No. 15 Nebraska Is Pass-Happy in Win

Jammal Lord threw two long touchdown passes less than two minutes apart in the third quarter Thursday night as No. 15 Nebraska rolled past Southern Mississippi, 38-14, at Hattiesburg, Miss.

Lord completed six of 14 passes for a season-high 124 yards and no interceptions. He also ran for a score.

“It was obvious to us we wanted to get the passing game going. We wanted to make some big plays in the passing game,” Coach Frank Solich said. “We were committed to throwing more. It worked out well for us.”

They were Nebraska’s first two touchdown passes of the season.

Playing in front of a record home crowd of 36,125, the Golden Eagles never gave themselves a chance. Southern Mississippi (2-2) committed five turnovers and the Cornhuskers (4-0) turned the first three into touchdowns.

“You can never win when you make that many mistakes and turnovers,” Golden Eagle Coach Jeff Bower said.

The Cornhuskers had only 141 rushing yards, less than half of what they had been averaging per game.

Southern Mississippi, which was averaging 14 points a game, had only 144 yards.

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Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford and Notre Dame officials say a report in the Charlotte Observer that the league is poised to add Notre Dame as a 12th member is erroneous. The report came on the heels of a decision by an NCAA panel to deny an ACC request to hold a championship game as early as next season because the conference does not have the NCAA-required minimum of 12 members to stage a title game.

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Notre Dame Coach Tyrone Willingham says he has not decided if Carlyle Holiday, the starter for 24 of the last 25 games, or freshman Brady Quinn will start Saturday at quarterback against No. 22 Purdue.... Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel, recuperating from a hyperextended right elbow, will be in uniform but not start in the No. 4 Buckeyes’ Big Ten opener against Northwestern.... Suspended running back Maurice Clarett, who earlier this week filed suit against the NFL, started his fall quarter at Ohio State.

Virginia quarterback Matt Schaub is nearly recovered from a separated shoulder and could return to the lineup Saturday against Wake Forest.... Sixth-ranked Florida State won’t use linebacker Kendyll Pope (knee, hamstring injuries) or tailbacks Leon Washington (dislocated elbow) and Lorenzo Booker (sprained knee) against Duke on Saturday unless absolutely necessary, Coach Bobby Bowden said.... Florida linebacker Todd McCullough, who tore tissue in his right shoulder on Sept. 6 against Miami, will have season-ending surgery.... Montana State assistant Joe O’Brien resigned, nearly two weeks after he was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute.

Hawaii journalism professor Beverly Keever is asking the state ethics commission to review the legality of Coach June Jones’ $800,000-a-year contract in an effort to have the university disclose the names of private donors who are paying half of the contract. Keever contends that without public disclosure of the identities of the donors, citizens or official agencies will not be able to “assess whether conflict of interests or other problems arise.”