Buckeyes roll, prepare for battle with 'M'; Lions rebound after loss

The Buckeyes (6-1, 10-1) need a victory at Michigan next Saturday to grab a share of the conference title. A victory would also keep alive hopes of a return appearance in the Rose Bowl, where the Buckeyes beat Arizona State, 20-17, to finish No. 2 last season.

The loss was the 16th in a row for the Illini (0-7, 0-10), the longest streak in school history. They have also lost their last 13 conference games, the last 12 games against ranked teams and haven't won on the road in more than two years.

The victory pushed Ohio State to 700-274-53 in its 108th season.

No. 6 Penn State 42, No. 23 Purdue 17

Penn State's defense took care of yet another Purdue comeback, and Curtis Enis did the rest.

Enis rushed for 186 yards and three touchdowns and caught a 67-yard pass from Mike McQueary for a fourth score on Saturday as the sixth-ranked Nittany Lions rebounded from their worst home loss under coach Joe Paterno and beat No. 19 Purdue, 42-17.

The Boilermakers (5-2 Big Ten, 7-3 overall) trailed by 11 and were poised for another comeback after scoring on Billy Dicken's second touchdown pass early in the final period. They threatened again on the next series before Jason Collins intercepted a pass at the Penn State nine-yard line and returned it 53 yards.

It took only three plays for Penn State (5-1, 8-1) to score, and a 29-yard touchdown run by Enis with 7:20 remaining put the game out of reach.

Northwestern 15, No. 22 Iowa 14

Brian Musso made a one-handed catch and turned it into a go-ahead, 40-yard touchdown play as Northwestern beat No. 22 Iowa, 15-14, keeping the Hawkeyes from qualifying for a bowl berth.

Iowa (3-4, 6-4) must defeat Minnesota next week to qualify for postseason play, because one of the Hawkeyes' victories this season was over Division I-AA Northern Iowa.

Northwestern, after back-to-back Big Ten titles, finished 5-7 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats stopped the Hawkeyes twice inside the 30-yard line in the final quarter to preserve the victory.

Iowa missed four field goals on a snowy, blustery day, including a 47-yard attempt by Chad Johnson with 2:57 left.

Earlier in the quarter, Iowa went on fourth-and-three from the Wildcats' 27-yard line, but Anwawn Jones drove quarterback Randy Reiners out of bounds for no gain.

Iowa's Tavian Banks gained 169 on 30 carries and scored two touchdowns, becoming the school's season rushing leader and career touchdown leader, passing Sedrick Shaw.

Minnesota 24, Indiana 12

Another game without a touchdown for Indiana was all Minnesota needed to give first-year coach Glen Mason his first Big Ten victory.

Cory Sauter threw two first-quarter touchdown passes and ran for a clinching score with 2:50 remaining as the Golden Gophers held on for a 24-12 victory, snapping a seven-game losing streak.

Minnesota (1-6, 3-8) won for just the fourth time in its last 34 conference games.

The Hoosiers (1-6, 2-8) came in with just one offensive touchdown in their last five games and managed only four Andy Payne field goals.

That matched a school record, but it still was a disappointment considering the Hoosiers had 443 total yards, their second-highest total of the season and well above the 270 yards they averaged through their first 10 games.

Indiana was shut out in the second half even though each of its first five drives reached Minnesota territory.

11-17-97