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News Gazette Sports Page 10-1-12

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The boys are back at The Esquire, taking many phone calls and audience questions.

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• Jim Rossow's Big Ten report: Tough trip awaits Illini

Sports editor Jim Rossow’s Big Ten Insider

Standings

LEADERS DIVISION
TEAM                LEAGUE  OVERALL
Ohio State    2    0    6    0
Penn State    2    0    4    2
Wisconsin    1    1    4    2
Purdue    0    1    3    2
Indiana    0    2    2    3
Illinois    0    2    2    4
LEGENDS DIVISION
Iowa    1    0    3    2
Michigan    1    0    3    2
Northwestern    1    1    5    1
Michigan State    1    1    4    2
Nebraska    1    1    4    2
Minnesota    0    1    4    1
SATURDAY’S RESULTS
Wisconsin 31    Illinois 14
Michigan 44    Purdue 13
Michigan State 31    Indiana 27
Penn State 39    Northwestern 28
Ohio State 63    Nebraska 38
   Bye: Iowa, Minnesota
NEXT SATURDAY’S GAMES
Northwestern at Minnesota    11 a.m.
Wisconsin at Purdue    11 a.m.
Iowa at Michigan State    11 a.m.
Illinois at Michigan    2:30 p.m.
Ohio State at Indiana    7 p.m.
Bye: Nebraska, Penn State

Saturday’s stars

- SCOREBOARD OPERATOR, Ohio Stadium. Worked his/her fingers to the bone, the teams combining for 101 points. In last season’s men’s basketball game in Columbus, the schools combined for 111 points (Ohio State won 71-40).
- OFFENSE, Indiana. And we’re not talking about Tom Crean’s guys. With 27 points in the first half against Michigan State and 29 points in the second half at Northwestern, Indiana scored 27 or more in consecutive halves for the first time since putting up 58 against Missouri in 1990. That Peach Bowl-bound bunch was coached by one of our favorites, Bill Mallory, who took the Hoosiers to six bowl games.
- DEFENSE, Michigan. Something about Purdue Pete brings out the best in the Wolverines, who have registered a defensive touchdown the last three times they’ve played the Boilermakers. Raymon Taylor (interception) turned the trick Saturday.
- PLAY-CALLING, Penn State. The Nittany Lions ran 99 offensive plays, tying the school record set against West Virginia on Oct. 22, 1966. That game was the sixth of Joe Paterno’s first season. Saturday’s was the sixth game of Bill O’Brien’s first season.
- AARON BURBRIDGE, Michigan State. Young buck played like Andre Rison with eight catches for 134 yards in his fourth game. He’s the first Spartans freshman to top 100 yards since Terry Love in 2004.
- MATT McGLOIN, Penn State. Broke Wally Richardson’s school record for pass completions with 35, scored his team-leading fifth rushing touchdown, topped 200 yards passing for the fourth consecutive game and, as far as we know, bought the team ice cream at The Creamery.

Saturday’s quote

- “It’s kind of embarrassing losing like that in Ross-Ade, with a lot of people visiting and just getting blown out.” — Purdue quarterback Caleb TerBush.

Bowl forecast

- LOOKING GOOD: Wisconsin (by default). As erratic as Bucky has looked this fall, the Leaders Division is such a mess that it can’t help but wind up in Indy for the Big Ten title game. The eligible competition — Purdue, Indiana and Illinois — is 0-5 in Big Ten games, and each school’s fans already are focused on basketball. Plus, Wisconsin has a favorable schedule down the stretch, getting Ohio State and Michigan State at Camp Randall.
- LOOKING BAD: Northwestern. We warned you about Pat Fitzgerald’s struggles when the leaves start to fall. Sure enough, the Wildcats let one slip away in State College, their eighth loss in the last 10 games played in October. The Wildcats desperately need to win at Minnesota next weekend (no gimme considering the Gophers will be rested). That’s because the four-game stretch that follows — Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State — could knock Northwestern from a Jan. 1 game to the Meineke Car Care Bowl.  

Illini list

While Denard Robinson moved into first place on the Big Ten career list for rushing yards by a quarterback, Nathan Scheelhaase inched closer to the Top 10 with 84 yards against the Badgers:
QB, SCHOOL    YARDS
Denard Robinson, Michigan    3,905
Antwaan Randle El, Indiana    3,895
Juice Williams, Illinois    2,557
Rick Leach, Michigan    2,176
Rickey Foggie, Minnesota    2,150
Cornelius Greene, Ohio State    2,080
Brooks Bollinger, Wisconsin    1,767
Rex Kern, Ohio State    1,714
Charlie Baggett, Michigan State    1,706
Kellen Lewis, Indiana    1,677
Nathan Scheelhaase, Illinois    1,616

Illini results (2-4)

DATE    OPPONENT    RESULT
Sept. 1    W. Michigan    W, 24-7
Sept. 8    at Arizona State    L, 45-14
Sept. 15    Charleston So.    W, 44-0
Sept. 22    Louisiana Tech    L, 52-24
Sept. 29    Penn State    L, 35-7
Saturday    at Wisconsin    L, 31-14
Oct. 13    at Michigan    2:30 p.m.
Oct. 27    Indiana    11 a.m.
Nov. 3    at Ohio State    TBA
Nov. 10    Minnesota    TBA
Nov. 17    Purdue    TBA
Nov. 24    at Northwestern    TBA