Minnesota Can’t Handle Randle El

Quarterback Antwaan Randle El rushed for a career-high 210 yards and two touchdowns, passed for 263 yards and two more scores and set up Levron Williams for three scoring runs as the Hoosiers stunned No. 22 Minnesota, 51-43, Saturday at Bloomington, Ind.

Randle El also recovered a Minnesota onside kick with less than two minutes to go that secured the victory.

“I wanted the ball kicked to me so I could get the ball in my hands and cover it up,” Randle El said. “If we don’t cover it up, they have a chance.”

The two teams combined for almost 1,100 yards of offense, including a career-high 473 by Randle El. Both of his touchdown runs came late in the fourth quarter.

Minnesota, 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten, rallied from a 24-6 deficit to 37-35 with just over nine minutes to play. The Golden Gophers had a chance to take the lead after Randle El fumbled on the next possession, but Indiana (3-4, 2-2) got the ball back three plays later on an interception by Sharrod Wallace.

“We did a variety of things to try to keep Randle El off-balance. Obviously, it didn’t work,” Minnesota Coach Glen Mason said. “He makes a lot of guys miss one-on-one. He’s a rarity. He’s a really exceptional football player.

Indiana led, 24-16, at halftime, but Minnesota’s Jermaine Mays returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, and a four-yard run by Travis Cole four minutes later gave the Gophers their only lead, 29-24.

Minnesota’s Tellis Redmon rushed for 103 yards--his fourth consecutive game of 100-plus yards--and scored on an 18-yard pass from Cole in the fourth quarter.

No. 14 Ohio State 38, Iowa 10--Steve Bellisari threw for a career-high 315 yards and three touchdowns at Iowa City to lead the Buckeyes past the Hawkeyes, Iowa’s 16th loss in 17 games.

Ohio State (6-1, 3-1) capitalized on early turnovers by Iowa (1-7, 1-3) and scored on its first four possessions to take a 31-10 lead at halftime.

All was not perfect for the Buckeyes. They ran for only 108 yards, 71 yards below their average, and committed 11 penalties for 104 yards.

Bellisari, who played only three quarters before the reserves took over, completed 17 of 29 passes and threw scoring passes to Ken-Yon Rambo, Reggie Germany and Chad Cacchio.

No. 16 Michigan 14, Michigan State 0--The Wolverines’ Anthony Thomas ran for 175 yards and two touchdowns at Ann Arbor, Mich., but a play made by Victor Hobson, Larry Foote and Eric Wilson was what really won the game.

Michigan State (3-4, 0-4) was threatening to tie the score at 7-7 midway through the third quarter when T.J. Duckett was stripped of the ball by Hobson at the Michigan eight. Foote dove to keep the ball inbounds and Wilson pounced on the football.

Michigan (6-2, 4-1) then went 92 yards on five plays, capped by Thomas’ spectacular 30-yard run. Thomas eluded a Spartan near the left sideline, broke another tackle and after a spin move dragged two defenders into the end zone.

The Spartans have not beaten Michigan in back-to-back years since they won three in a row from 1965-67.

Penn State 39, Illinois 25--Shamar Finney returned an interception for a touchdown and Rashard Casey threw two scoring passes and ran for a score at State College, Pa.

Penn State’s Joe Paterno passed Pop Warner for sole possession of second place on the major college career victory list. Paterno has 320 victories, trailing Bear Bryant’s 323.

Just three plays into the second half, Finney picked off Kurt Kittner’s pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown, giving the Nittany Lions (3-5, 2-2) a 21-10 lead. The Illini (4-3, 1-3) have lost three of four.