LAFAYETTE, Louisiana (Ticker) -- Without Tim Rattay to throw the ball, Louisiana Tech rediscovered the running attack.

Bobby Ray Tell ran for 264 yards and two touchdowns, including an 84-yard dash, as the Bulldogs recorded a 41-31 victory over intrastate rival Louisiana-Lafayette.

Rattay, one of the nation's best quarterbacks, suffered an injury in an upset victory over Alabama two weeks ago. But Tell was equal to the task as he finished with the second-highest rushing total in school history.

The Bulldogs (3-2) opened a 20-7 cushion after a 10-yard pass from Brian Stallworth to Sean Cangelosi. But Louisiana-Lafayette took a 21-20 lead on a one-yard plunge by John Bernard with 9:32 to go in the third quarter.

On the next play from scrimmage, Tell had the second-longest scoring run in school history as Tech grabbed a 28-21 lead.

UL-Lafayette (1-4) countered with a two-yard run by Barnard and 33-yard field goal by Brent Bergeron to take a 31-28 advantage with 11:05 to play.

But Stallworth quickly guided the Bulldogs down the field and hit Delwyn Daigre with a 65-yard scoring strike for a 34-31 lead. Tell completed the scoring with a three-yard run at the 3:44 mark.

Tell's 264 rushing yards place him behind only Jason Davis' 302 against the Cajuns in 1990. Stallworth completed just 9-of-23 passes, but had 213 yards as the Bulldogs totaled 501 yards of total offense.

Derek Dyer completed 15-of-32 passes for 147 yards and two scores with three interceptions for UL-Lafayette, which had 259 yards of total offense.

Louisiana Tech holds a 43-33-6 lead in the all-time series, scoring 104 points in the last two games.