Taylor Martinez threw for a career-high 354 yards and matched his high with five touchdown passes to lead No. 17 Nebraska to a 49-20 victory over Southern Mississippi on Saturday. The Huskers won their nation-leading 27th straight opener. Nebraska played the last three quarters without Rex Burkhead. The 1,300-yard rusher last season went out with a sprained ligament in his left knee after opening the scoring with a career-long 57-yard run. Backup Ameer Abdullah ran 15 times for 81 yards and made an acrobatic catch for an 11-yard TD.

[VIDEO: Watch all five of Taylor Martinez's touchdown passes]

Southern Miss backup quarterback Anthony Alford carried 15 times for 84 yards in his first college game. The Golden Eagles, with first-year coach Ellis Johnson, scored their first touchdown on Tracy Lampley’s 100-yard kickoff return. They tied it 14-14 on first-time starter Chris Campbell‘s 24-yard pass to Dominique Sullivan.

Nebraska’s go-ahead TD came on Martinez’s 9-yard pass to Jake Long.

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