After being overshadowed by its defense all year, Wisconsin’s offense put on a show Saturday in a 38-14 win over Minnesota (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten).
Wisconsin quarterback John Stocco threw for a career-high 297 yards and one touchdown on 19-of-26 passing. He also ran for the game’s first touchdown as the No. 4 Badgers (9-0, 6-0) scored 31 consecutive points to start the game.
“I’ve never seen him play like that before,” said Anthony Davis, who rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns. “That was amazing. That just shows you what he’s capable of doing.”
After going seven games without scoring more than 24 points, Wisconsin scored on its first five possessions for the first time in five years.
The Badgers also racked up 44:31 in time of possession.
“The best defense in the world is one that is on the sideline,” Wisconsin defensive coordinator Bret Bielema said. “It was great to jump on their back and ride.”
Iowa 23, Purdue 21
Things keep getting better for Iowa and worse for the Boilermakers.
The No. 19 Hawkeyes (7-2, 5-1) jumped on Purdue early, holding a 17-0 lead after the first quarter. Iowa quarterback Drew Tate led the offense on a seven-play, 74-yard touchdown drive on its first possession.
The Iowa offense stalled the rest of the game, and the Boilermakers came back with two touchdowns in the second and third quarters to close the gap to three points.
But Purdue quarterback Brandon Kirsch, who started in place of the injured Kyle Orton, threw two straight interceptions in the fourth quarter. The Hawkeyes then capitalized on them for six points to put the game out of reach.
The Iowa defense, ranked 10th in the nation, forced five turnovers and blocked two field goals.
The Boilermakers (5-4, 2-4) have lost four consecutive games for the first time since 1993, while Iowa moved its home winning streak to 17, which is the fourth-longest in the nation.
Ohio State 32, Michigan State 19
An emerging star is quickly solving the offensive woes that have plagued the Buckeyes since the start of the conference season.
Freshman Ted Ginn scored three touchdowns in three different ways — on a run, on a reception and on a punt return. He finished with four catches for 77 yards and two carries for 21 yards. Ginn also set a school record with his third punt return touchdown of the season, tying Ohio State’s career record.
While his 17-yard touchdown run in the first quarter started the scoring, Ginn scored the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter with his 58-yard touchdown catch.
The Buckeyes (6-3, 3-3) are now bowl eligible, a concept many thought was in jeopardy after the team’s three straight losses to open Big Ten play.
Michigan State (4-5, 3-3) seemed to be hampered by the loss of starting quarterback Drew Stanton, who may be out for the season with a separated right shoulder. Backup quarterback Damon Dowdell finished 29 of 46 with 262 passing yards and one touchdown, but he also threw three interceptions.
Illinois 26, Indiana 22
The streak of doom is finally over.
With its come-from-behind win, Illinois (3-7, 1-6) snapped its 14-game conference losing streak dating back to 2002.
“It’s been a long time,” Illinois coach Ron Turner said. “I’m happy for these players. We’ve been telling them all year that if they continue to fight, continue to believe and continue to stick together, something good is going to happen.”
Facing a 19-0 first quarter deficit, the Fighting Illini rallied back and scored the game-winning touchdown with one minute left.
Illinois rode running back Pierre Thomas to the victory after missing him last week because of injury. Thomas finished with 185 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries.
The loss was especially tough for Indiana (3-6, 1-5), which needed to win-out to become bowl eligible.
The Hoosiers were also without starting quarterback Matt LoVecchio in the fourth quarter after the senior suffered a head injury on a 10-yard run in the third quarter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reach Zach Silka at [email protected].
