C O NF E R E NC E R E P O RT S
at No. 14 Northwestern 28, Illinois 10: Cam Porter ran for a career-high 142 yards and two touchdowns, Evan Hull added a season-best 149 yards on the ground, and the Wildcats tuned up for Ohio State by beating the Fighting Illini. Northwestern rushed for 411 yards while outgaining Illinois 493-262. The Wildcats ran for a school-record 478 against Boston College in 1961. Porter came in with just 32 yards and one touchdown but the freshman broke out in a big way, leading the Wildcats to an easy victory.
at No. 16 Iowa 28, Wisconsin 7: Spencer Petras threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns to Ihmir Smith-Marsette to lead the Hawkeyes past the Badgers, Iowa’s sixth win in a row. The Hawkeyes beat the Badgers for the first time since 2015 to reclaim the Heartland Trophy. Hawkeyes players celebrated by making snow angels after flurries picked up in the second half and blanketed the field in white. Iowa’s offense came alive in the second half after both teams struggled in the first. Smith-Marsette finished with seven catches for 140 yards, and Tyler Goodson had 106 yards rushing.
Minnesota 24, at Nebraska 17: Mohamed Ibrahim ran for two touchdowns following Cornhuskers turnovers, and a Golden Gophers team missing nearly three dozen players to COVID-19 protocols or injuries left Memorial Stadium with a stunning win after being idle three weeks. Ibrahim scored on fourth and goal from the one-yard line to give Minnesota a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter after Adrian Martinez fumbled at the Nebraska 39. Connor Culp’s 30-yard field goal cut it to 24-17 with 4:42 left.
at Penn State 39, Michigan State 24: A come-from-behind win over the Spartans is evidence enough for coach James Franklin to know the Nittany Lions have put their earlyseason struggles behind them. Sean Clifford completed 17 of 27 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns and added 48 yards and another touchdown on the ground. Parker Washington hauled in a pair of touchdown passes for the Nittany Lions, who trailed 21-10 at halftime. Backup quarterback Will Levis added a rushing touchdown and receiver Jahan Dotson returned a punt 81 yards for a score for the Nittany Lions, who won their third straight.
Rutgers 27, at Maryland 24 (OT): The Scarlet Knights followed a difficult week with a miserable first half, then rallied together to pull out a victory that had them shouting and dancing with delight. Valentino Ambrosio kicked the tying field goal at the end of regulation and accounted for the only points in overtime, drilling a 42-yarder to carry Rutgers past the error-prone Terrapins. Bo Melton scored two touchdowns for the Scarlet Knights, who were blanked in the first half and trailed twice in the fourth quarter.