For a while it seemed like there was no end to the luck of the Irish. After erasing a 21-point deficit against No. 17 Michigan State, No. 16 Notre Dame recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter. But the Irish failed to convert on the opportunity and finally succumbed to the Spartans in overtime, 44-41.
Notre Dame (2-1) scored a field goal in overtime, before Michigan State back Jason Teague scored on a 19-yard option pitch to spoil Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis’ home debut. It was Michigan State’s fifth consecutive win in South Bend, Ind.
“When you come back like that, you’ve got a lot of emotion and you feel pretty good about yourself,” Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn said. “And then when you can’t come through with the victory, I think there’s the ability to be a big letdown.”
Quinn threw for a career-high 487 yards and a school record five touchdowns. Quarterback Drew Stanton led the Spartans’ offense, going 16-of-27 for 327 yards and three touchdowns.
No. 8 Ohio State 27, San Diego State 6
Eleven seconds into the game, it looked like San Diego State (0-3) might shock the Buckeyes (2-1). On the opening play of the game, the Aztecs’ Brett Swain took a sideline pass 80 yards for a touchdown to stun the crowd in Columbus.
Ohio State’s defense then buckled down, allowing only 99 yards the rest of the way.
While the Buckeyes bounced back from last week’s loss to No. 2 Texas, quarterback Troy Smith was not satisfied with his performance in his first start of the season, throwing for 149 yards and rushing for 87.
No. 11 Purdue 31, Arizona 24
Arizona (1-2) scored with less than 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter to pull within a touchdown, but its comeback bid was ended when Purdue cornerback Brian Hickman intercepted Arizona quarterback Richard Kovalcheck with 33 seconds left.
Purdue (2-0), traditionally feared for its passing attack, failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in 16 games, but outrushed Arizona 239-9.
Coach Joe Tiller insists this isn’t a change in philosophy for the Boilermakers.
“We still play sissy ball at Purdue,” he said.
No. 14 Michigan 55, Eastern Michigan 0
Needing to recover from last week’s loss at home to Notre Dame, No. 14 Michigan (2-1) found the perfect elixir to be Eastern Michigan (1-2). The Wolverines set a school record with 28 first quarter points en route to their most lopsided win since defeating Indiana 58-0 five years ago.
The offense was led by running back Max Martin, who rushed for 117 yards and scored two touchdowns, and wide receiver Jason Avant, who had two scores of his own.
No. 21 Iowa 45, Northern Iowa 21
The Hawkeyes (2-1) prevented themselves from going 0-for-Iowa by rolling over the Panthers (2-1) a week after playing sloppy in a 23-3 loss to rival Iowa State.
“I thought we were better, though I might put an asterisk in there that it would be hard not to be better,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We at least looked a little more like a cohesive offensive team.”
Quarterback Drew Tate returned from a concussion to throw for 247 yards and two touchdowns, pacing an Iowa offense that amassed 496 total yards.
Wisconsin 14, North Carolina 5
The Tar Heels (0-2) attempted a comeback, getting to Wisconsin’s four-yard line with less than two minutes left, but failed to convert a fourth down. Wisconsin’s intentional safety accounted for North Carolina’s final two points.
The Badgers (3-0) were led by running back Brian Calhoun’s 171 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries.
No. 13 California 35, Illinois 20
The Fighting Illini’s upset bid fell short as the Golden Bears (3-0) overcame a 10-point deficit midway through the third quarter before pulling away late in the game. The loss was Ron Zook’s first at Illinois (2-1).
The comeback for Cal was led by running back Justin Forsett, who rushed for 187 yards and two touchdowns.
Penn State 40, Central Michigan 3
Penn State (3-0), who has had a losing record in four of the last five seasons, displayed a potent offense to match another solid defensive effort.
The Nittany Lions amassed 519 total yards on offense, as quarterback Michael Robinson threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns against the Chippewas (1-2).
Minnesota 46, Florida Atlantic 7
The Gophers (3-0) remained undefeated after brutalizing the Owls (0-3) for 579 yards in total offense and scoring six touchdowns.
The offense was led by running back Laurence Maroney who rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
Indiana 38, Kentucky 14
Indiana defeated Kentucky (1-2) to move to 3-0 for the first time in 11 years. The offense was led by running back Chris Taylor who rushed for a career-high 176 yards and quarterback Blake Powers who threw for four touchdowns.
Indiana head coach Terry Hoeppner became the first Hoosier head coach to win his first three games since James Sheldon in 1905.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reach David Kalan at [email protected]
