Penn State throttles Michigan, Pryor returns to form for OSU

Penn State 35, Michigan 10 — The Nittany Lions defeated the Wolverines on Saturday for the first time at Michigan Stadium since 1996. Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark went 16-for-27 for 240 yards and four touchdowns for the Nittany Lions (7-1 overall, 3-1 Big Ten). U-M (5-3, 1-3) couldn’t get anything going offensively other than its first drive of the game, which resulted in a touchdown. U-M quarterback Tate Forcier went 13-for-30 for 140 yards with one interception. Last season, Penn State ended a nine-game losing streak to U-M and now has a two game winning streak of its own against the Wolverines.

Ohio State 38, Minnesota 7 — After a week of feeling the heat from the public, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor rebounded, scoring three touchdowns as the Buckeyes defeated Minnesota 38-7. Pryor went 13-for-25 passing with two touchdowns and also ran for 104 yards and one score for the Buckeyes (6-2, 4-1). Minnesota (4-4, 2-3) almost was shut out for the second straight game, but scored with less than five minutes remaining.

Golden Gophers’ receiver Eric Decker, one of the top receivers in the Big Ten, left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury and did not return.

Northwestern 29, Indiana 28 — Northwestern made it a memorable Homecoming, coming back from a 28-3 deficit to defeat Indiana 29-28. The Hoosiers (4-4, 1-3) used a 70-yard touchdown run and a 93-yard kickoff return to build their lead.

But the Wildcats (5-3, 2-2) kicked a field goal with 21 seconds left to cap off the wild comeback.

Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka shook off some early turnovers and finished 26-for-46 for 312 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. The win puts Northwestern one win away from bowl eligibility for the third consecutive year.

Purdue 24, Illinois 14 — Purdue avoided a hangover from its upset of Ohio State last week, defeating Illinois 24-14. The Boilermakers (3-5, 2-2) didn’t turn the ball over — something that had plagued them all season.

Illinois (1-5, 0-5) continued its slide and redshirt freshman quarterback Jacob Charest saw some playing time, replacing senior Juice Williams. Williams went 9-for-18 with one interception, continuing his underachieving season.

Illinois athletics director Ron Guenther also announced Saturday that head football coach Ron Zook will return in 2010.

“There will be some changes, but there won’t be a change at the top,” Guenther told reporters Saturday, according to ESPN.com. “There’s a great deal of frustration, obviously, with the program at the moment.”

Zook is 19-36 at Illinois with his only winning season being a Rose Bowl appearance in 2007. The head coach has been feeling the heat this season, despite an abundance of talent.

Zook formerly was the head coach at Florida, but was labeled as a great recruiter who couldn’t get the most out of his talent.