RENO, Nev. — — Preston Stone connected on a 35-yard touchdown pass to RJ Maryland with 1:18 left in the fourth quarter and Southern Methodist avoided an early-season upset by beating Nevada 29-24 on Saturday night.

SMU was favored by nearly four touchdowns and needed a fourth-quarter comeback to survive the first game of its inaugural season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“I think collectively we struggled in the first half,” Stone said. “The defense did a good job in the first half of making stops. We (the offense) kept it quiet.”

He added: “Unfortunately for Nevada, they played a man against RJ, and they just can’t do that.”

Trailing 24-13, the SMU comeback began with 10 minutes left and the Mustangs were pinned on their own 10-yard line. On third down and short, Stone hit a 49-yard pass to Maryland. SMU finished the drive with a Brashard Smith 4-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion to pull within 24-21.

On Nevada’s next drive, SMU defensive end Anthony Booker Jr. tackled Nevada quarterback Brendon Lewis in the end zone for a safety, leaving the Mustangs with just one point with eight minutes left in the game.

SMU began its winning drive from its own 17-yard line with 3:31 left on the clock.

The nine-play, 83-yard drive ended with Maryland’s winning catch. SMU’s 6-foot-4 junior tight end and son of former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Russell Maryland finished the game with eight receptions for 162 yards.

Stone completed 17 of 30 passes for 254 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Penalties plagued the Mustangs, forcing them to trail until the fourth quarter. The Mustangs were assessed 11 penalties for 125 yards, including an unsportsmanlike penalty for spitting, which led to a ejection of cornerback Brandon Crossley in the third quarter.

“It’s not about who we are and who we want to be,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “I’ll look at the film … anything that doesn’t sit right with us will be addressed.”

The penalty allowed the Wolf Pack to continue a 15-play drive and take a 24-13 lead with 3:23 left in the third period.

“That’s probably the most undisciplined game we’ve played since I’ve been here,” Lashlee said. “Self-inflicted wounds that made it really hard for our offense to get anything going in the first half.”

Lewis led the Wolf Pack in their near victory, completing 14 passes on 26 attempts for 132 yards. He also led the Wolf Pack with 77 rushing yards and found success throughout the game on quarterback draw plays.

“I give SMU a lot of credit,” said first-year Nevada head coach Jeff Choate. “That’s what a championship team does when their back is against the wall. They found ways to make plays with such a veteran group. I really felt like there were a lot of positives that came out of this experience for our guys, but I think we still have some strides to make in terms of competitive maturity.”

Nevada opened the scoring with Lewis’ 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jace Henry with a minute left in the first quarter. SMU responded with a 10-play drive to open the second quarter, capped by a 1-yard run by L.J. Johnson Jr.

Nevada and SMU both scored in the second quarter before Lewis’ 10-yard touchdown pass to Cortez Braham Jr. with nine seconds left in the first half sent the Wolf Pack into halftime with a 17-10 lead.

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