FORT WORTH, Texas - Texas Christian knows how to get things done right when there is a lot on the line against Southern Mississippi.

With a bowl berth going to the winner of last year's regular-season finale, TCU beat the Golden Eagles on the road.

On Wednesday night, freshman Lonta Hobbs ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns as the Horned Frogs won their seventh straight game, beating Southern Miss 37-7 to take over first place in Conference USA.

"Words can't describe our feeling. We held our destiny in Conference USA, and we just didn't play well," said Southern Miss linebacker Rod Davis. "I wanted them bad. It was personal vengeance."

Instead, TCU (7-1, 4-1 C-USA) dominated an opponent seeking revenge for the second straight game and the Golden Eagles (5-3, 3-1) suffered their worst conference loss in seven years in C-USA.

The Frogs previously won 45-31 at Louisville, the two-time defending champion whose perfect C-USA season was ruined by TCU last November. The Cardinals and Alabama-Birmingham are with Southern Miss a half-game back in the standings.

TCU still suffered a big loss, with freshman quarterback Tye Gunn leaving the game with a serious knee injury.

Gunn's right knee buckled awkwardly while he tried to avoid Davis' pursuit in third quarter. School officials wouldn't confirm the extent of the injury, but coach Gary Patterson and Gunn indicated his season was over.

"It hurts me more emotionally than physically," Gunn said. "I'm just going to work hard to get back in the spring."

In the four games since Gunn took over as the starter and Hobbs began playing, TCU has averaged 41 points.

Hobbs had TD runs of 53 and 13 yards in TCU's 24-point third quarter, the long run capping a stretch of 17 straight points in less than 4 minutes after Southern Miss scored its only touchdown.

"Our offensive line did all of the hard work," Hobbs said. "I was just able to see the holes and run into them. We wanted to have fun, and that's what we did."

TCU had expected to redshirt Hobbs, but the plan changed because of injuries and a lack of production by other running backs over the first four games. Hobbs has responded with 383 yards and seven TDs in four games.

"I don't even know if he knows what's going on yet," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "He just walks around with a smile because he's happy to be here."

Another high-scoring game for the Frogs overshadowed an impressive defensive performance.

Linebacker LaMarcus McDonald had 16 tackles, including four of TCU's season-high nine sacks for minus-59 yards. Jared Smitherman returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown.

Southern Miss opened the second half with Dustin Almond's 48-yard TD pass to Marvin Young, who was wide open in the flat and got a downfield block, to make it 13-7.

The Frogs then drove for Nick Browne's third field goal, a 48-yarder, before Smitherman intercepted Almond's next pass. After Southern Miss went three-and-out, Hobbs turned a pitchout into his third run of 50 yards this season.

Almond, the first Southern Miss freshman starting quarterback in eight years, struggled again. He was 9-of-27 for 110 yards with an interception after going 7-of-22 for just 92 yards in his starting debut against Cincinnati on Oct. 19.

Derrick Nix, C-USA's second-leading rusher at 117 yards per game, had 48 yards in the first half but didn't return after reaggravating a right ankle injury on a 19-yard run.