BIG TEN ROUNDUP : Minnesota Stymies Indiana, 12-0; Illinois Edges Michigan State, 15-13

A month ago, Minnesota had the worst defense in the Big Ten. After three games, the Gophers ranked last in every team defensive category and were giving up an average of nearly 36 points and 493 yards a game.

This is the same defense that shut out No. 20 Indiana, 12-0, Saturday at Minneapolis to keep the Gophers in a tie for the Big Ten lead.

Coach John Gutekunst took more direct control of the defense after a 56-0 loss to Nebraska, and the move seems to be paying off. With the defense showing steady improvement, Minnesota is 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten.

The Gophers’ shutout of Indiana was their first since blanking Illinois, 21-0, in 1977.

And it wasn’t an ordinary Hoosier team that the Gophers stuffed.

The Hoosiers (4-1-1, 1-1-1) entered the game averaging 41.8 points a game, fourth in the nation and tops in the Big Ten. They also led the conference with 280.4 yards rushing per game and were third in total offense with 426.4 yards a game.

The Gophers held Indiana to 166 yards, including 63 in 27 rushes. Vaughn Dunbar, the Big Ten’s No. 3 rusher with 109 yards a game, was held to 11 yards in seven carries.

The Gophers got all their points--two field goals and a one-yard sneak by Marquel Fleetwood--after big defensive plays.

No. 8 Illinois 15, No. 24 Michigan State 13--Doug Higgins’ fifth field goal of the game, a 48-yarder with 42 seconds to play, enabled the Illini (5-1, 3-0) to beat the Spartans (2-3-1, 1-2) at Champaign, Ill.

A 26-yard pass from Jason Verduzco to Steven Mueller helped set up the winning kick 59 seconds after John Langeloh gave Michigan State a 13-12 lead with a 35-yard field goal.

Higgins opened the game with a career-long 55-yard field goal and also converted on kicks of 28, 36 and 27 yards.

Illinois held a 9-3 lead before Michigan State drove 84 yards in 12 plays for a touchdown, with Dan Enos bootlegging the final yard for the score. It appeared the Illini had stopped the drive when Mel Agee sacked Enos at the 15, but a facemask penalty put the ball on the five, and Enos finally scored on fourth down for a 10-9 lead.

Higgins’ 27-yard field goal with 7:27 left made it 12-10, but the Spartans drove to the 17 and got a 35-yard field goal by Langeloh to make it 13-12.

Northwestern 44, Wisconsin 34--Bob Christian carried 42 times for 220 yards and one touchdown and caught passes for two more at Evanston, Ill., as the Wildcats (2-4, 1-2) won a Big Ten game for the first time since November, 1988, when they beat Purdue, 28-7.

The Badgers (1-5, 0-3) haven’t won a conference game on the road since winning at Evanston in 1986.

Ohio State 42, Purdue 2--Flanker Jeff Graham caught passes for two touchdowns and threw to quarterback Greg Frey for another as the Buckeyes (3-2-1, 1-1-1) routed the Boilermakers (1-5, 0-3) at West Lafayette, Ind.

Graham, who had a career-high 144 yards on four receptions, made three catches for 96 yards in the first half and caught a 48-yard touchdown pass from Frey on Ohio State’s first play of the second half. He scored on a 58-yard touchdown play and also threw a 60-yard scoring pass in the second quarter.

Purdue quarterback Scott Hoffman, making his first collegiate start in place of injured Eric Hunter, completed 31 of 54 passes for 317 yards, but he threw five interceptions. The 54 attempts is one less than the school record of 55, set by Scott Campbell in 1982 and matched by Jim Everett in 1985.