AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - Chris Todd threw for 248 yards in his first

start and gave No. 9 Auburn's passing game a needed lift in a 27-13

win over Southern Miss on Saturday.

The junior college transfer might have ended the Tigers'

quarterback question by completing an array of short and mid-range

passes and effectively running the new spread offense.

He also led a late scoring drive for Auburn (2-0) after Southern

Miss (1-1) surged back with a pair of touchdowns against a defense

that had pitched a shutout for the first 102 minutes of the season.

This time it was the running backs who struggled at times, with

three of them losing fumbles a week after Todd and Kodi Burns had a

hard time completing passes.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)