BIG TEN ROUNDUP : Fake Punt Helps Lift Indiana Over Michigan St.

A fourth-down gamble paid off big Saturday for Indiana.

Jim DiGuilio ran 24 yards for a first down on a fake punt, setting up the game’s only touchdown, as the No. 23-ranked Hoosiers defeated No. 22 Michigan State, 10-0, at Bloomington, Ind.

DiGuilio, lining up in punt position, took a high snap and faked a kick before running to the Michigan State 31. Five plays later, Jermaine Chaney ran 12 yards around left end for a touchdown.

“I saw the Michigan State players turn around thinking I’d kicked it,” DiGuilio said. “It’s a lot easier to run when they don’t know you have the ball. . . . I saw a lot of green and I was just hoping I’d make it to first down.”

Indiana Coach Bill Mallory said: “It wasn’t really a (called) fake punt. What happened was the snap was high, and DiGuilio saw that maybe, he might have it (the first down).”

The touchdown came in the second quarter, capping an 11-play, 69-yard drive. Chaney, who was listed as doubtful because of a sprained ankle, came off the bench to carry three times for 31 yards in the drive. The Hoosiers, 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten, limited Michigan State to 41 yards rushing and 161 yards overall, consistently coming up with big defensive plays while gaining their third shutout of the season.

Michigan State (4-3, 2-2) had its best scoring bids end with missed field-goal attempts of 32 and 45 yards by Bill Stoyanovich.

Illinois 20, Northwestern 13--Damien Platt rushed for 117 yards and ran 32 yards for the tiebreaking touchdown as the Illini won a Big Ten game at Champaign, Ill.

The Fighting Illini (4-4, 4-1) gained their third consecutive victory and remained in the hunt for the conference title.

Illinois didn’t look like the team that upset Michigan a week ago until Platt entered the game with less than five minutes to play in the second quarter.

Down 7-0, the Illini put together a 91-yard drive that was capped by Ty Douthard’s two-yard touchdown plunge. Platt did most of the work, picking up 51 yards on the ground and catching a 12-yard pass. The Wildcats (2-6, 0-5) got a 40-yard field goal from Sam Valenzisi to lead 10-6 at halftime, but two plays after Platt gained 41 yards on a pass play, Ken Dilger caught a 26-yard touchdown pass to put Illinois ahead, 13-10.

Iowa 26, Purdue 17--Paul Burmeister passed for three touchdowns and rushed for another to lead the Hawkeyes (3-5, 1-5) over the Boilermakers (1-7, 0-5) in a Big Ten game at Iowa City.

Burmeister, who completed 21 of 27 passes for a career-best 290 yards, directed the Hawkeyes to touchdowns on their first four possessions to stake Iowa to a 26-14 halftime lead. Burmeister’s previous best was 283 yards.