Barrett, Ohio State fight off Minnesota
J.T. Barrett threw for three touchdowns and ran for 189 yards — an Ohio State record for a quarterback — and an 86-yard score to help the No. 8 Buckeyes overcome three turnovers and wintry weather to beat No. 25 Minnesota 31-24 on Saturday in Minneapolis.
Barrett completed 15 of 25 passes for 200 yards with one interception, and his rushing total topped Braxton Miller’s previous Ohio State quarterback record of 186 yards set against Nebraska on Oct. 6, 2012. His 86-yard burst, also the longest by a Buckeyes quarterback, opened the scoring in the first quarter.
Jalin Marshall had 107 total yards for Ohio State (9-1, 6-0 Big Ten), but he lost two fumbles to give the Golden Gophers (7-3, 4-2) a chance to come back.
David Cobb ran 27 times for 145 yards and three touchdowns, but Minnesota didn’t quite do enough to avoid its 37th loss in 39 games against the Buckeyes since 1966.
The 15-degree temperature at kickoff was the coldest in the last six seasons at TCF Bank Stadium and the coldest for a game involving Ohio State in more than 50 years.
Michigan State 37, Maryland 15
Jeremy Langford ran for 138 yards and two touchdowns, and the No. 12 Spartans (8-2, 5-1) rebounded from their loss last week to Ohio State to thump the Terrapins (6-4, 3-3) in College Park, Maryland.
Michigan State dominated the game defensively. The Spartans intercepted three passes, one of which RJ Williamson returned 22 yards for a touchdown, held Maryland to six yards rushing and sacked Terrapins quarterback C.J. Brown three times.
Rutgers 45, Indiana 23
Robert Martin ran for three touchdowns, including a 47-yarder, and Gary Nova threw two scoring passes to Leonte Carroo to fuel the Scarlet Knights (6-4, 2-4) past the Hoosiers (3-7, 0-6) in Piscataway, New Jersey. The result enabled Rutgers, which is playing its first season in the Big Ten, to become bowl-eligible for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons.
Tevin Coleman rushed for a career-high 307 yards— including a 67-yard touchdown — for Indiana, which lost its fifth consecutive game.
Penn State 30, Temple 13
Akeel Lynch rushed 18 times for 130 yards and a 38-yard touchdown, and the Nittany Lions (6-4) forced five turnovers in a nonconference victory against the Owls (5-5) in State College, Pennsylvania, that enabled them to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2011.
Bill Belton added 92 yards on 19 carries for Penn State, which was ineligible for bowl play the last two seasons because of NCAA sanctions stemming from the Jerry Sandusky sexual-abuse scandal.