Ohio State Bounces Back, 35-14

Tailback Michael Wiley held onto the football when Ohio State needed him most, running for a career-best 209 yards and two touchdowns as the top-ranked Buckeyes defeated No. 21 Missouri, 35-14, on Saturday at Columbus, Ohio.

First-half fumbles by quarterback Joe Germaine and wide receiver David Boston set up both Missouri touchdowns, but Ohio State (3-0)--down 14-13 at halftime--came back on the running of Wiley and a defense that shut down Missouri’s option attack.

“That was a good old rock ‘em, sock ‘em football game,” Ohio State Coach John Cooper said. “We were our own worst enemy early in the ballgame. We need to secure the football. We’ll work on that.”

Ohio State held Missouri (2-1) to 66 total yards in the second half, with quarterback Corby Jones getting only 32 yards in 13 carries. The Buckeyes had a 532-211 advantage in total yards for the game.

Said Jones: “We ran the ball well, but you can’t expect the guys up front to pound for 70 plays against one of the best teams in the country. I think we would have done better if we would have mixed it up. We would have had a better chance to win.”

Missouri running back Devin West, who had a school-record 319 yards last week, had 86 yards on 21 carries, but Ohio State’s biggest concern was Jones.

“When Corby was coming down the line, he was going to get hit,” Cooper said.

No. 8 Penn State 20, Pittsburgh 13--Kevin Thompson passed to Chafie Fields for a 60-yard touchdown late in the third quarter for the game’s decisive score as the Nittany Lions (3-0) struggled against the 25-point underdog Panthers (1-1) at Pittsburgh.

Penn State converted two of Pittsburgh’s three turnovers into field goals by Travis Forney, but led only 13-6 until Fields got behind cornerback Tray Crayton on his touchdown reception with 21 seconds left in the third quarter.

It was the Penn State’s sixth consecutive victory in a 105-year-old series that was interrupted from 1993-96.

No. 14 Wisconsin 52, Nevada Las Vegas 7--Junior tailback Ron Dayne become the career rushing leader for the Badgers (3-0) with 3,785 yards after getting 108 in 13 carries at Madison, Wis.

Dayne broke Billy Marek’s 23-year-old record of 3,709 on the third carry of the game. Dayne established his record in 26 games; Marek--who was in attendance--set his in 32.

Nevada Las Vegas is 0-3.

Michigan 59, Eastern Michigan 20--Anthony Thomas ran for 117 yards and three touchdowns as the Wolverines (1-2) defeated the Eagles (1-2) at Ann Arbor, Mich.

It was only the sixth football game between the schools, which are located six miles apart in Washtenaw County, and the first since 1931. Michigan had outscored Eastern Michigan 134-0 in the first five games.

Kentucky 31, Indiana 27--The Wildcats (3-0) overcame four interceptions by Tim Couch to defeat the Hoosiers (1-1) at Lexington, Ky.

Kentucky’s key plays came on linebacker John Rader’s 45-yard return of an errant shovel pass by Indiana freshman quarterback Antwaan Randle-El and a 75-yard touchdown pass from Matt Mumme--son of Coach Hal Mumme and Couch’s backup--to Garry Davis off a fake punt.

Couch was 38 for 53 for 301 yards and one touchdown.

Northwestern 23, Rice 14--Gavin Hoffman passed for one touchdown and ran for another for the Wildcats (2-1), who used a variety of gimmick plays to defeat the Owls (1-2) at Houston.

Northwestern successfully used a fake punt, an onside kick and a quick kick as well as unusual formations and a hurry-up offense.

Minnesota 41, Memphis 14--Thomas Hamner rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown and the Golden Gophers (3-0) scored on a fumble return and a blocked punt at Minneapolis.

Memphis (0-3) got 102 yards rushing from Gerald Arnold against a defense that came into the game ranked third nationally against the run. Arnold also had a touchdown reception.

Purdue 35, Central Florida 7--Mike Hawthorne lateraled to Billy Gustin on a 100-yard return of an intercepted pass for the Boilermakers (2-1) at West Lafayette, Ind.

Central Florida (2-1) got 368 yards on 30-for-47 passing from Duante Culpepper but didn’t score until 3:42 remained in the game. Culpepper also had only seven yards in nine rushes.

Louisville 35, Illinois 9--LeRoy Collins scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns as the Cardinals (1-2) ended a losing streak at 10 games at Champaign, Ill.

Louisville hadn’t won since defeating Illinois (1-2) on Sept. 13, 1997.