FREEZE, GOPHERS!
Illini defense racks up six sacks and two INTs in upset over Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — Chase Brown rushed 33 times for 150 yards, and the Illinois defense delivered six sacks and two interceptions of Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan on the way to a 14-6 victory on Saturday.
Kerby Joseph picked off Morgan at the Illini 45-yard line with 38 seconds left to halt the too-little-toolate rally by the Gophers (6-3, 4-2), whose fourgame winning streak that catapulted them into sole possession of first place in the Big Ten West Division was stopped cold.
Morgan scored on a fourth-and-1 bootleg with 4:56 to go after going 7 for 8 for 68 yards on that drive to pull the Gophers within one score.
The Illini (4-6, 3-4) finished the game with seven consecutive punts, except for a kneel-down at the end of each half, but Brown moved the chains with a 7-yard run off left tackle on third-and-4 near midfield around the 3-minute mark. Blake Hayes pooched his last punt to land it at the 2, leaving only 1:12 remaining and no timeouts for Morgan and the Gophers.
After a 38-yard strike to Dylan Wright, Morgan was taken down for an 11-yard sack by Isaiah Gay so hard the Illini linebacker hurt himself on the play.
The damage was done much earlier by the Illinois defense, which constantly pressured Morgan and forced him out of the pocket. Ky Thomas had 16 carries for 60 yards, but the Gophers again failed to find a rhythm with the ball. Morgan was sacked by Owen Carney Jr. on fourth-and-6 at the 22 to end that drive in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, the Illini were beating them at their own game. Brandon Peters attempted a season-low nine passes, but he was as sharp as he needed to be with seven completions for 80 yards and a touchdown to help Illinois keep hope of bowl game eligibility alive.
Illinois played a flawless first quarter, matching Minnesota’s per-game average allowance with 93 rushing yards. Seth Coleman provided the spark by tipping Morgan’s thirddown pass at the line, deflecting the ball toward fellow linebacker Tarique Barnes for an interception near midfield to thwart a promising opening possession for the Gophers.
Wide receiver Isaiah
Williams scored on a 2-yard jet sweep to finish a strong response to the turnover. Then after forcing a threeand-out, the Illini cruised from their own 9 to reach the end zone again on the first play of the second quarter. With a bootleg rollout to his right, Peters threw to a wide-open tight end Tip Reiman from 15 yards out.
Purdue 40, Michigan State 29:
Aidan O’Connell threw for a career-best 536 yards, matched his career high with three touchdown passes and led Purdue past No. 5 Michigan State, leaving the Big Ten without any unbeaten teams.
Purdue’s second major upset in four weeks could keep the conference out of the College Football Playoff for the third time in five years. The Boilermakers (6-3, 4-2), who won at then-No. 2 Iowa last month, are bowl-eligible for the first time in three years. They tied for the West Division lead and extended their FBS record for wins over top-five teams when unranked to 17.
Ohio State 26, Nebraska 17:
C.J. Stroud threw for 405 yards and two touchdowns, Ohio State’s defense came up with a pair of stops after Nebraska had pulled within six points, and the sixthranked Buckeyes got out of Memorial Stadium with a
win.
The Buckeyes’ nation-leading offense managed only two field goals in the second half, allowing the Cornhuskers — a two-touchdown underdog, according to FanDuel Sportsbook — to make it a one-score game until Noah Ruggles kicked a 46-yard field goal with 1:29 left.
Ohio State (8-1, 6-0 Big Ten) won its 24th straight game against a conference opponent but couldn’t have impressed the committee that put it No. 5 in the initial
College Football Playoff rankings.
Wisconsin 52, Rutgers 3: Graham Mertz threw a season-high three touchdown passes and Wisconsin won its fifth straight game and become bowl eligible for the 20th straight year.
Chez Mellusi, Braelon Allen and Jackson Acker each ran for a touchdown and cornerback Caesar Williams highlighted a dominant performance by the Badgers’ top-ranked
defense by returning an interception 29 yards for a TD.
Notre Dame 36, Navy 6: Jack Coan threw for 269 yards and a touchdown, Kyren Williams ran for two scores and No. 8 Notre Dame shut down Navy’s triple-option attack.
Coan, a grad transfer from Wisconsin, completed 23 of 29 passes, with a 70-yard scoring pass to Kevin Austin late in the first half for the Irish (8-1, No. 10 CFP).