Boilermakers squeeze by Wisconsin on OT field goal block

MADISON (AP) - Craig Terrill won't mind the welt on his chest this week.

The freshman defensive tackle blocked Vitaly Pisetsky's 58-yard field-goal attempt in overtime and Ashante Woodyard returned it 36 yards for a touchdown as 17th-ranked Purdue beat Wisconsin 30-24 on Saturday.

"I squeezed through and it hit me right in the chest," Terrill said. "I couldn't believe it. I went after the ball, and Ashante just flew by me."

Woodyard said he wanted the block, "but I don't mind somebody else getting the glory."

And the bruise that goes with it.

The Boilermakers (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) won the coin toss in overtime and elected to defend. The Badgers (4-4, 1-4) only went backward.

Michael Bennett was stuffed for no gain and Jim Sorgi threw an incomplete pass in the end zone. After a false start, Sorgi was sacked by Akin Ayodele on third-and-15.

That brought up fourth-and-25 from the 40 and after a high snap, Pisetsky's kick was flat. Woodyard scooped up the bouncing ball, shook of Pisetsky and outraced holder Kevin Stemke along the Boilermakers' sideline. Woodyard's teammates ran alongside him, then tackled him after he pranced into the end zone.

The Badgers must win three of its final four games just to earn a bowl bid in a season that began with national championship aspirations.

No. 14 Ohio State 38, Iowa 10: Ohio State gave Iowa a different look Saturday, but the result was the same.

Steve Bellisari threw for a career-high 315 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Buckeyes to a 38-10 victory over Iowa, the Hawkeyes' 16th loss in 17 games. It was Ohio State's seventh-straight win in the series and extended its overall record to 41-13-3 against the Hawkeyes, who last beat the Buckeyes in Kinnick Stadium in 1983.

"We did a lot of different things today. We went to three wide receiver sets. We ran the ball out of it. We threw the ball out of it and that's something we haven't done all year. It's a new look for us," said Bellesari, whose previous best was 240 yards against Arizona earlier this season.

Ohio State capitalized on early turnovers by Iowa and scored on its first four possessions to take charge by halftime - vastly different than Ohio State's 29-17 loss last week to Minnesota in which the Buckeyes trailed 17-3 after the first quarter.

All was not perfect, however, for the Buckeyes. They ran for only 108 yards, 71 yards below their average, and committed 11 penalties for 104 yards.

Indiana 51, No. 23 Minnesota 43: Antwaan Randle El can catch the ball, too.

The Indiana quarterback rushed for a career-high 210 yards and two touchdowns, passed for 263 yards and two more scores and set up Levron Williams for three touchdown runs.

But it was his recovery of a Minnesota onside kick with less than two minutes to go that preserved the Hoosiers' 51-43 victory over the Gophers on Saturday.

"I wanted the ball kicked to me so I could get the ball in my hands and cover it up," Randle El said. "If we don't cover it up, they have a chance."

The two teams combined for almost 1,100 yards total offense, including a career-high 473 by Randle El. Both of his touchdown runs came late in the fourth quarter, then after the final touchdown by the Gophers, Randle El recovered the onside kick and Indiana (3-4, 2-2 Big Ten) ran out the clock.

Minnesota rallied from a 24-6 deficit to 37-35 with just over nine minutes to go. The Gophers had a chance to take the lead after Randle El fumbled on the next possession, but Indiana got the ball back three plays later on an interception by Sharrod Wallace.

Randle El rushed four times, including once for 35 yards to the Minnesota six, and two plays later he scored from the 3 for a 44-35 lead. Indiana got the ball back seconds later when Minnesota's Travis Cole was sacked by Justin Smith and fumbled at the Gophers' 29.

No. 2 Virginia Tech 22, Syracuse 14: The Carrier Dome jinx is over for Virginia Tech. Barely.

Lee Suggs scored twice on short runs in the third quarter and Michael Vick raced 55 yards for another score with under two minutes remaining Saturday night as the second-ranked Hokies (7-0, 5-0 Big East) held off Syracuse 22-14 to remain in the hunt for the national championship.

And they did it with defense, intercepting four passes and making the Orangemen pay for their mistakes. Syracuse gained a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and never scored again. Tech has 18 interceptions on the season.

The game turned in the third quarter with the Hokies trailing 14-3. After a punt pinned the Orangemen inside the 5, quarterback Troy Nunes slipped on a third-down snap and fell backward across the goal line. Instead of taking the safety, though, he threw the ball down the middle of the field and Willie Pile easily intercepted it at the 15 and returned it to the 5. It was the first of three interceptions by the Tech safety.

Suggs scored his 13th rushing touchdown of the season two plays later and the Hokies trailed 14-9 with 6:24 remaining when Vick's two-point conversion pass was dropped by Emmett Johnson.

Maurice Jackson then went from hero to goat when Syracuse got the ball back. After catching a 19-yard pass from Nunes, he fumbled while struggling for extra yards and Tech's Jake Houseright recovered and returned it 11 yards to the Syracuse 21.

Suggs gave the Hokies the lead for good on a 1-yard run with 2:49 left in the period, but Syracuse trailed 15-14 when Vick's conversion pass fell incomplete.

Louisiana St. 45, No. 13 Mississippi St. 38 (OT): LaBrandon Toefield scored on a 13-yard run on the first possession of overtime to give Louisiana State a 45-38 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday night.

Louisiana State then held Mississippi State on a fourth-and-2 from the 17. Wayne Madkin tried to scramble for a first down, but was stopped well short by Jeremy Lawrence and Teverance Faulk.

Toefield finished with 119 yards and two touchdowns, as Louisiana St. gained 220 yards on the ground against a Mississippi State run defense that entered the game No. 1 in the country, allowing 24 yards.

The Bulldogs forced overtime when Madkin found Justin Griffith from 3 yards out with 1:59 left to tie it at 38.

Three straight touchdown drives by the Tigers turned a 14-point deficit into a 38-31 Louisiana St. lead with 4:54 to play.

Domanick Davis scored on two three-yard runs and Josh Booty hooked up with Josh Reed for a 20-yard scoring play.

Mississippi State finally revived its offense and put together a drive that had the Bulldogs first-and-goal at the 3. The Tigers held for two plays, but on third-and-goal at the 5, Madkin found Justin Griffith wide open to tie it at 38 with 1:59 left.

AP PHOTO

Wisconsin receiver Chris Chambers (8) catches a touchdown pass in front of Purdue's Chris Clopton (23) during the second quarter Saturday.

Foursome

Next weekend will knock at least one more team off this list. A bye leaves Michigan in the clear as the other conference leaders go head to head with each other.

With only three (or four) more weeks left of competition, this race has come down to the wire. Here is who the top four teams have left on their schedules:

Michigan (4-1): bye, at Northwestern, Penn State, at Ohio State

Northwestern (3-1): at Minnesota, Michigan, at Iowa, Illinois

Purdue (4-1): Ohio State, bye, at Michigan State, Indiana

Ohio State (3-1): at Purdue, Michigan State, at Illinois, Michigan