Some Badgers Sit, Bennett Stands Out

Michael Bennett, the Big Ten sprint champion who bypassed a spot in the Olympics so he could play football this fall, rushed for 290 yards in 28 carries and scored two long touchdowns as No. 5-ranked Wisconsin outlasted Oregon, 27-23, Saturday at Madison, Wis.

Bennett, held to 32 yards in the first half, scored on runs of 59 and 75 yards in the third quarter and set up another touchdown with a career-long 83-yard burst with 5 1/2 minutes left in the game.

Wisconsin got three interceptions from star cornerback Jamar Fletcher, whom Coach Barry Alvarez had considered sitting out.

As it was, the Badgers (2-0) had to do without a dozen players who were suspended for receiving unadvertised discounts at a shoe store.

For two more weeks, against Cincinnati and Northwestern, the Badgers will be missing key players--including Fletcher. Alvarez got to choose which players had to sit out Saturday and he selected four starters, including cornerback Mike Echols, whose substitute, B.J. Tucker, was repeatedly burned by the Ducks (1-1), especially Marshaun Tucker, whose six catches covered 196 yards.

No. 14 Purdue 45, Kent 10--Drew Brees completed 32 of 46 passes for 415 yards and two touchdowns, both to Vinny Sutherland, as the Boilermakers (2-0) beat the Golden Flashes (0-2) of the Mid-American Conference at West Lafayette, Ind.

No. 21 Illinois 49, San Diego State 13--Kurt Kittner threw three touchdown passes for the second straight game and Antoineo Harris ran for 117 yards and three touchdowns for Illi (2-0) against the Aztecs (0-2) at San Diego. Rocky Harvey, the other half of Illinois’ tailback tandem, gained 124 yards.

No. 24 Michigan State 34, Marshall 24--T.J. Duckett, the Spartans’ burly running back, rushed for 219 yards in 26 carries in a victory at East Lansing, Mich., that ended the Thundering Herd’s winning streak at 18 games.

North Carolina State 41, Indiana 38--Freshman Philip Rivers passed for 401 yards and five touchdowns, three of them in the final quarter, as the Wolfpack (2-0) edged the Hoosiers (0-1) at Bloomington, Ind. North Carolina State blocked a 37-yard field-goal try on the last play of the game.

Ohio 23, Minnesota 17--Halfback Chad Brinker had a touchdown catch, threw a touchdown pass and also ran for a touchdown for the Bobcats (1-1) against the Gophers (1-1) at Minneapolis.

Penn State 67, Louisiana Tech 7--Rashard Casey threw a school-record tying five touchdown passes as the Nittany Lions (1-2) took out its frustrations on the Bulldogs (1-2) at State College, Pa.

Casey, removed in losses to USC and Toledo, tied the record set by Tony Sacca against Georgia Tech in 1991.

Northwestern 38, Duke 5--Damien Anderson ran for a career-high 187 yards in 21 carries and scored on runs of 56 and 66 yards, as the Wildcats beat the Blue Devils (0-2) at Evanston, Ill., for their first 2-0 start in 25 years.

Western Michigan 27, Iowa 21--Jeff Welsh passed for 216 yards and a touchdown and Jared Pike thwarted Iowa’s final drive with two key sacks as the Broncos (1-1) held off the Hawkeyes (0-2) at Iowa City.