Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
ILLINOIS: The Fighting Illini were idle over the weekend, which was probably a good thing considering they are in the midst of a four-game losing streak. The team's most recent setback, a 45-0 shellacking at Michigan on Oct. 13, dropped it to 2-5 on the year and 0-3 in the Big Ten. Illinois will try to snap the skid when it entertains an equally inept Indiana squad this coming Saturday.
INDIANA: The Hoosiers stepped out of conference over the weekend, heading east to take on the Navy Midshipmen and while they moved the ball with some consistency, they came up short in what wound up as a 31-30 final. It was the fifth straight loss for an Indiana squad that opened the season with back-to- back wins over Indiana State and Massachusetts. QB Cameron Coffman threw for 244 yards with a pair of interceptions, while the team as a whole churned out 173 yards on the ground and scored three TDs, led by Stephen Houston with his 82-yard, one-TD effort. Receivers Shane Wynn and Kofi Hughes had nearly identical stats with a combined 14 grabs and 149 yards. Greg Heban was IU's most active defender as he tallied a career-high 13 tackles, nine of which were solo efforts. PK Mitch Ewald booted three field goals. The Hoosiers will try once again to stop their current slide when they play at Illinois this Saturday.
IOWA: The Hawkeyes were beaten soundly by the visiting Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday night, 38-14. PSU controlled the game from the outset, leading 31-0 after three quarters. Iowa was held to 198 yards of total offense, including a mere 20 on the ground. RB Mark Weisman was a gamer as he tried to play through an ankle injury, but he managed just nine yards on five carries. QB James Vandenberg completed 17-of-36 passes for 189 yards with a TD and two interceptions. Keenan Davis turned four receptions into 83 yards and a score, but the Iowa offense was on the field for less than 22 minutes and converted a paltry 2-of-12 third-down attempts. One of the few bright spots in the game occurred when WR Jordan Cotton returned a kickoff 92 yards for a TD in the fourth quarter. Linebackers Christian Kirksey and James Morris both logged a dozen tackles, with the former also adding a fumble recovery. Iowa will play just its second true road game of the season this Saturday at Northwestern.
MICHIGAN: Brendan Gibbons booted three of the team's four field goals, including the game-winner with less than 10 seconds left in regulation to push the Wolverines to a 12-10 win over rival Michigan State on Saturday night. The win made Michigan the first program in NCAA history to reach 900 wins (900-312-36). QB Denard Robinson accounted for 259 yards of total offense, rushing for 96 and throwing for another 163, and Drew Dileo finished with four catches for 92 yards. For the fifth consecutive game, the Michigan defense held its opponent to 13 points or less, the Spartans finishing with just 304 total yards. LB Desmond Morgan led the UM stand with a career-high 11 tackles, while Jake Ryan tallied 10 tackles, which included a sack and he forced a fumble as well. The Wolverines take aim at their fourth straight win when they play at Nebraska this Saturday, marking their first visit to Lincoln since 1911.
MICHIGAN STATE: The Spartans managed just one TD in Saturday's showdown with bitter rival Michigan, losing in the waning moments by a final score of 12-10. The Michigan State defense certainly did its job to give the visitors a fighting chance, holding the potent Wolverines without a TD and to only 326 yards of total offense. The Spartans themselves tallied just 304 total yards, getting a 192-yard, one-TD passing effort from QB Andrew Maxwell. RB Le'Veon Bell carried the ball 26 times, but gained just 68 yards (2.6 ypc), while Aaron Burbridge was the team's leading pass catcher with six grabs for 51 yards. Denicos Allen and Max Bullough both logged double-digit tackles on the night with 11 and 10, respectively, the former being credited with three stops behind the line of scrimmage. MSU will try to put the brakes on a two-game slide when it plays at Wisconsin this Saturday.
MINNESOTA: Paul Bunyan's Axe is staying with the Wisconsin Badgers for another year, as they used a bruising rushing to attack to whip the visiting Golden Gophers on Saturday, 38-13. The Badgers had two backs go over 100 yards, churning out 337 yards on the ground and accounting for all five of the team's TDs. As for the Minnesota offense, it countered with a mere 96 rushing yards and only 245 total, while getting a pair of passing scores from QB Philip Nelson (13-of-24, 149 yards, two interceptions). Nelson also served as the team's top ground gainer with 67 yards on 16 totes. Brandon Green and A.J. Barker each had a TD catch, and the two combined for six receptions and 80 yards. The Gophers converted just one of their 10 third-down opportunities. Aaron Hill was UM's most active defender with nine tackles, while Derrick Wells tallied eight stops and Keanon Cooper finished with seven. Minnesota will try to stop a three-game losing streak when it entertains the Purdue Boilermakers this Saturday.
NEBRASKA: The Cornhuskers rallied from another late, double-digit deficit on Saturday to top the host Northwestern Wildcats, 29-28. Led by QB Taylor Martinez, the Nebraska offense hit its stride late in totaling 543 yards, compared to just 301 for the Wildcats. Three lost fumbles hurt Nebraska, as did eight penalties and just 3-of-14 success on third-down conversion attempts. Martinez went 27-of-39 for 342 yards and three TDs, hitting Quincy Enunwa six times for 110 yards, while Kenny Bell finished with six receptions for 77 yards and a score. RB Ameer Abdullah gained 101 yards on 19 carries, and Martinez added 65 yards and a TD on 18 totes. The Nebraska defense got eight tackles each from safeties P.J. Smith and Daimion Stafford, but the Huskers did not force a turnover and only made three stops behind the line of scrimmage. CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste was credited with five PBU. Next up for Nebraska is this Saturday home game versus No. 20 Michigan.
NORTHWESTERN: Venric Mark ran for 118 yards, which included an 80-yard scoring jaunt, to help put the Wildcats in position to claim victory over visiting Nebraska on Saturday, but the Cornhuskers rallied late to earn a hard-fought 29-28 win. For Mark, it was his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season. QB Trevor Siemian wound up going 15-of-35 for 116 yards and two TDs, one each landing in the hands of Tony Jones and Dan Vitale. The NU defense allowed 543 yards of total offense to Nebraska, with 201 coming on the ground and 342 through the air, but the 'Cats came up with three fumble recoveries and notched three sacks. LB Damien Proby and DB Daniel Jones both tallied double- digit stops in the contest with 12 and 11, respectively. It's Homecoming in Evanston this Saturday, as the Wildcats play host to the Iowa Hawkeyes.
OHIO STATE: It wasn't pretty, but the Buckeyes remained perfect on the season as they slipped past the visiting Purdue Boilermakers in overtime on Saturday. 29-22. The Ohio State offense gained 342 yards, while Purdue did slightly better at 347 yards. QB Braxton Miller had a rough outing, going just 9-of-20 for 113 yards with no TDs and one interception, but then things went from bad to worse as he suffered a head injury in the third quarter that put an end to his afternoon. Kenny Guiton came on in relief to hit 6-of-11 passes for 77 yards, a TD and a pick, his two-yard scoring strike to Chris Fields leading to a tie game at the end of regulation. RB Carlos Hyde rumbled his way to 91 yards and two TDs, one of which was the game-winner in the extra session. Miller added 47 yards and a score of his own before heading to the locker room. LB Ryan Shazier led the OSU defense with 12 tackles, while DL John Simon finished with nine. Ohio State, with or without Miller at the helm, puts it unblemished record on the line once again as it plays at Penn State this Saturday.
PENN STATE: The Nittany Lions posted their fifth straight win in convincing fashion on Saturday night, whipping the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road in a 38-14 final. It was Penn State's first victory in Iowa City since 1999. QB Matt McGloin went 26-of-38 for 289 yards with two TDs, hitting 11 different receivers in the game. TE Kyle Carter finished with six catches for 85 yards, while WR Allen Robinson continued to wreak havoc on opposing defenses with another TD in finishing with six grabs for 39 yards. RB Bill Belton carried the ball 16 times for a career-high 103 yards and three TDs on short runs in each of the second, third and fourth quarters -- they were the first rushing scores of the sophomore's career. The PSU defense was on the field for less than 22 minutes, held Iowa to 20 net rushing yards, notched three turnovers, and came away with four sacks. Jordan Hill led the stand with a season-high nine tackles, seven of which were unassisted, while Michael Mauti tallied eight stops and registered his team-leading third pick of the year. Penn State entertains undefeated Ohio State this Saturday.
PURDUE: After getting abused to the tune of 82 points, 771 rushing yards and 1,054 total yards in back-to-back home losses to Michigan and Wisconsin, the Boilermakers held unbeaten Ohio State to 342 yards and 22 points through four quarters this past Saturday. Unfortunately, Purdue couldn't muster any points in overtime while allowing a TD to the Buckeyes in falling by a 29-22 final. QB Caleb TerBush hit the mark on 19-of-30 passes for 230 yards with two TDs and an interception, and Akeem Shavers certainly made the most of his three catches as he took them for 93 yards and a score. The PU run game was limited to 117 yards, with no ball carrier amassing more than Ralph Bolden's 35 yards. Fellow RB Akeem Hunt returned a first-quarter kickoff 100 yards for a TD. Safety Landon Feichter once again paced the Boilermakers with nine tackles, the team as a whole coming up with four turnovers on the day and knocking OSU starting QB Braxton Miller out of the game with an apparent head injury in the third quarter. Purdue will try once again to notch its first win in the month of October when it visits the Minnesota Golden Gophers this Saturday.
WISCONSIN: The Badgers continued to use their potent ground attack to maximum effectiveness in beating the Minnesota Golden Gophers for the ninth straight time on Saturday, 38-13. Paul Bunyan's Axe stays in Madison for another year, as RB James White rushed for 175 yards and three TDs. Montee Ball wasn't about to let his backfield partner have all the fun as he tallied 166 yards and two fourth-quarter scores for a Wisconsin offense that rolled up 337 rushing yards in averaging 6.2 yards per carry. QB Joel Stave completed just seven passes in the game, and WR Jared Abbrederis finished with two grabs but took them for a game-high 68 yards. The Badgers defense allowed the Golden Gophers just 96 rushing yards, 245 total yards and only 1-of-10 on third-down conversion attempts, while coming up with a pair of interceptions. Mike Taylor led the UW stand with 12 tackles, twice as many as his closest teammate (Chris Borland). Wisconsin goes for its fourth straight win when it welcomes the Michigan State Spartans to Camp Randall Stadium this Saturday.
