Sports Network
ILLINOIS: The Illini were idle this past weekend, giving them ample time to
prepare for this Saturday's Big Ten opener against second-ranked Ohio State.
Illinois is 2-1 on the season, having bounced back from a 23-13 loss to
Missouri in week one to knock off Southern Illinois (35-3) and Northern
Illinois (28-22), both at home, to set up this week's showdown with the
Buckeyes.
INDIANA: Ben Chappell threw for 342 yards and a career-high four TD passes to
lead the Hoosiers to a 35-20 win over Akron. Indiana is 3-0 for the 15th time
in school history and the third time in coach Bill Lynch's four seasons at the
helm. WR Terrance Turner caught six passes for a career-best 121 yards and a
score in the win, but it wasn't all good for the Hoosiers who rushed for only
84 yards and had a tough time on defense without leading tackler Tyler
Replogle, who missed the game with a concussion. The Zips, who came into the
contest averaging a meager 242 total yards per outing, rolled up 335 against
Indiana, of which 160 came on the ground. The Hoosiers lift the lid on the Big
Ten portion of their schedule this Saturday when they play host to the 20th-
ranked Michigan Wolverines.
IOWA: The Hawkeyes bounced back from their first loss of the season (34-27 at
Arizona) by trouncing visiting Ball State over the weekend, 45-0. Iowa, which
has registered two shutouts in its last four home games, piled up 562 total
yards compared to 112 yards for the Cardinals, in what was truly a dominant
performance in all aspects of the game. QB Ricky Stanzi completed 19-of-25
passes for 288 yards and three TDs, while RB Adam Robinson rushed for 115
yards and a pair of scores. WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos finished with 87
yards and two TDs for the Hawkeyes, who welcome the 22nd-ranked Penn State
Nittany Lions to Kinnick Stadium this Saturday in what will be the Big Ten
opener for both teams.
MICHIGAN: Outstanding QB play and solid defense is what propelled the
Wolverines to their 65-21 rout of Bowling Green on Saturday, giving the team
its fourth win in as many outings this season. Denard Robinson ran for 129
yards, Tate Forcier was a perfect 12-of-12 for 110 yards and a TD, and Devin
Gardner went 7-of-10 for 85 yards and a score while adding a TD on the ground.
The Wolverines had five RBs with more than 50 rushing yards, while WR Roy
Roundtree posted the third 100-yard receiving game of his career, catching
nine passes for 118 yards. In all, the Maize and Blue churned out 721 yards of
total offense -- the second-most in school history -- to go over the 500-yard
mark for the third straight game. The UM defense allowed the Falcons just 32
yards rushing and notched three sacks on the day. The Wolverines hit the road
for just the second time this season when they head to Indiana for Saturday's
conference opener.
MICHIGAN STATE: The Spartans had very little trouble moving to 4-0 on the
season, as they whipped visiting Northern Colorado over the weekend, 45-7. QB
Kirk Cousins threw for 290 yards and two TDs, and RB Le'Veon Bell generated 92
yards and scored three times to fuel the MSU onslaught. The Spartans, who were
playing their first game without coach Mark Dantonio, who suffered a mild
heart attack the week before, rushed for 201 yards, as they've surpassed 200
yards rushing in every game this season. The lone blemish on an otherwise
dominant performance was the fact that State was penalized 11 times for a loss
of 121 yards. Michigan State came away with four INTs in the game, with LB
Greg Jones notching the first two of his career. The 24th-ranked Spartans
haven't started a season 5-0 since 1999, but that's what they will try to
accomplish this weekend when they open Big Ten play at home against No. 11
Wisconsin.
MINNESOTA: Despite a milestone effort from QB Adam Weber, the Golden Gophers
suffered their third straight loss over the weekend, this time falling at home
to Northern Illinois in a 34-23 final. Weber became just the ninth signal-
caller in Big Ten history to surpass 9,000 passing yards, and wound up going
31-of-44 for 373 yards with two TDs and an INT, hitting MarQueis Gray eight
times for 117 yards and a score. It was the first 100-yard receiving game of
Gray's career. Eric Lair added seven grabs for 94 yards. The Minnesota defense
had absolutely no success trying to contain NIU RB Chad Spann, who ran the
ball 15 times and gained a whopping 223 yards with a pair of TDs. Duane
Bennett was UM's leading rusher with 74 yards on 24 carries. The Gophers will
try to put the brakes on their current slide when they kick off conference
play this Saturday at home against Northwestern.
NORTHWESTERN: Dan Persa went an efficient 23-of-30 for 280 yards and two TDs,
both to Jeremy Ebert, as the Wildcats topped visiting Central Michigan on
Saturday, 30-25. Northwestern, now 4-0, piled up 429 total yards, converted
11-of-17 third-down opportunities and scored on 4-of-5 trips to the red zone.
CMU didn't fare well in the run game, amassing a mere 76 net yards, but the
Chippewas made up for it by earning 347 yards through the air. Hunter Bates
was NU's top tackler on the day with 11, 10 of which were solo efforts. The
Wildcats came up with three turnovers and notched three sacks. Northwestern
hit the road to open Big Ten action as they take on the struggling Minnesota
Golden Gophers this Saturday.
OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes had absolutely no trouble disposing of visiting
Eastern Michigan over the weekend, scoring the most points in 60 years in a
73-20 shellacking. Ohio State is 4-0 on the season, and has won 10 straight
dating back to last year. QB Terrelle Pryor (224 yards passing, 104 rushing)
was responsible for six TDs (four passing, one rushing, one receiving) in the
easy win over the Eagles, who have now lost 16 consecutive games. OSU piled up
645 total yards compared to just 248 for EMU, of which only 40 came on the
ground. WR Dane Sanzenbacher led the Buckeyes with nine catches for 108 yards
and four TDs. Ohio State hits the road for the first time this Saturday when
it travels to Champaign to take on Illinois in the Big Ten opener for both
teams.
PENN STATE: Evan Royster ran for a career-high 187 yards, and Collin Wagner
tied the school record by booting five FGs in the Nittany Lions' 22-13 win
over visiting Temple on Saturday afternoon. Penn State, which also got 223
passing yards from QB Rob Bolden, posted season-highs with 216 rushing yards
and 439 yards of total offense. The Nittany Lions limited the Owls to 202
total yards, a season-best for fewest yards allowed, and came up with a
season-high four INTs. The win didn't come without a price however, as
starting OT Lou Eliades will miss the remainder of the season after suffering
a serious knee injury. Penn State, now ranked 22nd in the country, heads to
No. 17 Iowa this Saturday in what will be the Big Ten opener for both teams.
PURDUE: The Boilermakers were denied their first three-game win streak since
2007 as they dropped a 31-20 decision to visiting Toledo over the weekend. QB
Rob Henry, filling in for an injured Robert Marve for the second straight
week, threw for 140 yards with a TD and an INT, while also leading the team in
rushing with 67 yards. All told, Purdue gained 220 yards on the ground (5.1
ypc) in hitting the 200-yard mark for the third straight game. The Rockets
came into the contest ranked last in the nation in total offense (221 ypg),
but finished with 378 yards. Ryan Kerrigan led the PU defensive stand with 10
tackles, 1.5 of which were sacks, while Ricardo Allen registered nine stops.
The Boilermakers are idle this week, giving them sufficient time to prepare
for their league opener at Northwestern on October 9th.
WISCONSIN: The Badgers scored early and often in their final tune-up before
starting Big Ten play, as they destroyed visiting Austin Peay on Saturday,
70-3. When the dust had settled Wisconsin had amassed 618 yards of total
offense compared to just 157 for the Governors. QB Scott Tolzien completed 15-
of-17 passes for 217 yards and three TDs, with Lance Kendricks hauling in six
balls for 103 yards and a score. The UW run game generated 346 yards, with
James White (145 yards, four TDs) and John Clay (118 yards, one TD) both
enjoying monster days. The Wisconsin defense was credited with 10 TFLs and six
PBUs. The Badgers, currently ranked 11th in the country, will surely face a
much tougher challenge this week at No. 24 Michigan State.