BIG TEN ROUNDUP Iowa's dominating defense paces easy 39-7 win over Kent



The Hawkeyes held the Golden Flashes to a minus-13 yards rushing.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Drew Tate threw two touchdowns in his first start and No. 19 Iowa turned in a dominating defensive performance to beat Kent State 39-7 in the season opener Saturday.
The Hawkeyes held the Golden Flashes to 110 total yards and minus-13 yards rushing.
Kent State, playing without suspended quarterback Joshua Cribbs, crossed midfield just once, late in the third quarter. Iowa linebacker Chad Greenway had two interceptions, returning his second 30 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The only score for Kent State came late in the first half when linebacker Jack Williams picked off a pass in the end zone and ran 100 yards for a touchdown, the longest interception return in school history.
Tate was 13-of-22 passing for 136 yards, but he left the game before Iowa's first possession of the third quarter because of dehydration. The sophomore also rushed for 39 yards on four carries and led Iowa to a 23-7 halftime lead.
Albert Young, a redshirt freshman, rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, but did not play much in the second half when the game was out of reach.
No. 21 Wisconsin 34, Central Florida 6
MADISON, Wis. -- John Stocco threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score in his first start for Wisconsin, which routed Central Florida.
Anthony Davis rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown for the Badgers but left late in the first half after taking a hard hit at the end of a 21-yard run. The school didn't announce details of Davis' injury.
Davis missed five full games last year with ankle injuries and the Badgers are counting on his return to health, especially with 2003 leading rusher Dwayne Smith out because of a recently discovered heart disorder.
Before getting hurt, Davis moved into second place on the school's all-time rushing list behind Ron Dayne, college football's career rushing leader.
Stocco, a sophomore who replaced the graduated Jim Sorgi, threw touchdown passes of 16 and 52 yards in the Badgers' biggest win in a season opener since whipping Murray State 49-10 in 1999.
Rutgers 19, Michigan St. 14
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Freshman Jeremy Ito kicked four field goals and Ryan Neill scored on a 31-yard interception return to lead improving Rutgers to victory over Michigan State.
The win was coach Greg Schiano's biggest since coming to Rutgers in December 2000, and it gave the Scarlet Knights renewed hope for their first winning season since 1992.
Michigan State, which went to the Alamo Bowl last year in John L. Smith's first season as coach, made Rutgers sweat out the final minutes, driving to the Scarlet Knights' 25 with less than two minutes to play.
Damon Dowdell missed an open Jerramy Scott in the end zone on third down and Eric Knott was tackled short of a first down on a screen pass on fourth down.
After running out the clock, Rutgers players jumped for joy and hundreds of fans in the stadium-record crowd of 42,612 -- which included Rutgers alumnus and James Gandolfini, star of the HBO series "The Sopranos" -- joined the celebration.

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