(Sports Network) -
ILLINOIS: The Illini enjoyed a bye over the weekend, giving them ample time to
prepare for this Saturday's Big Ten opener against 13th-ranked Ohio State.
Illinois is 1-1 on the season, having lost to border rival Missouri in the
opener (37-9), followed by a shellacking of FCS foe Illinois State (45-17) in
week two. Head coach Ron Zook announced late last week that LB Martez Wilson
(nine tackles) is expected to miss the remainder of the season, as the junior
has a herniated disc in his neck. After this week's clash in Columbus, the
Illini return home for two straight, taking on No. 5 Penn State (Oct. 3)
followed by a bout with Michigan State (Oct. 10).

INDIANA: Ben Chappell threw a pair of TD passes and the Indiana defense came
up with four interceptions, as the Hoosiers knocked off MAC foe Akron on the
road on Saturday, 38-21. Chappell finished the game 18-of-28 for 163 yards,
and Tandon Doss hauled in seven balls for 60 yards. Darius Willis led the IU
ground attack with a career-high 66 yards and a score on 15 carries, while
Trea Burgess added a career-best 59 yards and a TD of his own on 13 totes.
Indiana started the scoring early, getting a 91-yard kickoff return from Ray
Fisher on the game's first play. The Hoosiers, who scored on all five trips
the red zone (four TDs), converted 10-of-15 third down tries compared to a 1-
of-7 effort by the Zips. IU is 3-0 for the 14th time in school history and the
second time in the last three years. The Hoosiers open Big Ten play this
Saturday at Michigan.

IOWA: The Hawkeye defense stood tall in the face of one of the nation's most
feared rushing attacks, and as a result Iowa came out on top in its recent
clash with Pac-10 foe Arizona, 27-17. The Wildcats came in averaging more than
305 ypg on the ground, but were limited to 148 yards, only 75 of which were
gained by UA star Nic Grigsby (58 coming on one run). Arizona managed just
eight first downs in the contest and only 105 yards passing. Iowa, which
converted 10-of-19 third down attempts, controlled the ball for nearly 38
minutes and got solid efforts from QB Ricky Stanzi (20-of-32, 205 yards) and
RB Adam Robinson (18 carries, career-best 101 yards, two TDs). Tyler Sash
recorded his fourth INT of the season, and Iowa has come up with a turnover in
36 of its last 38 games. The Hawkeyes are undefeated on the young season
(3-0), but have the unenviable task of opening conference play on the road,
doing so this Saturday in Happy Valley against No. 5 Penn State.

MICHIGAN: Carlos Brown ran for a career-high 187 yards and two TDs to power
the Wolverines to a 45-17 win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday. Michigan is
3-0 on the young season, matching its win total from all of last year, and the
team will play the final installment of a four-game, season-opening homestand
this Saturday when it kicks off Big Ten action against Indiana. The game
against EMU was actually competitive in the first half, with Michigan taking a
24-17 lead into the break. But the Wolverines wore the Eagles down by pounding
out 380 yards on the ground -- the most by a Michigan offense since gaining
392 yards against Houston in 2003. Freshman QB Denard Robinson also ran for a
pair of scores when he came in for starter Tate Forcier, who completed 7-of-13
passes for 68 yards before heading to the sideline in the third quarter. LB
Kevin Leach made the most of his first career start as he led the UM defense
with 10 tackles. Fellow LB Obi Ezeh finished with nine.

MICHIGAN STATE: The Spartans suffered a heartbreaking loss to Notre Dame over
the weekend, falling to the Fighting Irish in South Bend, 33-30. The setback
snapped a six-game win streak for MSU at Notre Dame Stadium. With the Spartans
having difficulty running the ball (105 yards), QB Kirk Cousins did his best
to get Michigan State the victory, throwing for a career-high 302 yards and a
TD on an efficient 23-of-35 effort. Blair White caught two TD passes in the
game, and Mark Dell finished with 121 receiving yards on six catches. B.J.
Cunningham had a career-best seven grabs for 74 yards. RB Larry Caper scored
on a pair of short runs -- the first TDs of his career. The MSU defense did a
decent job against the run (133 yards), but the Irish amassed 304 passing
yards and controlled the ball for nine minutes more than did the Spartans.
Greg Jones led the Michigan State defense with nine tackles, while Eric Gordon
added eight stops. The Spartans lift the lid on the conference portion of
their schedule with this Saturday's road clash at Wisconsin.

MINNESOTA: The Golden Gophers fought tooth and nail, but in the end just
didn't have enough to upset the visiting California Golden Bears over the
weekend. Minnesota tied the game at 21-21 at the end of the third quarter, but
Cal responded by scoring a pair of fourth-quarter TDs to claim the victory and
remain perfect on the young season. Adam Weber went 21-of-32 passing for 226
yards with two TDs and three INTs for the Gophers, hitting his favorite
target, Eric Decker, eight times for 119 yards. Decker, who also threw for a
TD in the loss, caught both scoring strikes from Weber and set a new school
record with his fourth straight 100-yard receiving game. Minnesota had all
kinds of trouble on the ground, rushing for a mere 37 yards on 21 attempts
(1.8 ypc). Nate Triplett led the UM defense with 10 tackles. The Gophers will
try to kick off Big Ten play in winning fashion when they travel to Evanston,
Illinois for this Saturday's showdown with the Northwestern Wildcats.

NORTHWESTERN: Despite a record-setting performance from QB Mike Kafka, the
Wildcats wound up on the losing end of a 37-34 final at Syracuse over the
weekend. Kafka, who was tabbed as the Big Ten's Offensive Player of the Week
on Sunday, completed a school-record 16 straight passes to open the game and
threw for a career-high 390 yards and three TDs in the setback. He also became
the first player in the Big Ten to log a passing, rushing and receiving TD in
the same game since Penn State's Zac Mills did it back in 2004. As a team, NU
finished with just 52 yards rushing. Drake Dunsmore and Zeke Markshausen
combined for 19 catches, 176 yards and a score, while Andrew Brewer, who threw
the TD pass to Kafka, made the most of his four grabs, taking them for 73
yards and a score. The defense, which got seven tackles each from Brad
Phillips and Jordan Mabin, allowed Syracuse QB Greg Paulus to throw for 346
yards and a pair of TDs. The Wildcats return home to play their conference
opener this Saturday against Minnesota.

OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes bounced back from their first loss of the season (at
home to USC) by rocketing past Toledo in Cleveland on Saturday, 38-0. Terrelle
Pryor accounted for 372 yards of total offense (262 passing, 110 rushing),
throwing for three TDs and running for another along the way. Dane
Sanzenbacher caught two of Pryor's scoring strikes. While the effort was
impressive, the enthusiasm has to be tempered a bit when you consider Toledo
came into the contest giving up 45 points and nearly 500 yards per game.
Sanzenbacher finished with five grabs for a career-best 126 yards. Brian Rolle
posted eight tackles for the OSU defense, which held the Rockets to just 210
total yards and allowed them a mere eight first downs. Toledo, which averaged
558 ypg in its first two outings, held the ball for only 23 minutes and
converted a mere 3-of-15 third down tries. Ohio State opens Big Ten play this
Saturday at home against Illinois.

PENN STATE: Behind a solid run game and another stifling defensive effort, the
fifth-ranked Nittany Lions roared past visiting Temple over the weekend, 31-6.
Evan Royster ran for 134 yards and TD, while the PSU defense allowed the Owls
just 46 rushing yards and held them to 5-of-17 on third down conversion
attempts. The Lions have held their first three opponents to seven points or
less for the first time in 13 years, and the win over Temple was the team's
30th in its last 32 home games. With Royster doing his thing on the ground, QB
Daryll Clark needed only manage the game effectively, and he did so by hitting
16-of-26 passes for 167 yards with two TDs and an INT. Josh Hull and Sean Lee
paced the PSU defense with 13 and 12 tackles, respectively, and Lee also
logged a sack as part of his 2.5 TFLs. He was named the league's Defensive
Player of the Week for his effort. Penn State welcomes Iowa to Beaver Stadium
this Saturday in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

PURDUE: The Boilermakers became the first Big Ten team since 1988 to lose to
Northern Illinois, as they fell to the Huskies at home on Saturday, 28-21.
Purdue QB Joey Elliott threw for 188 yards and ran for 68 yards and a pair of
TDs, but the Boilermaker defense was on the field more than twice as long as
the offense and allowed 454 total yards to the Huskies. Three fumbles
contributed to Purdue's difficulty on offense. Torri Williams logged a career-
high 11 tackles in defeat, and Chris Carlino finished with a career-best 10
stops. Jason Werner made the most of his time on the field, notching two TFLs
as part of his eight total tackles. He also came up with his first career INT.
Purdue plays its final non-conference game of the season this Saturday when
the Notre Dame Fighting Irish come to West Lafayette.

WISCONSIN: As expected, the Badgers had no problem with FCS foe Wofford on
Saturday, whipping the Terriers in a 44-14 final. Wisconsin QB Scott Tolzien
went 15-of-20 for 159 yards and two TDs, hitting Lance Kendricks and Nick Toon
a combined 12 times for 140 yards and a score (Kendricks' first of his
career). Curt Phillips led the UW ground assault with 92 yards on just four
carries, while John Clay and Zach Brown churned out 70 and 63 yards,
respectively. Brown scored twice on a pair of two-yard runs in the second
half. The UW defense held Wofford to just 45 yards passing, and 259 total
yards on the day. The Badgers forced four turnovers, notched a pair of sacks
and held the Terriers scoreless until the 5:29 mark of the third quarter.
Wisconsin will play the finale of its season-opening, four-game homestand this
Saturday when Big Ten rival Michigan State comes to town.





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