By Michael SchlossbergThe Daily Northwestern

Just one week after scoring only three points against Wisconsin, Purdue responded by losing 12-0 to Penn State, its first shutout in 10 years.

Entering the game with the nation’s eighth-ranked offense, Purdue (5-4, 2-3 Big Ten) failed to score for the first time in 127 games, ending the third-longest active streak in the nation.

Penn State (6-3, 4-2) limited Purdue to just 261 yards of total offense. The Boilermakers have gone scoreless in their last seven quarters of play.

Penn State running back Tony Hunt scored the game’s only touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the Nittany Lions. Hunt finished with 142 yards.

For Penn State, the shutout was its first in four years.

No. 17 Wisconsin 30, Illinois 24

Everything seemed to be going right for Illinois in the first half of Saturday’s contest against Wisconsin.

A pair of turnovers led to touchdowns, a freshman quarterback was running wild and Wisconsin star running back P.J. Hill was sitting out with a sore neck.

Illinois (2-7, 1-4) had put Wisconsin (8-1, 5-1) right where Badgers coach Bret Bielema worried they might – down by two touchdowns at halftime and stunned they could be losing to one of the perennial doormats of the Big Ten at home.

However, Wisconsin came roaring back in the second half, outscoring Illinois 20-0 to secure the victory.

“It’s not how they started, it’s how they finished, and I can’t give enough credit to what they did,” Bielema said.

The Badgers comeback came largely without Hill, who sat out most of the second half after sustaining a nerve injury in his neck in the first quarter. Hill was limited to just 50 yards on 12 carries.

Indiana 46, Michigan State 21

Trailing Indiana 46-7 after the end of the third quarter, Michigan State was unable to pull off another record-breaking comeback.

One week after erasing a 35-point deficit against Northwestern to complete the biggest comeback in Division I-A history, Michigan State (4-5, 1-4) was able to score two unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

Indiana (5-4, 3-2) quarterback Kellen Lewis threw five touchdown passes, including a school-record four to James Hardy, and ran for another score in the Hoosiers’ rout.

Michigan State grabbed the lead with a touchdown on the opening drive of the game. But Indiana gave up just 35 yards the rest of the first half and did not allow another first down until the fourth quarter, a span of 12 possessions by the Spartans and 46 straight points by the Hoosiers.

Iowa 24, Northern Illinois 14

Iowa redshirt freshman Jake Christensen threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start, and Iowa (6-3, 2-3) survived a fourth-quarter rally by Northern Illinois to beat the Huskies 24-14 and end a two-game losing streak.

The Hawkeyes held Garrett Wolfe, the nation’s leading rusher, to just 66 yards on 22 carries, likely ending his hopes of winning the Heisman Trophy.

Leading 17-0 to start the fourth quarter, Northern Illinois (5-4) scored touchdowns on back-to-back possessions to close the gap to three points.

Starting in place of Drew Tate, who missed the game with a thumb injury, Christensen completed 19 of 30 passes, including a 10-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to clinch the victory for Iowa.

No. 1 Ohio State 44, Minnesota 0

Saturday was the same old story for Ohio State – another week, another Buckeye victory.

Ohio State turned in one of its most dominating performances of the season against Minnesota in the 44-0 shutout.

Heisman frontrunner Troy Smith completed 14 of 21 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown, while running back Antonio Pittman rushed for 116 yards and a pair of scores.

However, the real story for Ohio State (9-0, 5-0) was its defense.

A year ago, Minnesota (3-6, 0-5) quarterback Brian Cupito passed for 396 yards and helped the Golden Gophers pile up 578 yards – the second-most against Ohio State in 117 years of football.

On Saturday, the Golden Gophers were held to just 200 yards of total offense, including just 120 yards through the air from Cupito, who also was intercepted three times.

“Everybody anticipated a drop-off with the caliber of players they lost last year,” Minnesota coach Glen Mason said of the Buckeyes, who had to replace nine defensive starters from last year. “I don’t see any drop-off, nor have the other people who have played them. They’re a fine defensive team.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reach Michael Schlossberg at [email protected].