Big Ten Conference Football | Saturday’s games

No. 11 Wisconsin 30, No. 8 Michigan State 6

EAST LANSING, MICH.

Leo Musso returned a fumble 66 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter and the Badgers turned their early showdown with the Spartans into a rout. Redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook threw for 195 yards and a touchdown in his first start for Wisconsin, outplaying fifth-year senior Tyler O’Connor, his Michigan State counterpart. The Badgers (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) were the better team in the first half and outscored the Spartans 17-0 in the third quarter. Michigan State (2-1, 0-1) was down 13-6 early in the third and had the ball in Wisconsin territory when LJ Scott’s (Hubbard) fumble bounced to Musso in the secondary. O’Connor was the only player with a decent shot at him on the return, and Musso spun past the quarterback and went all the way to the end zone. O’Connor finished 18 of 38 for 224 yards with three interceptions. Corey Clement ran for two touchdowns for Wisconsin.

No. 4 Michigan 49, Penn State 10

ANN ARBOR, MICH.

De’Veon Smith (Howland) led an overwhelming ground game with 107 yards rushing and a touchdown and Karan Higdon ran for two scores for Michigan in the Big Ten opener for both teams. The Wolverines (4-0) had six touchdowns on the ground and finished with 326 yards rushing. Wilton Speight threw one touchdown pass. Penn State (2-2) has lost three straight to the Wolverines. Jabrill Peppers gave the fans an early thrill by returning Penn State’s first punt to the 9, although a bench-interference penalty moved the ball to the Nittany Lions 24. Seven plays later, Khalid Hill dove in on 4th-and-goal from the 1.

Wake Forest 33, Indiana 28

BLOOMINGTON, IND.

John Wolford ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, and Jessie Bates returned an interception for a third score. The Demon Deacons are 4-0 for the first time in 10 years and have already surpassed the three-win totals they had each of the previous two seasons. It was coach Dave Clawson’s 100th career victory.

Iowa 14, Rutgers 7

PISCATAWAY, N.J.

Akrum Wadley scored on 26-yard run on the play after Iowa’s defense forced a turnover deep in Rutgers’ territory and the Hawkeyes rebounded from their stunning loss to North Dakota State. Safety Brandon Snyder set up the score by stripping the ball from receiver Andre Patton with just under nine minute to play to help Iowa (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) win its ninth straight regular-season conference game and its seventh straight league win on the road.

Purdue 24, Nevada 14

WEST LAFAYETTE, IND.

David Blough threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns, Markell Jones had a go-ahead score in the third quarter. Purdue, which turned it over four times, pulled within 14-10 late in the second quarter on Blough’s 48-yard touchdown pass to Bilal Marshall. Purdue’s defense dominated the third, limiting Nevada to 23 yards on 11 plays. Jones’ 5-yard TD run capped a 12-play, 49-yard drive and the Boilermakers (2-1) added a TD with 1:17 remaining in the fourth on Blough’s 51-yard pass to Brycen Hopkins. Jones finished with 124 yards for his third career 100-yard game.

Minnesota 31, Colorado State 24

MINNEAPOLIS

Rodney Smith rushed 17 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns to help Minnesota wear down Colorado State. Shannon Brooks, the team’s leading rusher last year, returned from a broken foot that kept him out of the first two games and netted 85 yards and a score on 13 carries for the Gophers (3-0). Freshman Collin Hill, making his second start at quarterback for the Rams (2-2), cut Colorado State’s deficit to seven points with a 15-yard toss to Michael Gallup with 6:24 remaining. The Gophers followed with a three-and-out, but Hill’s fourth-down pass at the Minnesota 45 around the 2-minute mark was broken up by Adekunle Ayinde to quash the comeback.

Associated Press