Louisville coach Bobby Petrino agreed yesterday to become the new coach of the Atlanta Falcons, moving to the NFL less than a week after Jim Mora's firing.

Kenny Klein, the sports information director at Louisville, said Petrino was leaving for Atlanta after guiding the Cardinals to a 12-1 season, capped by a 24-13 victory over Wake Forest on Tuesday night in the Orange Bowl.

Petrino met with his Louisville players last night to let them know he was going to Atlanta. The Falcons planned a formal announcement today.

Petrino had a 41-9 record in four years at Louisville, leading the school to the Big East title and its first Bowl Championship Series victory in the Orange. He had just completed the first year of a 10-year, $25 million contract.

The Falcons moved quickly to replace Mora, who was fired just two years after leading Atlanta to the NFC championship game. The Falcons missed the playoffs the past two years, going 7-9 this season.

TEXAS

EX-UH ASSISTANT JOINS LONGHORNS' STAFF

Special teams coordinator Larry Mac Duff is leaving the San Francisco 49ers to become an assistant coach at the University of Texas.

Mac Duff, a former University of Hawai'i assistant coach, will be the Longhorns' assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, the 49ers said last night.

McDuff will share co-defensive coordinator duties with Duane Akina, another former UH assistant under Dick Tomey.

Mac Duff, the New York Giants' special teams coach from 1997-2000, spent the last four seasons with San Francisco under coaches Dennis Erickson and Mike Nolan.

Mac Duff and Akina worked together at Hawai'i from 1984 to 1985 and with Tomey at the University of Arizona from 1987 to 1996.

GMAC BOWL

SOUTHERN MISS ROLLS PAST OHIO, 28-7

Damion Fletcher ran for two touchdowns and Southern Miss scored 21 points in the second quarter en route to a 28-7 victory over Ohio last night in the GMAC Bowl at Mobile, Ala., spoiling the Bobcats' return to the postseason.

The Golden Eagles (9-5) thoroughly dominated after a scoreless first quarter for their third consecutive postseason win.

Frank Solich's Bobcats (9-5) were making their first bowl appearance since 1968, but that euphoria wore off quickly as the game turned into a mismatch

They are 0-3 in bowl games and failed to match their school record of 10 wins. It was a rough ending to a feel-good story that saw Solich, a former Nebraska coach, revive a struggling program that won only four games in his debut season.

USC

FOUL PLAY UNLIKELY IN DEATH OF KICKER

Foul play probably was not a factor in the death of Southern California kicker Mario Danelo, whose body was found about 120 feet down a rocky cliff, police said yesterday.

"It was fairly apparent that this was either an accident or suicide," said Lt. Paul Vernon.

Danelo's brother said yesterday that "it was an unfortunate accident."

"He was a good kid," Joey Danelo said during a phone interview with The Associated Press. "There was not a person I know that didn't like him."

Investigators were examining evidence recovered after Danelo's body was found Saturday afternoon near Point Fermin lighthouse in the city's San Pedro section.

While police have not completely ruled out foul play, Vernon said "there didn't appear to be a crime involved." An autopsy could be performed as early as today, coroner's officials said.

A makeshift memorial was placed near the top of the steep cliff where Danelo fell. A flag bearing the USC logo was spread out, surrounded by flowers and candles and a message reading "Rest in Peace Danelo" spraypainted on the ground.

GOING PRO