COLLEGE FOOTBALL : BIG TEN ROUNDUP : Northwestern Reverts to Winning Ways

Northwestern isn’t a one-game wonder, after all.

The Wildcats, who followed a season-opening upset at Notre Dame with a humiliating home loss to Miami of Ohio, dominated Air Force in winning, 30-6, on Saturday in a nonconference game at Evanston, Ill.

“It was critical for us as a team and for our goals to win this game,” Northwestern Coach Gary Barnett said. “Our kids presented themselves as the team that beat Notre Dame, rather than the team that lost to Miami. We went through a grieving session, but by Wednesday the kids were ready to go.”

Said Darnell Autry, who rushed for 190 yards in 37 carries, scored two touchdowns and caught four passes for 51 yards: “We all came out and proved how angry we were.”

The Wildcats’ defense sure proved it, holding Air Force--the nation’s No. 3 rushing team entering the game--to 137 yards on the ground. The Falcons came in averaging 377 rushing yards.

Last week, Northwestern’s defense looked inept in failing to hold a 21-point, fourth-quarter lead. The 30-28 loss to Miami of Ohio dropped Northwestern out of the national rankings.

“Notre Dame was a huge victory,” said linebacker Pat Fitzgerald, who was in on 13 tackles as Northwestern short-circuited Air Force’s option attack. “Then to come out last week and get embarrassed the way we did, to blow a lead like that, our defense took it to heart.”

Defensive end Casey Dailey and safety William Bennett also excelled as Northwestern (2-1) held an opponent without a touchdown for the first time since beating Princeton, 37-0, in 1986.

Air Force (2-2), which fell out of the national rankings with last week’s loss to Colorado State, had its lowest-scoring game since 1993. It had also been two years since the Falcons rushed for so few yards.

“We couldn’t control things. We just missed assignments,” quarterback Beau Morgan said. “It was one of the worst offensive days we’ve ever had.”

Meanwhile, Autry led a Northwestern offense that gained 468 total yards. He now has 502 yards this season and four consecutive games of at least 100 yards dating back to last year.

Syracuse 27, Minnesota 17--Marvin Harrison ran a punt back 94 yards for a touchdown and Syracuse capitalized on two turnovers as the Orangemen scored 21 points in a row at the Carrier Dome.

Harrison, the Big East’s leading receiver with a 22.8 yards-per-catch average, also scored on a 30-yard touchdown reception as he had a season high eight receptions for 184 yards, also a season high.

Syracuse (2-1) led, 27-10, with 4:55 left in the third quarter following Harrison’s touchdown catch and then had to withstand the Gophers’ comeback effort. Syracuse blew a 21-point lead two weeks ago while losing to East Carolina, 27-24.

The Gophers (1-1) had cut the lead to 27-17 on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Cory Sauter to Greg Nelson as the third quarter ended.

Following a missed 29-yard field goal by Syracuse’s Olindo Mare, Minnesota pushed the ball to the Orange seven-yard line before Rod Gadson came up with an interception in the end zone for Syracuse with 4:51 left to play.

Chris Darkins rushed for 206 yards in 34 carries for Minnesota (1-1).

Wisconsin 42, Southern Methodist 0--Darrell Bevell tied his own school record by completing his first 14 passes and Carl McCullough rushed 26 times for 130 yards and a touchdown in the Badgers’ nonconference victory over SMU (1-3) at Madison, Wis.

Redshirt freshman Aaron Stecker added 112 yards and two touchdowns in 14 carries in his first start for the Badgers (1-1-1).

Bevell, finally regaining his 1993 form, completed 18 of 20 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns.

Wisconsin exploited the Mustangs’ injury-depleted defensive line for touchdowns on its first four possessions on the way to a 28-0 halftime lead.

Illinois 7, East Carolina 0--Robert Holcombe carried 49 times for 130 yards and scored the game’s lone touchdown as the Illini (2-2) defeated the Pirates (2-2) at Champaign, Ill.

The nonconference game was a rematch of last year’s Liberty Bowl.

East Carolina, which came to Memorial Stadium averaging 431 yards per game, got half that amount against a defense that also forced four turnovers.

The Pirates’ best scoring chance was foiled by an interception by Illinois’ Duane Lyle at the five-yard-line with 26 seconds remaining. It was Lyle’s third interception of the game.

Indiana 27, Southern Mississippi 26--Jason Kaylor blocked a 37-yard field-goal attempt with 1:52 remaining and Eric Allen intercepted a pass on the game’s final play to save the Hoosiers in an error-filled nonconference game at Bloomington, Ind.

Indiana (2-1) lost five fumbles, while Southern Mississippi (2-2) yielded the final touchdown to the Hoosiers after Fred Brock fumbled a kickoff at the three. Jabar Robinson recovered the ball for Indiana and took it into the end zone.

This was the first time the Golden Eagles had ever played a Big Ten team.