All season No. 14 Iowa (5-1, 1-1 Big Ten) considered itself a team that had to grab an early lead and grind away opponents to earn its victories, a team that didn’t have an explosive enough offense to come back against big-time opponents.
How wrong the Hawkeyes were.
Despite falling behind by two touchdowns early in the first quarter to No. 20 Michigan (4-2, 1-1), Iowa rallied behind quarterback Nathan Chandler to pull out a 30-27 win over the Wolverines. Chandler completed 17-of-34 passes, including two touchdowns as the Hawkeyes poured on 20 straight points after Michigan led 20-10 in the second quarter.
“We’re not a great come-from-behind football team,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. “But I couldn’t be more proud of our guys than I am right now. Michigan has an excellent football team and the way we bounced back after their first two scores showed how much heart we have on this team.”
The Wolverines — whose season-long goal of winning the national championship came to an end with the loss — did not go down without a fight. Michigan cut the Hawkeyes’ lead to three points with 3:43 to play then immediately forced Iowa to punt. The Wolverines drove across midfield with under two minutes left before three straight incompletions killed their final scoring push, sealing the Hawkeyes’ victory.
Wolverines quarterback John Navarre threw for a career-best 389 yards. The Hawkeyes’ defense limited Wolverines star running back Chris Perry to 87 yards on 24 carries, and Iowa’s Fred Russell had the better day with a 26-carry, 110-yard performance.
WISCONSIN 30, PENN STATE 23: No. 23 Wisconsin (5-1, 2-0), who never trailed after grabbing a 10-9 lead about five minutes into the second quarter, used a balanced offensive attack to defeat Penn State (2-4, 0-2) at Beaver stadium. Badgers quarterback Jim Sorgi threw for two touchdown passes and third-string running back Booker Stanley rushed 24 times for 119 yards and a touchdown.
Special teams blunders killed the Nittany Lions, as Penn State sophomore Calvin Lowry fumbled twice, once on a kickoff return and once on a punt return. In addition, Penn State yielded a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown, making the score 23-9 in the third quarter.
PURDUE 43, ILLINOIS 10: The Boilermakers might never want to take off their lucky black jerseys, as No. 18 Purdue (4-1, 1-0) continued its dominance at home by crushing Illinois (1-5, 0-2) behind Jerod Void’s career-high 119 yards and four touchdowns. With the win, Joe Tiller became the second coach in Purdue history to win 50 games.
The Boilermakers took full control from the outset, amassing 112 total yards in the first quarter and scoring on four of six possessions in the first half, resulting in a 27-3 halftime lead.
MICHIGAN STATE 31, INDIANA 3: Spartans quarterback Jeff Smoker tied a school record with 32 completed passes as red-hot No. 21 Michigan State (5-1, 2-0) cruised to an easy victory over Indiana (1-5, 0-2). Smoker accounted for three touchdowns — two passing and one rushing — and threw for 351 yards, marking his third 300-yard game this season.
