BIG TEN ROUNDUP
No. 6 Penn State 52, Akron 0: Saquon Barkley racked up 226 total yards and two touchdowns to lead host Penn State to a win over Akron. Quarterback Trace McSorley was 18 for 25 passing for 280 yards and two touchdowns to help Penn State’s high-octane offense pick up where it left off when the Big Ten champions won nine of their final 10 games last season. McSorley also ran for a touchdown.
Michigan State 35, Bowling Green 10: Brian Lewerke threw three touchdown passes, and Tyson Smith capped his heartwarming comeback with an interception return for a touchdown in Michigan State’s win over visiting Bowling Green. Lewerke, who has taken over as the starting quarterback as a sophomore, went 22 of 33 for 250 yards and also made some crucial plays with his legs, running for a team-high 69 yards. The play of the day went to Smith, however. He talked last month with reporters about an offseason health scare that involved a severe headache and turned out to be a stroke. By Saturday, he was able to play, and his 38-yard interception return in the third quarter made it 35-3.
Iowa 24, Wyoming 3: Nate Stanley threw three touchdown passes in his first career start and host Iowa beat Wyoming, its 16th win in its last 17 openers. Noah Fant caught two of those TD tosses for the Hawkeyes, who held the Cowboys to just 59 yards rushing on 30 tries. Josh Allen was 23 of 40 passing for 174 yards and two picks for the Cowboys, whose inability to run the ball left Allen without much space to work with.
Illinois 24, Ball State 21: Jamal Milan blocked Morgan Hagee’s 54-yard field goal attempt as time expired, and host Illinois opened its second season under coach Lovie Smith with a victory over Ball State. Mike Epstein scored on a 1-yard run with just over two minutes remaining after Mike Dudek returned a punt 52 yards. Isaiah Gay came through with a huge sack near the end, and Milan got a hand on the ball on Hagee’s attempt. Chayce Crouch threw for 145 yards and a touchdown. Mike Epstein ran for two touchdowns. Illinois — coming off a 3-9 season — blew a nine-point halftime lead and wasted several scoring opportunities down the stretch. But Dudek brought them back into it with a big punt return through the middle and up the right side to the 35 in the closing minutes. Epstein then plowed in from the 1 with 2:06 left. Crouch converted the 2-point conversion run to make it 24-21.
Northwestern 31, Nevada 20: Quarterback Clayton Thorson scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes and host Northwestern beat Nevada. Trailing 20-17 in the fourth quarter, Thorson directed a 75-yard drive that culminated in his following the block of right guard Tommy Doles to crash the end zone for a 24-20 lead. Thorson scored on another 1-yard plunge with 52 seconds to play, ending Nevada’s upset hopes.