Nebraska quarterback Jammal Lord may have silenced the critics for at least a week as he set a pair of Nebraska school records in Saturday's 38-14 win over McNeese State.

It wasn't until Friday that Lord was named as the Huskers' starting quarterback, a position he held in the team's first five games. After struggling in the two losses to Penn State and Iowa State speculation was made that Lord might relinquish his starting role to junior Mike Stuntz.

Lord responded Saturday by rushing for 218 yards and three touchdowns. He also passed for another 151 yards.

The junior from Bayonne, N.J. scored on runs of 5, 56 and 57 yards, as the Huskers, who improved to 4-2 on the season, rushed for a season-best 444 yards on the ground and snapped a two-game losing streak.

Lord's rushing total eclipsed the previous NU quarterback record of 191 yards set by Eric Crouch last season against Missouri. He also surpassed Tommie Frazier's rushing mark of 199 yards against Florida in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl. Lord totaled 369 yards of total offense, breaking Crouch's school mark of 360 set in the loss to Colorado last year.

Lord's ability to rebound from a turbulent week pleased Husker split end Wilson Thomas.

"Basically he needed re-evaluate some things and he did a lot of thinking this week and got his mental focus back," Thomas said. "I hate the way he's had to go through things this week but I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. He's shown he can be the player he wants to be."

Nebraska's rushing game was back in gear as true freshman I-Back David Horne ran for 81 yards in his collegiate debut, and starting I-Back Dahrran Diedrick rushed for 64.

"I think David (Horne) today did an excellent job for his first time in a ball game here at Nebraska and in his first college snap," said Husker head coach Frank Solich. "He was nervous prior to the football game, which is true of any young player at any position. As the game went on, I thought he settled in and did a good job."

Horne admitted to having butterflies, but was more critical of his performance.

"I'm never satisfied with myself. I thought it could have been a little better in some areas, but you just go on to the next game and try to get better," Horne said.

Nebraska scored first in the with 6:20 remaining in the opening period. DeJuan Groce returned Jason Cook's punt 21 yards to the McNeese 28. Four plays later Lord scored from five yards out for his first touchdown.

Nebraska widened the lead to 14-0 early in the second when they capped a nine-play 91-yard drive with a dazzling 57 yards run by Lord.

After throwing for a total of seven yards on NU's first three possessions, Lord guided NU on an eight-play, 68-yard scoring drive to give NU a 21-0 lead. The junior was 4-for-4 for 63 yards through the air, and connected with Troy Hassebroek for a 10-yard touchdown pass.

The Cowboys, who entered Saturday's game with a 4-0 record and a No. 2 ranking in I-AA, responded on their ensuing possession, as backup quarterback Ryan Corcoran found Marcus Turner for a 43-yard touchdown pass, capping an eight play, 81-yard drive, trimming the Husker lead to 21-7 with 3:03 remaining in the half.

Corcoran completed 6-of-14 passes for 144 yards and a score, but MSU quarterbacks combined for just 16 completions in 35 attempts.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Huskers scored 17 fourth-quarter points to break open the contest. NU marched 82 yards on 16 plays, taking nearly seven minutes off the clock before Josh Brown's 22-yard field goal of the season gave the Huskers a 17-point lead with 14:52 remaining.

After holding the Cowboys on their subsequent possession, Nebraska needed only one play to extend the lead to 31-7, as true freshman Mark LeFlore took a reverse and went 64 yards for a touchdown. It marked the first time that LeFlore had touched the ball in his Husker career.

McNeese closed to within 31-14 on Marcus Trajan's one-yard scoring run before Lord's third scoring run of the afternoon, a 56-yard scamper, provided the final margin.