Northwestern’s surprising loss to Army on Saturday drops the Wildcats a game behind some of their competitors for the Legends Division title. How did the other Big Ten teams fare this past weekend? The Daily gives you a look around the conference:
LEGENDS DIVISION
No. 11 Nebraska 51 – Washington 38
The Cornhuskers (3-0) benefited from 27 unanswered points in their victory over the Huskers, holding Washington scoreless for nearly 30 minutes while their offense went to work. Rex Burkhead rushed for 120 yards and Taylor Martinez scored three touchdowns, two through the air and one on the ground, to lead Nebraska to the victory in Lincoln.
Michigan 31 – East Michigan 3
After barely pulling out a win over Notre Dame last weekend at the Big House, it was far easier this time around for the Wolverines (3-0), as they scored 31 unanswered points to end the game. Denard Robinson rushed for 198 yards in the victory and also tossed two touchdown passes.
Iowa 31 – Pittsburgh 27
The Hawkeyes (2-1) suffered a major scare on Saturday, falling behind 24-3 with three minutes and 28 seconds remaining in the third quarter. They rallied back on the strength of three fourth-quarter touchdown passes by James Vandenberg. A loss would have been devastating after Iowa fell to Iowa State the week before.
Notre Dame 31 – No. 15 Michigan State 13
After the Spartans handed the Fighting Irish a devastating defeat last season, Notre Dame was more than ready this time around, never trailing at home against Michigan State (2-1). The Spartans’ fearsome rushing attack managed just 29 yards rushing against the Fighting Irish, while Notre Dame running back Cierre Wood finished with two touchdowns.
Minnesota 29 – Miami (Ohio) 23
It wasn’t easy but the Golden Gophers (1-2) finally came up with their first victory of the season on the strength of two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Already leading 23-16 in the fourth quarter, Minnesota blocked a Miami punt, and Duane Bennett was able to recover the ball for a touchdown to give his team a two-possession lead. MarQueis Gray scrambled for 171 yards and also tossed a touchdown pass in the victory.
LEADERS DIVISION
No. 7 Wisconsin 49 – Northern Illinois 7
Russell Wilson put up three touchdown passes and James White averaged more than 11 yards per carry as the Badgers (3-0) easily defeated the Huskies. Tied at seven after Northern Illinois scored a touchdown with 2:36 remaining in the first quarter, Wisconsin held the Huskies scoreless the rest of the way.
Illinois 17 – No. 22 Arizona State 14
Despite trailing in most offensive categories, the Fighting Illini (3-0) were able to scrape out a victory over the Sun Devils on Saturday. Illinois recorded just 240 total yards and fumbled four times, but won the game on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Scheelhaase to A.J. Jenkins with a little more than ten minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Jenkins finished with six catches for 103 yards.
Miami 24 – No. 17 Ohio State 6
After winning their first two games in spite of all the hoopla surrounding the team, the Buckeyes (2-1) couldn’t even manage to find the end zone Saturday, as they fell handily to the Hurricanes. Ohio State was held to just 35 passing yards in the loss, as Buckeyes quarterbacks combined to complete just 4 of 18 passes.
Purdue 59 – Southeast Missouri State 0
Purdue bounced back from a stunning loss at Rice last weekend with a dominating victory over Southeast Missouri. After giving up 24 points to the Owls, the Boilermakers (2-1) shutout the Redhawks, holding their opponents to just 153 total yards and nine first downs. Meanwhile, Robert Marve completed 7 of 8 passes with a touchdown in his first appearance for Purdue since tearing his ACL early last season.
Penn State 14 – Temple 10
The Owls led nearly the entire way against the Nittany Lions, but similar to their matchup a year ago, Penn State (2-1) was able to come back late. The Nittany Lions scored their game-winning touchdown with just more than three minutes remaining in the game on a Michael Zordich plunge into the end zone. Penn State used both quarterbacks as Rob Bolden was pulled in favor of Matt McGloin in the second quarter.
Indiana 38 – South Carolina State 21
After dropping their first two games of the season, the Hoosiers (1-2) jumped out to a 24-7 lead against the Bulldogs and never looked back, cruising to an easy victory. Indiana’s offense was efficient as well as masterful, compiling 557 total yards while converting 13 out of 20 third-down opportunities. Edwin Wright-Baker completed 21 of 27 passes to earn the victory, including two touchdown passes.
