RUSTON, La. – Justin Henderson rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns, Bailey Hale tied a program record with five field goals and Louisiana Tech beat Florida International 43-31 on Friday night.
Hale kicked field goals of 41, 25 and 29 yards in the fourth quarter to give Tech a 36-24 lead with 2:17 remaining.
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FIU snapped Tech's 16-0 scoring run with an 8-play, 72-yard scoring drive to get within 36-31 with 51 seconds left. But Amik Robertson ran back the ensuing onside kick 30 yards for a touchdown to seal it.
J'Mar Smith was 27-of-41 passing for 290 yards for Louisiana Tech (3-1, 1-0 Conference USA), which entered ranked 26th in the nation for passing offense at 294.7 yards per game. Hale also made five field goals last season against North Texas.
James Morgan, who didn't play last week because of an injury, threw for 394 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for FIU (1-3, 0-2).