The Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO - Bo Pelini tried something a little different in his one-game audition to become Nebraska's next head coach.

Jammal Lord threw for a career-best 160 yards and ran for 79 more Monday night to lead the Cornhuskers to a 17-3 win over Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl.

Running back Cory Ross also had a career night by rushing for 138 yards and two touchdowns for normally run-oriented Nebraska, which won its 10th game to cap a season in which coach Frank Solich was fired after finishing the regular season with a 9-3 record.

"I think we showed the world what Nebraska football is all about," Pelini said while accepting the winner's trophy. "I couldn't be prouder of a group of men."

Today's bowl games

Houston: Navy (8-4) vs. Texas Tech (7-5)

Time/TV: 4:30 p.m. ESPN

Line: Tech by 12 1/2

Series Record: First meeting

Bowl Records: Navy 4-4-1, Texas Tech 6-19-1

Last Bowl Appearance: Navy won the 1996 Aloha Bowl 42-38 over California. Texas Tech won the 2002 Tangerine Bowl 55-15 over Clemson.

What to Watch: This could be a matchup for purists to savor - Navy's offense is almost pure running, and Texas Tech's is almost pure passing. The Midshipmen lead the nation in rushing, while the Red Raiders are tops in passing. Led by quarterback B.J. Symons, Texas Tech has thrown for 474 yards per game, and with 228 rushing attempts, only Hawaii has attempted fewer running plays. WR Wes Welker leads the Red Raiders with 90 catches for 992 yards. Navy RB Kyle Eckel has run for 1,178 yards this season - nearly 100 yards per game. The Midshipmen run nearly five times for every time they throw the ball, and it shows. Along with Eckel, QB Craig Candeto gains 85 yards per game for a team that averages 326 yards - and should fare reasonably well against a team whose run defense is in the bottom quarter of Division I-A.Streaks, Stats and Notes: Navy extended the contract of coach Paul Johnson through the 2009 season . . . This is the second Houston Bowl for Texas Tech, which lost to East Carolina in the first one, in 2000. The game was known as the galleryfurniture.com Bowl at the time . . . . Candeto has thrown seven TD passes this season. Symons threw an NCAA-record eight in a win over Texas A&M earlier this season.

Silicon Valley: Fresno State (8-5) vs. UCLA (6-6)

Time/TV: 10:30 p.m./ESPN2

Line: UCLA by 3

Series Record: UCLA leads, 6-0

Bowl Records: Fresno State 7-6, UCLA 12-11-1

Last Bowl Appearance: Fresno State beat Georgia Tech 30-21 in the 2002 Silicon Valley Classic. UCLA beat New Mexico 27-13 in the 2002 Las Vegas Bowl.

What to Watch: UCLA has the weakest offense of any bowl team by a good margin. The Bruins averaged about 306 yards of total offense this season, a major reason why they finished 6-6, even with the third-best defense in the Pac-10. The Bruins' defense is led by DE Dave Ball, a first-team All-America pick who leads the nation with 16 1/2 sacks. Linebacker Brandon Chillar leads the Bruins with 127 tackles. Fresno State QB Paul Pinegar has thrown for 1,640 yards and made six starts in a row since returning from a torn pectoral muscle early in the season. If he can consistently find receivers Bernard Berrian and Marque Davis, he might be able to reduce Ball's impact on the game. UCLA also had to deal with injuries at QB. Drew Olson threw for 1,971 yards and nine TDs.

Streaks, Stats and Notes: Fresno State is playing in its school-record fifth straight bowl game . . . UCLA has lost four games in a row, but was picked over 6-6 Washington because UCLA beat the Huskies 46-16 in October . . . UCLA has made a bowl in six of the past seven seasons . . . UCLA WR Craig Bragg is the first player in school history with 50 catches in two seasons. He had 68 this season.

Holiday: No. 15 Washington State (9-3) vs. No. 5 Texas (10-2)

Time/TV: 8 p.m./ESPN

Line: Texas by 9 1/2

Series Record: Texas leads, 2-0

Bowl Records: Washington State 5-4, Texas 20-20-2

Last Bowl Appearance: Washington State lost 34-14 to Oklahoma in the 2003 Rose Bowl. Texas beat LSU 35-20 in the 2003 Cotton Bowl

What to Watch: Texas RB Cedric Benson will be tested, having to run against the nation's sixth-ranked rush defense. Giving up just 88 yards per game, the Cougars are the best unit the Longhorns will face this season (Oklahoma is giving up 110 yards). Of course, the Cougars haven't really gone up against an attack like Texas. The Longhorns averaged 241 yards per game this season, with Benson (1,277 yards, 20 TDs) and quarterback Vince Young (948 yards, 11 TDs) handling most of the running duties. Young, who split time with Chance Mock, also passed for 1,140 yards with six TD passes and seven interceptions. If Washington State plays two quarterbacks, it will likely be because Matt Kegel is hurt again - he injured his throwing shoulder several times over the course of the season. Kegel has thrown for 2,744 yards and 19 TDs.

Streaks, Stats and Notes: The Longhorns are in the Holiday Bowl for the third time in four years. They lost 35-30 to Oregon in 2000, then beat Washington the next year . . . Washington State is in its third straight bowl . . . Texas finished 10-2 for the third season in a row . . . Texas is 15-0 when Benson runs for 100 yards.