Wildcats Survive Wild One

A frantic finish a week ago produced a dramatic victory over Michigan. On Saturday, it was desperate times again for No. 15 Northwestern against Minnesota.

But instead of rallying for a victory in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats staggered to preserve one. They led, 23-0, at halftime and hung on to win, 26-24, at Evanston, Ill.

“I wasn’t thinking this thing was going to be easy, even when we jumped ahead,” Northwestern running back Darnell Autry said. “You got to play a full game.”

Autry gained a season-high 189 yards and tied a career high with 41 carries while passing Dennis Lundy to become Northwestern’s all-time rushing leader. Autry passed Lundy (3,062 yards) on his 10th carry of the game.

Autry has 19 consecutive games of at least 100 yards, and his toughest running Saturday came when the Wildcats needed it most as he gained 57 yards in 11 carries in a crucial seven-minute, fourth-quarter drive.

Northwestern improved to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten. Minnesota (3-2, 0-2) lost its second game in a row.

No. 10 Penn State 31, Purdue 14--Playing at State College, Pa., on Penn State’s homecoming is never a good idea. Catching the Nittany Lions on the rebound from a humbling loss to Ohio State didn’t help Purdue any, either.

Curtis Enis rushed for three touchdowns as Penn State beat the Boilermakers for its 33rd victory its last 36 homecoming games.

Enis carried 23 times for 83 yards and had seven receptions for 94 yards for Penn State (6-1, 2-1).

Purdue (2-4, 1-2), which had won two in a row, hasn’t won three consecutive since 1984.

Michigan State 42, Illinois 14--It was homecoming for Michigan State, and a triumphant return for Spartan quarterback Todd Schultz.

Schultz, who sat out three games because of a knee injury, passed for one touchdown and ran for another at East Lansing, Mich.

Schultz, who injured his left knee during the second game of the season at Nebraska, completed 20 of 25 passes for 281 yards with one interception.

The Spartans, 1-1 in Schultz’s first two starts, lost two of their three games without him. They’re now 3-3, 2-1.

The Illini (2-4, 1-2) appeared to suffer a letdown after a double-overtime victory over Indiana a week earlier in overtime.

Iowa 31, Indiana 10--Tavian Banks ran for three touchdowns and Tom Knight returned an interception 57 yards for another score as the Hawkeyes (4-1, 2-0) beat the Hoosiers (2-4, 0-3) at Bloomington, Ind.

It was Indiana’s fourth consecutive loss and its 11th in a row the Big Ten.