10/15/07 - Weekend Recaps

Iowa 10 Illinois 6 Iowa snapped its 8-game Big Ten losing streak on Saturday, thanks to a very impressive performance by the defense, especially the Hawkeye's front seven. Illinois was held to just 137 yards rushing, and RB Rashard Mendenhall rushed for only 67 yards, his lowest output since the season opener against Missouri. Iowa's RB Albert Young rushed for 99 yards on 25 carries, and the Hawkeyes actually out gained the Illinois' offense as a whole on Saturday. The Hawkeyes also might want to send a giant thank you card to Illini coach Ron Zook for a couple of head scratching decisions he made Saturday. The first came in the 3rd quarter after the Illini had stopped Iowa on a 3rd and 2 play. The Hawkeyes were flagged for an illegal procedure penalty, but instead of declining the penalty and forcing Iowa to attempt a field goal on 4th down, Zook instead accepted the five yard penalty and in effect gave Iowa another down. The Hawkeyes scored the only touchdown of the game the very next play and took a 10-6 lead they never gave up. Player of the Game: Iowa LB Mike Humpal had 18 tackles, a sack, and a recovered fumble in the victory. Michigan 48 Purdue 21 After averaging 45 points and almost 500 yards in their first five victories, Purdue now finds themselves reeling from embarrassing losses to Ohio State and at Michigan in back-to-back weeks. The Boilermakers have not won at Michigan since 1966, and the Wolverines offense made sure that streak would stay in tact. Michigan was led by their Big Three: Henne, Manningham, and Hart. QB Chad Henne threw for 264 yards and 2 touchdowns on 21 of 28 passing. Both touchdowns were to WR Mario Manningham who caught a total of 8 balls for 147 yards to go along with his 2 scores. Heisman hopeful RB Mike Hart rushed for 102 yards on 21 carries and also scored 2 TD's on the ground. Purdue was held to only 292 yards, but it was the four turnovers that really did them in. And this game wasn't even as close as the final score may indicated. The Wolverines led 31-7 at halftime, and held a 48-7 lead before two Purdue touchdowns in the final minute of the game. Up next for Michigan is a huge game at Illinois, the Boilermakers head home to take on Iowa. Player of the Game: Michigan WR Mario Manningham Northwestern 49 Minnesota 48 2OT The "Comeback 'Cats" were at it again on Saturday. Northwestern was trailing Minnesota 35-14 late in the 3rd quarter, but scored 21 unanswered points, including a Eric Peterman touchdown reception with 8 seconds left in the game to force overtime. The Wildcats scored first in the 2nd OT to take a 7-point lead. The Gophers answered with a TD of their own, but coach Tim Brewster decided to go for 2 and the win on the road. QB Adam Weber's pass attempt fell incomplete and the improbable Northwestern comeback was complete. The Wildcats were led again by QB C.J. Bacher and his 470 yards on 41 of 58 passing with 4 TDs. Minnesota freshman QB Adam Weber threw for 341 yards and 5 touchdowns, but the Gophers were unable to stop Northwestern in the 2nd half. The Wildcats now host Eastern Michigan, and with a win would be just 1 more win away from becoming bowl eligible. Minnesota hosts the #1 team in Division 1-AA next week, North Dakota State, in what could become another embarrassing loss for the Gophers this season. Player of the Game: Northwestern QB C.J. Bacher Ohio State 48 Kent State 3 Ohio State took care of business on field Saturday afternoon against Kent State, and found themselves once again atop the BCS Standings on Sunday afternoon. Thanks to upset losses by LSU and Cal, the Buckeyes are ranked #1 in the first BCS Standings released yesterday. Ohio State was dominate in their victory over the Golden Flashes thanks to a near perfect game by QB Todd Boeckman. Boeckman completed 13 of 16 passes for 184 yards and 2 TDs. WR Brian Hartline caught his first TD pass in the 1st quarter, and then returned a punt 90 yards for another touchdown which gave OSU a 14-0 lead. Then it was the Buckeye defense which had no problems at all shutting down the Kent State offense. Michigan State is up next for the Buckeyes before their next big road test at Penn State in two weeks. Player of the Game: Ohio State WR Brian Hartline Penn State 38 Wisconsin 7 Wisconsin dropped its second straight game on the road Saturday with a big loss at Penn State. The Nittany Lions dominated every aspect of the game racking up 437 of total offense, and 221 yards on the ground. RBs Rodney Kinlaw and Evan Royster continued to fill in nicely for the suspended Austin Scott, and QB Anthony Morelli had a mistake free afternoon against a Badger defense that has really been struggling the past 3 weeks. Kinlaw rushed for 115 yards on 23 carries with a TD, and Royster chipped in 68 yards on just 8 carries. Penn State's defense also impressed holding Wisconsin to just 87 yards rushing and forcing a P.J. Hill fumble and 2 Tyler Donovan interceptions. The Lions need to be careful next week at Indiana, which looks like a classic trap game before their huge matchup with Ohio State in two weeks. The Badgers can get back on track next week at home against Northern Illinois. Player of the Game: Penn State RB Evan Royster Michigan State 52 Indiana 27 Michigan State racked up 52 points and 558 yards of total offense, 368 of those coming on the ground, in a blowout win over Indiana. Spartam RB Javon Ringer ran for 203 yards on 29 carries and scored 2 touchdowns. Jehuu Caulcrick rushed for 94 yards on 23 carries and scored 3 touchdowns, as the MSU running game was in full effect. The Spartans also held Indiana to just 193 yards of total offense and only 22 yards rushing on the night in what was a completely dominating victory. This was a huge bounce back win for Mark Dantonio's bunch after back-to-back losses and a heartbreaker to Northwestern last week. The Spartans now need just one more win to become bowl eligible as they head to #1 Ohio State next week. The Hoosiers are still looking for that 6th win, and it's just a matter of time before it comes. Player of the Game: Michigan State RB Javon Ringer