Kittner’s Heroics Rescue Illini

Kurt Kittner passed for 401 yards and four touchdowns Saturday as Illinois overcame a second-half comeback by Wisconsin and defeated the Badgers, 42-35, in a Big Ten Conference game at Champaign, Ill.

With the score tied in the fourth quarter, Kittner threw a 22-yard pass to Brandon Lloyd in the corner of the end zone for the winning score. Lloyd leaped over a defender to make the catch, coming down with one foot in the end zone before being shoved out of bounds.

“They blitzed the corner,” Lloyd told the Chicago Tribune, “and Kurt put it up and I caught it. Was I inbounds? Definitely. I had one foot in for sure. I might have had two. Maybe even three!”

Illinois (6-1, 3-1 in the Big Ten) controlled most of the game, leading Wisconsin (4-4, 2-2) at halftime, 22-7.

After Illinois’ John Gockman kicked a 43-yard field goal early in the third quarter, the Badgers stormed back to score touchdowns on four consecutive possessions.

Wisconsin running back Anthony Davis started the scoring string with a two-yard touchdown run. Davis, the leading rusher in the conference, finished with 116 yards in 24 carries and two touchdowns.

After an Illinois field goal, Wisconsin quarterback Jim Sorgi passed to Lee Evans to make the score 28-21.

Illinois turned the ball over on its next possession on a Kittner interception and Davis ran it in from 17 yards to tie the score.

The Fighting Illini fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Badgers recovered, giving Wisconsin the ball deep in Illinois territory.

Sorgi found Evans again in the end zone to put the Badgers ahead, 35-28.

Illinois scored on its next possession to tie the score, then went ahead for good on the touchdown pass from Kittner to Lloyd.

Lloyd finished with eight catches for 129 yards.

Ohio State 27, San Diego State 12--Derek Ross intercepted two passes and the Buckeyes forced turnovers on five consecutive second-half possessions to defeat the Aztecs in a nonconference game at Columbus, Ohio.

The game was rescheduled from Sept. 15 in the wake of the terrorist attacks.

Lydell Ross scored two touchdowns for Ohio State (4-2), which blew a 17-0 lead in last week’s 20-17 home loss to Wisconsin.

Ohio State’s offense continued to struggle and quarterback Steve Bellisari was loudly booed by many in a crowd of 102,432 every time the Buckeyes faltered.

Bellisari finished 15 of 28 for 198 yards and an interception.

The Aztecs (2-5) led, 12-6, at the half.

Minnesota 28, Michigan State 19--Marion Barber III ran for 158 yards and two touchdowns at Minneapolis as the Golden Gophers ended a three-game losing streak.

Tellis Redmon, the Gophers’ starting tailback, had 126 yards and regained the lead for Minnesota with 7:54 left when he scored untouched on a six-yard toss sweep.

Barber’s 39-yard sprint four minutes later secured the victory for the Gophers (2-4, 1-3), who totaled 326 yards rushing.

Jeff Smoker was 19 of 29 for 242 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for Michigan State (3-2, 1-2).

Spartan tailback T.J. Duckett, whose average is down 32 yards a game from last season, had 81 yards--16 in the first half.

Iowa 42, Indiana 28--Kyle McCann passed for three touchdowns at Iowa City as the Hawkeyes ended a two-game losing streak.

Indiana quarterback Antwaan Randle El directed first-half touchdown drives of 98, 80 and 80 yards and scored on a six-yard run to finish an 11-play, 56-yard drive that drew the Hoosiers (1-5, 1-3) to 35-28 with 11:35 remaining.

But McCann and the Hawkeyes (4-2, 2-2) responded. McCann passed to Dallas Clark for 17 yards and Ladell Betts carried three times for 32 yards before McCann pump-faked and found Kahlil Hill for a 13-yard touchdown play.