Big Ten Roundup \ Saturday’s other games

September 20, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

No. 25 Michigan 45, Eastern Michigan 17

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Carlos Brown had a 90-yard touchdown run and a career-high 187 yards rushing to help Michigan. Freshman Tate Forcier had a lackluster day after two spectacular games for Michigan (3-0). He was 7 of 13 for 68 yards and left the game briefly in the second half after getting hit by two Eagles. Freshman QB Denard Robinson scored on a pair of TD runs, but the freshman also threw two interceptions. Eastern Michigan (0-3) lost to Northwestern last week on a late field goal and gave up more than 300 yards rushing to Army in its opener. Senior quarterback Andy Schmitt appeared to hurt his right knee in the fourth quarter. He was 13 of 22 for 97 yards and an interception, and ran for a score. The Wolverines were ranked this week for the first time under Rich Rodriguez after a win over then-No. 18 Notre Dame and Western Michigan.

Wisconsin 44, Wofford 14

MADISON, Wis. — Scott Tolzien threw for two touchdowns, Zach Brown ran for two more and Wisconsin blocked a punt for another in the Badgers’ rout. Tolzien finished 15 of 20 for 159 yards in his third career start and freshman Chris Borland flipped head over heels to block a punt as the Badgers turned a slow start into an easy win early in the second quarter. But questions remain for Wisconsin (3-0) heading into the Big Ten Conference opener against Michigan State next Saturday. The Badgers fumbled six times, losing three of them, and their two heralded backs both had shaky performances. Sophomore John Clay got the start after a career-best 143 yards against Fresno State last week, but finished with 70 yards on 12 carries and fumbled three times. Brown, the previous starter, gained 63 yards on 12 carries and lost his only fumble. The junior joined Clay reaching 1,000 yards for his career with his 2-yard TD run late in the third quarter and added another 2-yard TD run in the fourth. The Badgers had struggled the previous two times they played a Football Championship Subdivision opponent, but Wofford (1-2) only managed to hang around for a quarter because of the turnovers by Clay and Brown. Wisconsin turned it into a laugher in just under 5 minutes of the second quarter. Leading 3-0 on Philip Welch’s field goal, Wisconsin scored a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter on Tolzien’s 3-yard toss to Lance Kendricks. Borland, who also forced a fumble on a punt return in the first quarter, followed moments later with a blocked punt by slicing through Wofford’s line and flipping head over heels to get his hands on Chris Tommie’s kick. The ball bounced to the back of the end zone where fellow freshman David Gilbert recovered it to make it 17-0.

N. Illinois 28, Purdue 21

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Me’co Brown ran for 150 yards, and Northern Illinois beat Purdue 28-21 for its first victory against a Big Ten school since 1988. Chad Spann rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns for the Huskies (2-1). Northern Illinois, a Mid-American Conference school, entered the game 1-32-1 all time against the Big Ten. The Huskies held Ralph Bolden, the nation’s leading rusher heading into the weekend, to 64 yards. Purdue (1-2) looked sluggish one week after taking Oregon to the limit in a 38-36 loss. Purdue trailed 28-21 in the fourth quarter and expected to get the ball back with about 3:30 remaining after forcing Northern Illinois into a fourth down, but the Huskies resorted to trickery. Justin Anderson took a direct snap on a fake punt 11 yards for a first down. NIU eventually punted but didn’t leave Purdue enough time to mount a threat.

California 35, Minnesota 21

MINNEAPOLIS — Jahvid Best wouldn’t allow California’s road curse to continue. Best rushed for 131 yards and a school-record five touchdowns to lift the eighth-ranked Golden Bears to a victory over scrappy Minnesota on Saturday. Kevin Riley overcame a shaky start to finish with 252 yards for Cal (3-0), which had lost eight of its last nine on the road, including four in a row to end last season. Eric Decker caught eight passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns and threw another TD for the Golden Gophers (2-1), who gave Cal everything it could handle in their shiny new stadium. But Adam Weber threw a costly interception late in the game and Best had too much speed for the Gophers, who were in search of their first victory over a top-10 team at home since beating No. 1 Michigan in 1977. Cal rolled into this game after two easy victories over Maryland and Eastern Washington, racking up more than 50 points and 500 yards in each of them, and this one had the appearance of another blowout early. On Cal’s opening drive, Best burst through the middle, cut right and then leaped from the 3-yard line over cornerback Ryan Collado and into the end zone to cap an electric 33-yard run. On its next possession, Best ripped off a 25-yard run on the first play. That set up a play-action fake, and Riley hit Verran Tucker for a 59-yard completion to the Minnesota 2. Best was in the end zone a few seconds later, and Cal led 14-0 before the game was 8 minutes old.

With the offense reeling, Decker absorbed a brutal hit from Cal safety Sean Cattouse, but somehow held on to the ball for a 26-yard score to make it 14-7.

Associated Press