HATTIESBURG, Miss. - TCU in the BCS? Southern Mississippi put an end to any debate by fighting off a frantic comeback attempt by the Horned Frogs.
Dustin Almond threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns and the Golden Eagles capitalized on four turnovers to hand the 10th-ranked Horned Frogs their first loss of the season 40-28 on Thursday night.
Southern Miss clinched at least a share of the Conference USA title and can win it outright with a victory over East Carolina.
TCU trailed 31-6 early in the fourth before scoring three touchdowns in a span of 4:30 with the aid of two straight recovered onside kicks. Brandon Hassell led the comeback with his passing and running.
He swept around the right end for a 1-yard TD with 6:55 left, then threw for the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 31-28. Hassell finished 18-for-31 for 260 yards.
Southern Miss kicked a field goal to make it 34-28, then put the game away by forcing TCU's final turnover. Greg Brooks got free on a corner blitz and knocked the ball from Hassell. Rod Davis recovered inside the TCU 20 with less than three minutes left. Moments later Anthony Harris ran in the end zone from 3 yards out to make it 40-28 with 1:30 left.
TCU was eighth in the BCS standings and needed to stay unbeaten to have a shot of becoming the first school from a non-BCS league to receive an invite to one of the four major bowls.
BUCKEYES CHARGED: Two Ohio State players were charged with disorderly conduct after a weekend fight outside a dorm near Ohio Stadium. Starting wide receiver Santonio Holmes and kick returner Troy Smith each were charged with misdemeanor counts, according to court documents.
The No. 4 Buckeyes play at No. 5 Michigan on Saturday to determine the Big Ten champion. Athletic director Andy Geiger said coach Jim Tressel had not told him what team penalties the players could face or if they would make the trip to Ann Arbor.
A campus police report said four female students were assaulted about 4 a.m. Sunday, and a window of one woman's car was broken. The women had minor injuries. Tressel said the players tried to break up a fight.
Holmes became a starter midway through the season after senior Drew Carter injured his knee. The redshirt freshman has 22 catches for 391 yards and three touchdowns. Smith, also a redshirt freshman, has returned five kickoffs for 83 yards and carried three times for 14 yards.
I-AA COACH FIRED: Prairie View A&M (Texas) fired first-year coach C.L. Whittington after the Panthers went 1-10. Athletic director Charles McClelland will handle football administration duties until a coach is hired.
44-YEAR-OLD MISSES CUT: Joey Williams, the 44-year-old who played at Lambuth (Tenn.) this season alongside his son, Kyle, did not make the travel roster for the NAIA playoffs. Lambuth travels to North Dakota to play Dickinson State in the first round Saturday. The NAIA allows a 52-man travel roster, and Williams, a third-string guard, did not make the cut.
ARKANSAS: Coach Houston Nutt dismissed senior linebacker Jimarr Gallon from the team after university police charged the player with driving while intoxicated and driving the wrong way on a one-way street. Gallon is the second linebacker disciplined this week. Nutt indefinitely suspended Sam Olajubutu on Sunday after Fayetteville city police charged the sophomore with drunken driving. Gallon started nine games this season and had 50 tackles.
