HATTIESBURG, Mississippi (Ticker) -- Jammal Lord can throw after all.
Lord threw two long touchdown passes in the second half as 11th-ranked Nebraska remained unbeaten with a 38-14 rout of Southern Mississippi.
One of the nation's top running quarterbacks, Lord's accuracy in the passing game has come under scrutiny since he took over as the starter last season.
Lord opened the scoring with a six-yard touchdown run in the first quarter before he made his two biggest plays in the third period to put the game out of reach.
The senior found Ross Pilkington with a 44-yard touchdown pass, and less than two minutes later connected with Isaiah Fluellen from 43 yards, giving the Cornhuskers a 31-7 lead.
"We figured from the offensive standpoint that it might be a tough evening because they come from a lot of different alignments, so you're going to catch them on some big plays," Nebraska coach Frank Solich said.
Lord finished 6-of-13 for 124 yards. He also a non-factor on the ground, gaining six yards on 18 carries.
David Horne also ran one yard for a touchdown in the opening quarter for the Cornhuskers (4-0), who scored on their first three possessions to build a 17-0 lead after eight minutes.
Playing perhaps the biggest home game in school history, the Golden Eagles (2-2) received a touchdown run from Tim Blackwell and a six-yard TD pass from Damion Carter to Caleb Hendrix.
But the offense sputtered the entire night without starting quarterback Micky D'Angelo, who was sidelined with a concussion. Dustin Almond started in his place and completed just 4-of-24 passes for 68 yards and two interceptions while also losing three fumbles.
Southern Mississippi coach Jeff Bower did not have high praise for Almond.
"He was a little inconsistent," Bower said. "He missed some checks and some reads."
"We thought going in that the turnover margin would be critical, and also thought special teams would be critical," Solich said.
Almond struggled from the very outset, losing a fumble on a 3rd-and-1 play on the third play of the contest from scrimmage.
The Cornhuskers cashed in as Lord ran around the left side for a four-yard touchdown run less than four minutes into the contest. After forcing a three-and-out, the Cornhuskers quickly drove down the field and David Dyches connected on a 40-yard field goal, extending the lead to 10-0 with 8:33 left in the opening quarter.
It did not take long for the revamped Cornhuskers' defense to make another big play. Almond had a pass tipped away by cornerback Fabian Washington inside his own territory and free safety Josh Bullocks came down with the ball and returned the interception to the Southern Mississippi 4.
With new defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, the Cornhuskers, who came into the contest ranked first in the nation in total defense, have surrendered just 38 points in four games.
"I thought they were fast just like I thought coming into the ballgame," Bower said. "They were a physical team as well."
Horne ran around the right side for a three-yard touchdown, giving the Cornhuskers a 17-0 lead 7:10 left in the first quarter.
The Cornhuskers never got their feared rushing attack in gear. They finished with 141 yards rushing on 45 attempts.
Late in the second quarter, the Golden Eagles had one of their few big plays when Marvin Young returned a punt to the Cornhuskers 22. Young's return led to Blackwell's one-yard TD run that pulled the Golden Eagles within 17-7 with 1:57 left in the half.
Lord found Pilkington for a 44-yard touchdown pass 5:17 into the third quarter. After Almond lost a fumble, Lord connected with Fluellen from 43 yards, making it 31-7.
Almond was pulled in the fourth quarter in favor of Damion Carter, who tossed a six-yard TD pass to Hendrix with 2:43 left.
Carter played well against most of the Cornhuskers' backups as he went 14-of-17 for 143 yards.
Robin Miller capped the big night for the Cornhuskers with a 47-yard TD run with 1:48 left.
