SATURDAY’S OTHER BIG TEN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL GAMES
No. 6 Michigan 21, No. 24 Michigan State 7
EAST LANSING, MICH.
Shea Patterson threw two touchdown passes and No. 6 Michigan earned a desperately needed win over No. 24 Michigan State. The Wolverines (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten) had lost eight of 10 against their in-state rivals and those setbacks have led to them not winning a Big Ten title since 2004. The Spartans (4-3, 2-2) struggled to move the ball, getting held to 94 yards and failing to convert any of its 12 third downs. Patterson was 14 of 25 for 212 yards. His 6-yard pass to Nico Collins broke a scoreless tie early in the second quarter and was Michigan’s first touchdown throw against the Spartans since 2011. Hubbard graduate LJ Scott returned from a leg injury to play for the Spartans after a four-game absence and ran for just 25 yards on 10 carries. Spartans quarterback Brian Lewerke was 5 of 25 for just 66 yards.
No. 18 Penn State 33, Indiana 28
BLOOMINGTON, IND.
Trace McSorley passed for 220 yards, ran for 107 and had a hand in three touchdowns in No. 18 Penn State’s victory over Indiana. Penn State (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) rallied to snap a two-game losing streak after Indiana (4-4, 1-4) took a 21-20 lead in the third quarter on Steve Scott’s 3-yard touchdown run. Johnathan Thomas took the ensuing kickoff back to the Indiana 5, setting up McSorley for the go-ahead touchdown on the next play. Miles Sanders ran for 72 yards and a touchdown. The Hoosiers added a late touchdown Peyton Ramsey’s 21-yard pass to Harris, and recovered an onside kick. Michael Penix and Ramsey split snaps for the Hoosiers, combining for 330 passing yards and a touchdown. Scott led Indiana in rushing with 138 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 23 Wisconsin 49, Illinois 20
MADISON, WIS.
Jonathan Taylor rushed for 159 yards and Taiwan Deal ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns as No. 23 Wisconsin took advantage of five first-half turnovers to rout Illinois. Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) has won nine straight against Illinois (3-4, 1-3). Alex Hornibrook, coming off an awful outing in a loss at Michigan last week, threw two touchdown passes and two interceptions. Illinois turned Hornibrook’s second interception into a 10-yard scoring drive to make it 28-17 early in the third quarter, but Wisconsin countered with a pair of touchdowns to push the lead to 42-17. Reggie Corbin scored on an 80-yard run for Illinois to cut the lead to 14-7.
No. 19 Iowa 23, Maryland 0
IOWA CITY, IOWA
Nate Stanley threw for 86 yards and a touchdown and 19th-ranked Iowa pummeled Maryland for its third straight victory. Anthony Nelson added a TD on a fumble recovery for the Hawkeyes (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten Conference), whose defense held the Terrapins to just 115 yards and seven first downs on a day when wind gusts topped 40 mph. Iowa went into halftime ahead 13-0 after Stanley found Brandon Smith for a 10-yard TD grab — which Smith made with one hand — with eight seconds left in the second quarter. Nelson, a defensive end, made it 23-0 Hawkeyes late in the third quarter by falling on a botched handoff from backup quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome in the end zone. Ivory Kelly-Martin ran for 98 yards for Iowa, which had its first shutout since a 28-0 victory at Illinois two years ago. Kasim Hill was 6 of 15 passing for 47 yards and a pick for the Terps (4-3, 2-2).
Northwestern 18, Rutgers 15
PISCATAWAY, N.J.
Isaiah Bowser scored on a 5-yard run with 8:12 to play and Northwestern avoided a major letdown by converting two fourth-downs plays on the game-winning drive to defeat struggling Rutgers. Bowser also scored on a 3-yard run and Drew Luckenbaugh kicked a 23-yard field goal as the Wildcats (4-3, 4-1 Big Ten) won their third straight game by rallying from an eight-point third-quarter deficit. Clayton Thorson hit Flynn Nagel on a 2-point conversion pass after Bowser’s go-ahead run. Isaih Pacheco scored on a 44-yard run for Rutgers (1-7, 0-5), which lost its seventh straight game. Northwestern rallied from a 15-8 deficit in winning its sixth straight road game. Bowser, who rushed for 108 yards, scored on the next play.
Nebraska 53, Minnesota 28
LINCOLN, NEB.
Nebraska built a four-touchdown lead in the first half and survived some nervous moments in the second before pulling away to beat Minnesota, giving Scott Frost his long-awaited first win as Cornhuskers coach and ending a program-record 10-game losing streak. The Huskers (1-6, 1-4 Big Ten) scored on three of their first four possessions on their way to a 28-0 lead. Minnesota backup quarterback Tanner Morgan replaced Zack Annexstad to open the third quarter and leading two straight touchdown drives to pull the Gophers to 28-22. Devine Ozigbo ran for 152 yards, Adrian Martinez for 125 and Maurice Washington for 109. Martinez completed 25 of 29 mostly short passes adding up to 276 yards and three TDs. Morgan was 11 of 16 for 214 yards and Annexstad 9 of 20 for 135.
Associated Press