Undefeated Michigan State destroys Fighting Irish to keep pace with Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa

Marc Renaud rushed for 112 yards and Sedrick Irvin for 106, and the two combined for 381 all-purpose yards Saturday as No. 17 Michigan State beat Notre Dame 23-7.

It was Notre Dame's second loss in as many weeks, dropping the Irish to 1-2. They haven't been under .500 since 1986, when Lou Holtz's first team went 1-4 on the way to a 5-6 finish.

As time ran out, the Spartans gathered on the field with their helmets raised, celebrating their first 3-0 start since 1979. The Notre Dame players just straggled off, their heads bowed.

"I'm very proud for Spartans everywhere that they can relish the fact this football team made them proud today," Michigan State coach Nick Saban said.

AP PHOTO Ron Powlus and the Fighting Irish had their heads handed to them by Michigan State on Saturday. The Spartans' 23-7 victory dropped Notre Dame under .500 for the first time since 1986, Lou Holtz's first season in South Bend.

Michigan State finished with 353 yards total offense, including 222 yards rushing. Todd Schultz was 12-of-18 for 107 yards.

No. 1 Penn State 57, Louisville 21

Curtis Enis rushed for three touchdowns and Joe Jurevicius caught three touchdown passes as Penn State ran its winning streak over non-Big Ten foes to 19 Saturday with a 57-21 victory over Louisville.

Although Penn State was clearly the dominant team, the Nittany Lions removed any doubt about Louisville pulling a major upset by scoring the last 22 points of the first half in the final 3:47 to go up 50-14.

No. 9 Ohio St. 28, Arizona 20

Andy Katzenmoyer picked off a shovel pass and returned it 20 yards as Ohio State scored 14 points in 14 seconds of the second quarter on the way to a 28-20 victory over Arizona on Saturday.

Ohio State, 3-0 for the seventh year in a row, had to recover an onside kick and pick up a first down on a third-down running play with 1:30 left to lock up the victory.

No. 13 Iowa 63, Iowa St 20

Tim Dwight re-emerged as a force in Iowa's offense and the Hawkeyes once again had their way with Iowa State.

Dwight, overshadowed in the Hawkeyes' first two games by running back Tavian Banks, caught three touchdown passes Saturday and made five other catches as Iowa recorded its third straight rout, beating Iowa State 63-20.

No. 19 Washington State 35, Illinois 22

Ryan Leaf threw four touchdown passes as No. 19 Washington State rallied past winless Illinois 35-22 Saturday.

Despite Leaf's three interceptions and the Cougars' 18 penalties, Washington State overcame Illinois' 14-7 lead early in the second half.

Rice 40, Northwestern 34

Michael Perry scored three touchdowns, the last with 1:24 left to play, to lead Rice to a 40-34 victory over Northwestern Saturday.

Perry had 19 carries for 104 yards and two rushing touchdowns. He also caught a 44-yard scoring pass from Chad Nelson.

Kentucky 49, Indiana 7

Tim Couch, who earlier this season set a Kentucky record for passing yardage, threw a record seven touchdown passes Saturday in a 49-7 win over Indiana.

Craig Yeast caught four of the touchdown passes by Couch, tying another Kentucky record, and the Wildcats dominated the Hoosiers by the widest margin in their 28-game football series.

Purdue 28, Ball St. 14

Billy Dicken passed for 223 yards and two touchdowns and also scored on a quarterback sneak as Purdue defeated Ball State 28-14 Saturday.

Purdue intercepted three passes off Jake Josetti and held the Cardinals to less than 100 yards total offense until the closing minute of the third quarter while building a 28-7 advantage.

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