hardy recorded his first career three-score performance as the host Pirates breezed to victory in their American Athletic Conference opener.

Carden completed 21 of his first 24 passes and finished 31-of-41 for 410 yards to raise his career total to 9,134, eclipsing David Garrard (9,029) to become the school's all-time leading passer. Isaiah Jones had nine catches for 130 yards and a touchdown and Hardy reeled in all eight of his receptions in the first half and ended up with 120 yards for 21st-ranked East Carolina (4-1, 1-0).

Garrett Krstich, who started the season as the Mustangs' fourth-string quarterback, went 42-of-67 for 339 yards and tossed 7- and 9-yard touchdown passes to Darius Joseph in the third quarter to trim the Pirates' lead to 35-21. The Pirates' Chris Hairston and Anthony Scott each added a rushing score to seal the win as struggling SMU (0-5, 0-1) has been outscored 247-36 in 2014.

After racking up a program-record 789 yards in a 70-41 victory over North Carolina on Sept. 20, East Carolina wasted little time getting the early jump on the Mustangs. Carden rolled out and found Jones for an 11-yard scoring strike with exactly six minutes remaining in the first before Hardy reeled in 9- and 2-yard TD passes over the middle to give the Pirates a 21-0 advantage.

SMU converted three fourth-down snaps before Prescott Line wrapped up the 18-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown to trim the deficit, but East Carolina needed just 83 seconds to respond. Carden connected with a wide-open Hardy over the middle and the senior wideout made one quick move before bolting toward the pylon for a 30-yard score to claim a 28-7 lead just before halftime.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Carden and Hardy have connected for 23 touchdown receptions during their careers, the most among active players. ... East Carolina claimed a 14-0 lead after the first quarter to add to SMU's string of futility in the first 15 minutes of a game. The Mustangs have been outscored 65-0 in the first quarter this season, which stands as the largest margin in FBS. ... After rushing for a career-high 211 yards versus the Tar Heels, Pirates RB Breon Allen was limited to just 34 before exiting with a shoulder injury in the third quarter.