BIG 10 ROUNDUP | Saturday's other games

No. 13 Nebraska 24, No. 9 Michigan St. 3

LINCOLN, Neb.

Rex Burkhead was flat on his back, writhing in pain and holding his left leg after the 31st of his 35 runs against Michigan State. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini (Cardinal Mooney High) rushed across the field to check on his star running back. “I saw he was cramping up,” Pelini said, “and I was pretty relieved.” After going to the sideline for one play, Burkhead was back on the field running a wheel route and catching the 27-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Martinez that sealed Nebraska’s victory. What Burkhead gave Nebraska was 130 hard-earned yards rushing and three touchdowns in only Nebraska’s second win in 17 games against a top-10 opponent. More important, the Huskers (7-1, 3-1) moved into a tie with Michigan State (6-2, 3-1) and Michigan for the Big Ten Legends Division lead. The Huskers own the tiebreaker with Michigan State and are yet to play Michigan and Iowa. Burkhead went over 100 yards for the fifth time in six games. The junior scored at the end of 80- and 89-yard drives in the third quarter that broke the spirit of an MSU team that was coming off the high of last week’s incredible finish to its win over Wisconsin. “What a difference a week makes,” MSU coach Mark Dantonio said. Michigan State could have essentially locked up the division with a victory against its third straight ranked opponent. But quarterback Kirk Cousins, as he has throughout his career, struggled on the road. After throwing for 290 yards and three TDs at home against Wisconsin, Cousins missed on 12 of his first 16 passes and finished 11 of 27 for 86 yards.

No. 17 Michigan 36, Purdue 14

ANN ARBOR, Mich.

Fitzgerald Toussaint (Liberty) ran for a career-high 170 yards and tied a career high with two touchdowns. The Wolverines (7-1, 3-1 Big Ten) gave up a TD on the opening drive of the game, then scored 36 straight points to bounce back from their first loss of the season, two weeks ago at Michigan State. The Boilermakers (4-4, 2-2) haven’t won or lost consecutive games this year. Toussaint had 155 yards rushing through three quarters, helping Michigan find a rusher to take some of the load from quarterback Denard Robinson. “Credit goes out to the offensive line,” Toussaint said. Backup Michael Shaw ran for a 37-yard TD on his first carry early in the fourth for a 36-7 lead. “Playing defense and then running the football and being able to knock people off the line of scrimmage — that, in my mind, is what Michigan football is,” coach Brady Hoke said. The Wolverines bounced back from their first loss of the season, two weeks ago at Michigan State.

Northwestern 59, Indiana 38

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.

Dan Persa and Kain Colter combined to throw five touchdown passes, and Drake Dunsmore hauled in a school-record four TDs. It was a record-setting day for the Wildcats (3-5, 1-4 Big Ten), who scored nine times before finally punting in the fourth quarter. Dunsmore also became Northwestern’s all-time leader in yards receiving by a tight end, and the five TD passes tied the school’s single-game team record. Northwestern finished with 616 total yards, just short of another school record (647). The Wildcats ended their five-game losing streak. Indiana (1-8, 0-5) lost its sixth straight and has now given up 40 or more points in four straight games for the first time since 2005.

Minnesota 22, Iowa 21

MINNEAPOLIS

MarQueis Gray’s fourth-down sprint for the pylon from the 2-yard line in the closing minutes lifted Minnesota and gave the Gophers possession of the Floyd of Rosedale bronze pig trophy for the second straight year. Gray went 11 for 17 for 193 yards and a touchdown passing and ran 11 times for 62 yards and the go-ahead score for the Gophers (2-6, 1-3), who lost their first three Big Ten games by an average margin of 38 points. Minnesota students stormed the field in celebration and surrounded the players afterward. Marcus Coker carried the ball 32 times through several huge holes for 252 yards and two touchdowns, but the Hawkeyes (5-3, 2-2) missed a chance to move into a four-way tie for first place in the Legends Division with a rough November schedule ahead.

Associated Press