Nailbiting victories may have become the norm for No. 4 Ohio State (10-1, 6-1 Big Ten) the past two years. But that doesn’t mean that Saturday’s game was any less exciting.
Boilermakers kicker Ben Jones missed a 36-yard field goal in overtime, giving the Buckeyes a 16-13 victory that preserved their first-place standing in the Big Ten alongside No. 5 Michigan. For No. 16 Purdue (8-3, 5-2), the loss ended all hopes of a conference championship.
Ohio State’s acclaimed defense was in top form, propelling the Buckeyes to victory without their offense scoring a single touchdown, the third time that has occurred this season. Ohio State took the lead when kicker Mike Nugent made his attempt at a 36-yard field goal, a kick that was nearly blocked by Purdue. The field goal served as redemption for Nugent and the Buckeyes, as Ohio State could have won the game in regulation on a 41-yard field goal try, but Purdue linebacker Bobby Iwuchukwu jumped up and blocked the kick.
The game remained tied 6-6 from halftime until several minutes into the fourth quarter, when Buckeyes defensive end Mike Kudla dove on Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton’s fumble in the end zone. Orton finished the day 27-of-47 for 249 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Wisconsin 56, Michigan state 21: Badgers wide receiver Lee Evans tied a Big Ten record with five touchdown catches as Wisconsin (7-4, 4-3) routed the slumping Spartans. Evans finished the day with 10 catches for a school-record 238 yards.
“It was vintage Lee Evans,” Badgers coach Barry Alvarez said. “He put on a show.”
Wisconsin scored the game’s first 21 points and built a 28-7 lead at halftime. Badgers running back Dwayne Smith ran 21 times for 207 yards and three touchdowns, giving Wisconsin a 200-yard receiver and 200-yard running back for only the second time in school history.
Michigan State (7-4, 4-3) quarterback Jeff Smoker had one of his worst days of the year, going 16-of-31 for 207 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Iowa 40, Minnesota 22: The No. 17 Hawkeyes’ defense terrorized Minnesota (9-3, 5-3) all day, recovering four fumbles and intercepting a pass in an easy home victory. The Golden Gophers’ prolific offense was able to move the ball up and down the field, posting 563 total yards, but was unable to reach the end zone until Iowa (8-3, 4-3) led 40-6. Minnesota quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq — playing with an injured left shoulder — lost three fumbles and threw an interception.
The Gophers entered the game leading the nation in rushing with a 304 yards per game average, but were limited to just 175 rushing yards by Iowa’s stalwart defense.
Penn State 52, Indiana 7: Quarterback Zack Mills threw for 173 yards and three touchdowns as Penn State (3-8, 1-6) soundly defeated Indiana (2-9, 1-6), giving the Nittany Lions their first Big Ten win of the season. The victory snapped a six-game losing streak for Penn State, the school’s longest winless stretch since 1931.
Penn State poured it on in the third quarter, scoring five times for 28 straight
