Penn State Has No Trouble With Illinois

Play Penn State for the run, and Mike McQueary will throw at will to Joe Jurevicius and Chafie Fields. Play the pass, and Curtis Enis will run around and over you.

These days, there’s no stopping Penn State’s offense. And there’s no beating the Nittany Lions, whose nine-game winning streak is the longest in Division I-A.

“I said during the week that I had trouble finding any weaknesses in them, and I still haven’t found any,” Illinois Coach Ron Turner said Saturday after his winless team was routed, 41-6, in Penn State’s Big Ten opener at Champaign, Ill.

McQueary passed for three touchdowns and Enis had his first 100-yard rushing game this year as No. 2 Penn State gained 548 yards and averaged 7.8 yards per play.

“We’re not a one-weapon team,” said Jurevicius, who caught touchdown passes of 57 and 20 yards. “If we keep playing like that, they’re not going to be able to stop one particular person.”

Penn State (4-0) was replaced at the top of the AP poll by Florida two weeks ago. Nevertheless, the Nittany Lions are starting to remind some observers of the record-setting 1994 team that included Kerry Collins, Ki-Jana Carter, Kyle Brady and Bobby Engram.

“Of course, ’94 had weapons. Didn’t the whole offense go to the NFL?” Jurevicius said. “But this team isn’t out there for the individual part of it. The real special thing about this team -- it is a team. We have some talent, yes, but I don’t think any one person overshadows it.”

After beating up on Pittsburgh, Temple, Louisville and Illinois by a combined 184-54, Penn State will play host to No. 7 Ohio State next week.

The Illini (0-5, 0-2) suffered their 11th consecutive defeat, matching their second-longest losing streak since they started playing football in 1890. Illinois, which last won on Oct. 5, 1996, has been outscored, 370-154, during its streak. The Illini also have lost eight consecutive conference games.

NO. 6 MICHIGAN 37, INDIANA 0

Brian Griese passed for 204 yards and a touchdown, before leaving early in the second half, as the Wolverines won at Bloomington, Ind.

Michigan (4-0, 1-0) attacked Indiana’s vulnerable defense with four touchdowns in the second quarter and kept the Hoosiers (1-4, 0-2) away from the Wolverines’ end zone except for one brief threat in the first quarter.

Michigan, second in the nation in scoring defense with only 20 points given up all season, had not let an opponent inside the 20-yard line until passes of 24 yards to De’Wayne Hogan and 23 yards to Chris Gall put Indiana at the 18 midway through the first quarter.

Quarterback Jay Rodgers tripped and fumbled the snap on the next play, and Glen Steele recovered for the Wolverines. The demoralized Hoosiers never recovered.

“I knew they were good, and they’ve been good for a long time. They look like that team they had in the mid ‘80s,” said Cameron, an assistant at Michigan for 10 years and quarterbacks coach the past three years for the Washington Redskins.

“We have to look across the field and say that’s what we want to be,” he said.

It was Michigan’s first shutout victory since 1995, against Purdue, and its first shutout on the road since 1991, at Illinois.

NO. 12 MICHIGAN STATE 31, MINNESOTA 10

Todd Schultz matched a career high with three touchdown passes as the Spartans won at East Lansing, Mich.

Schultz, who completed 19 of 31 passes for 304 yards with one interception, threw touchdown passes to Octavis Long, Sedrick Irvin and Brad Rainko as the Spartans (4-0) built a 28-0 halftime lead in the conference opener for both teams.

The defense held Minnesota (2-3) to minus-three yards on its first two possessions. The Golden Gophers trailed, 14-0, before they were on the plus side of the yardage chart.

“I think our offense is very explosive,” Schultz said. “In the past few games, we’ve been able to jump out to a quick lead, and that helps our defense a lot. And we have a great defense.”

Michigan State finished with 445 yards, while holding the Gophers to 246. Minnesota quarterback Cory Sauter completed nine of 19 passes for 54 yards and was picked off twice before being replaced by Billy Cockerham late in the game.

The Spartans, who had an open date after their 23-7 triumph at Notre Dame on Sept. 20, scored on their first two possessions for the fourth consecutive game.