C O NF E R E NC E R E P O RT S
at No. 19 Northwestern 17, No. 10 Wisconsin 7: Peyton Ramsey threw two touchdown passes and the Wildcats shut down Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz and forced five turnovers to take control of the Big Ten West. It’s Northwestern’s first win over a top-10 team since a 28-25 victory over No. 9 Nebraska on Nov. 5, 2011. The Wildcats improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2015. They also moved to 5-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 1996. Wisconsin had committed just one turnover this year. Mertz, a redshirt freshman, lost a fumble and threw his first three interceptions. Michigan 48, at Rutgers 42 (3OT): Hassan Haskins dove in from a yard out on fourth down in the third overtime, and the Wolverines snapped a three-game skid to avoid their worst start in 53 years. Sophomore Cade McNamara came off the bench to throw for four touchdowns, run for one and rally Michigan in the fourth quarter. Michigan missed the two-point conversion after Haskins’ score, but Daxton Hill intercepted Noah Vedral’s heave in the end zone to end it.
Illinois 41, at Nebraska 23: Brandon Peters threw a touchdown pass to former Trojan Josh Imatorbhebhe and ran for another in his first game in nearly a month, Illinois had two rushers with more than 100 yards, and the Illini beat the turnover-plagued Huskers for their second straight win. “You can imagine what our locker room was like,” Illini coach Lovie Smith said. “I’m told we haven’t won in Lincoln since 1924 when Red Grange played.” The Cornhuskers won at Illinois last year despite committing four turnovers. They couldn’t survive five, though. Luke McCaffrey, making his second start at quarterback, committed the first of his four turnovers on the first play from scrimmage.
Iowa 41, at Penn State 21: Spencer Petras completed 18 of 28 passes for 186 yards and ran for a touchdown to lead the Hawkeyes to their third straight win, and drop the Nittany Lions to 0-5 for the first time. Iowa snapped a six-game losing streak to Penn State. Coach James Franklin announced Nittany Lions star tight end Pat Freiermuth will need season-ending surgery for an undisclosed injury.