BIG TEN ROUNDUP

Northwestern 31, No. 20 Wisconsin 17: Clayton Thorson ran for two touchdowns and threw for one, and Northwestern beat visiting Wisconsin.

The Big Ten West-leading Wildcats (5-3, 5-1) moved 1 games ahead of the Badgers (5-3, 3-2) and gained some revenge for a loss at Camp Randall Stadium early last season that helped keep them out of the conference championship game.

No. 17 Penn State 30, No. 18 Iowa 24: Nick Scott intercepted a pass to thwart Iowa at the Penn State 2 with 3:18 left and the Nittany Lions held on to avoid a third straight home loss with a victory over the visiting Hawkeyes.

Penn State (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) needed one last defensive stand to hold off Iowa (6-2, 3-2), which got to the Nittany Lions 44 with less than a minute left.

Michigan State 23, Purdue 13: Rocky Lombardi threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns in his first start for host Michigan State, and the Spartans halted Purdue’s four-game win streak, beating the Boilermakers.

With Brian Lewerke out with a shoulder injury, Lombardi guided the offense, and Michigan State (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) didn’t hold back. The redshirt freshman attempted 46 passes and avoided any big mistakes.

Nebraska 45, Bethune-Cookman 9: Adrian Martinez passed for 213 yards and two touchdowns and Devine Ozigbo ran for 110 and another score – all in the first half – and Nebraska prepped for next week’s trip to Ohio State with a win over visiting BethuneCookman.

The Cornhuskers (2-6) scheduled the Wildcats (4-5) as a replacement for the Sept. 1 opener against Akron that was canceled because of severe weather.

Maryland 63, Illinois 33: Javon Leake rushed for three touchdowns and scored on a 97-yard kickoff return, Kasim Hill had the best passing game of his career and host Maryland rolled past Illinois.

Leake is the first Maryland player to score four TDs in a game since D.J. Adams in the 2010 Military Bowl.