Illinois Fighting Illini---College Football---

Oct. 29---College Football---
Wisconsin 41 ... Illinois 24---College Football---
Brandon Williams caught a 62-yard touchdown pass and Brian Calhoun scored five touchdowns with a six-yard run set up by a blocked punt as the Badgers kept the Illini at arm's reach all game long. Illinois was able to crank out 538 yards of total offense with two Tim Brasic touchdown passes and a three-yard Pierre Thomas touchdown run. Wisconsin was outgained on the ground 261 yards to 239, but Calhoun was unstoppable scoring on runs of six, two, six, three, six and 46 yards, all virtually untouched.---College Football---
Player of the game: Wisconsin RB Brian Calhoun ran 35 times for 197 yards and five touchdowns and caught two passes for 37 yards. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Tim Brasic, 20-39, 277 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Tim Brasic, 16-116. Receiving: Kyle Hudson, 10-114, 1 TD---College Football---
Wisconsin - Passing: John Stocco, 14-22, 225 yds, 1 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Brian Calhoun, 35-197, 5 TD. Receiving: Jonathan Orr, 5-41---College Football---
What to take away from this game: As strange as it sounds after a 17 point loss, there's a lot to be happy about. Illinois doesn't have the talent to beat the top Big Ten teams, but it came up with a strong offensive performance against Wisconsin. The offensive line beat up the Badger front seven, while QB Tim Brasic did a great job running effectively. In the end, Brian Calhoun and the consistency of the Badger offense proved to be too much, but the defense had its moments highlighted by a good fourth down stop late in the fourth. ---College Football---
---College Football---
Oct. 22---College Football---
Penn State 63 ... Illinois10---College Football---
Illinois scored first on a 41-yard Jason Reda field goal, and then the floodgates opened as Michael Robinson threw four touchdown passes and ran for two scores sparking a 63-point run finally stopped late in the fourth quarter by the Illini on a two-yard Chris Pazan touchdown pass. The Nittany Lion defense also got into the act with a Dan Connor fumble return for a score and a 76-yard Nolan McCready interception return for a touchdown.
Player of the game: Penn State QB Michael Robinson completed 11 of 18 passes for 194 yards and four touchdowns and ran seven times for 69 yards and two scores. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Penn State - Passing: Michael Robinson, 11-18, 194 yds, 4 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Michael Robinson, 7-69, 2 TD. Receiving: Den Butler, 4-95, 2 TD---College Football---
Illinois - Passing: Chris Pazan, 10-14, 84 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Pierre Thomas, 9-45, Receiving: R. Mendenhall, 4-30, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Illinois should've been much, much better against Penn State after having two weeks off after the blowout loss to Indiana. The defense simply doesn't have the speed to keep up with any team with a little bit of athleticism, and the pass defense has completely gone bye-bye. The short passing game was solid, but there needs to be much more from the running game and more production on the deep passes to get the offense going. ---College Football---
---College Football---
Oct. 8---College Football---
Indiana 36 ... Illinois 14---College Football---
Blake Powers threw four touchdown passes and Chris Taylor ran for a 12-yard score as Indiana rolled up 403 yards of total offense. Up 21-13, IU broke the game open in the fourth quarter on an 18-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Thigpen and an eight-yard scoring pass to James Hardy. Illinois managed two Jason Reda field goals and a three-yard touchdown pass to Melvin Bryant.---College Football---
Player of the game: Indiana QB Blake Powers completed 22 of 35 passes for 198 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Indiana - Passing: Blake Powers, 22-35, 198 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Chris Taylor, 18-132, 1 TD. Receiving: James Hardy, 10-118, 2 TD---College Football---
Illinois - Passing: Tim Brasic, 22-39, 230 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Pierre Thomas, 11-46, Receiving: Jody Ellis, 7-76---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Uh oh. Illinois can't seem to get anything going on offense in Big Ten play with the running game going in the tank against Indiana. If you can't get the offense going on the Hoosiers, you're not going to get it moving on Penn State. When everything else is failing, Illinois needs to grind it out more with the running game. The passing attack simply isn't doing enough to stay in games, so it has to be up to the coaching staff to used Pierre Thomas and E.B. Halsey. QB Tim Brasic is a fine runner, but he can't lead the team in carries.
---College Football---
Oct. 1---College Football---
Iowa 35 ... Illinois 7---College Football---
Iowa got two touchdowns from Ed Hinkel in the to go along with a three-yard Marcus Schnoor touchdown run for a 21-0 lead, and then cruised from there. E.B Halsey ran for a one-yard score, but that was all the fun the Illinois would have as the Hawkeyes answered with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Scott Chandler and a 66-yard Damian Sims scoring run. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Iowa QB Drew Tate completed 17 of 22 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Tim Brasic, 32-44, 233 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Pierre Thomas, 15-100. Receiving: E.B. Halsey, 11-40, 1 TD---College Football---
Iowa - Passing: Drew Tate, 17-22, 175 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Albert Young, 13-102. Receiving: Albert Young, 4-51---College Football---
What to take away from this game: The offense was able to move the ball and there weren't that many mistakes against Iowa, but there weren't enough long, sustained drives and the team failed to convert every time it was in scoring range. Against a team like Iowa, that can't happen. E.B. Halsey is a fine safety valve receiver and the coaching staff did a good job of getting the ball in his hands. Now, it's up to the defense to start stopping someone.
---College Football---
Sept. 24---College Football---
Michigan State 61 ... Illinois 14---College Football---
Michigan State cranked out 705 yards of total offense with Drew Stanton throwing five touchdown passes. A 28-0 second quarter run, highlighted by four Stanton scoring strikes with two to Jerramy Scott, put the game away. Illinois got two touchdown passes from Tim Brasic, but he couldn't get the offense to stay with the Spartan attack.
Player of the game: Michigan State QB Drew Stanton completed 20 of 26 passes for 259 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran for five passes for 12 yards.---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Tim Brasic, 16-30, 146 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Tim Brasic, 11-57. Receiving: Jody Ellis, 4-52---College Football---
Michigan State - Passing: Drew Stanton, 20-26, 259 yds, 5 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Javon Ringer, 13-193. Receiving: Matt Trannon, 5-76, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Ron Zook's job is to make sure this blowout loss to Michigan State doesn't carry over to next week's Iowa game. The defense looked like it was running in slow motion compared to the speedy and crisp Spartan attack, while the defense did next to nothing to get Drew Stanton and the MSU offense off the field looking lousy on third downs. Tim Brasic is a decent all-around quarterback, but Illinois isn't going to be too happy with the offense if he's the leading rusher. ---College Football---
---College Football---
Sept. 17---College Football---
California 35 ... Illinois 20---College Football---
Illinois owned the first half hanging on to the ball for over 21 minutes and taking a 17-7 lead on one yard touchdown runs from Pierre Thomas and Tim Brasic, but Cal took over in the second half as Marcus O'Keith scored twice and Tim Mixon returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown. Illinois could only manage a 31-yard Jason Reda field goal in the fourth quarter. ---College Football---
Player of the game: California RB Justin Forsett ran 16 times for 187 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 43 yards. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Cal - Passing: Joseph Ayoob, 8-17, 121 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Justin Forsett, 16-187, 2 TD. Receiving: Justin Forsett, 3-43
Illinois - Passing: Tim Brasic, 21-37, 228 yds---College Football---
Rushing: Pierre Thomas, 12-57, 1 TD. Receiving: Kendrick Jones, 6-56---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Illinois is going to have to learn how to stop a ground game, and fast. California was hurting on offense without some of its top players, but it still rumbled for 294 yards and three touchdowns. With Michigan State and Iowa ahead, the Illini needs to figure something out defensively or start to get the offense geared towards more shootouts. QB Tim Brasic has been fine, but he needs to start getting the ball deeper to be able to hang with teams like Cal. ---College Football---
---College Football---
Sept. 10---College Football---
Illinois 40 ... San Jose State 19---College Football---
San Jose State started off the scoring on a six-yard touchdown run by Adam Tafralis, and then Illinois went on a run scoring the next 40 points before the Spartans finally got back on the board with a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Trestin George. Illinois QB Tim Brasic ran for two touchdowns and Jason Reda kicked four field goals. The Illini outgained the Spartans 243 yards to 13 on the ground. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Illinois QB Tim Brasic completed 17 of 22 passes for 199 yards and an interception and ran eight times for 20 yards and two touchdowns. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: San Jose State - Passing: Chad Bozzo, 6-10, 111 yds---College Football---
Rushing: Chad Bozzo, 14-11. Receiving: Bryan Watje, 6-111---College Football---
Illinois - Passing: Tim Brasic, 17-22, 199 yds, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Pierre Thomas, 14-79, 1 TD. Receiving: Melvin Bryant, 4-52---College Football---
What to take away from this game: That's the Illinois running game that Illini fans have been hoping for. San Jose State couldn't stop Illinois from pounding away, and that helped QB Tim Brasic get into a groove making only one mistake. Holding on to the ball for 34:05 helped keep the defense fresh, and it showed as it was flying around and aggressive against the run. This is exactly the type of confidence-building performance the team has to want going into the road trip to Cal.---College Football---
---College Football---
Sept. 3---College Football---
Illinois 33 ... Rutgers 30 OT---College Football---
Down by 20 midway through the third quarter, Illinois roared back with two field goals and two Tim Brasic touchdown passes to tie it, and then had a chance to win in regulation, but missed a 52-yard field goal. In overtime, Rutgers scored first on a 40-yard Jeremy Ito field goal for the lead, but Illinois got a two-yard Pierre Thomas touchdown run to give head coach Ron Zook his first win as the new head coach. Rutgers appeared in command after an 83-yard Brian Leonard touchdown run coming after leaping over an Illinois defender, but the defense couldn't change the momentum and couldn't get a fourth quarter stop.---College Football---
Player of the game: Illinois QB Tim Brasic completed 23 of 33 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. He also ran 18 times for 123 yards. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Rutgers - Passing: Ryan Hart, 27-44, 343 yds, 2 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Brian Leonard, 11-119, 1 TD. Receiving: Tres Moses, 5-82---College Football---
Illinois - Passing: Tim Brasic, 23-33, 217 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Tim Brasic, 18-123. Receiving: E.B. Halsey, 7-61, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Say what you will about Ron Zook and his coaching abilities, but his teams believe they can win when their backs are against the wall. Illinois had no right to come back against Rutgers after a horrible start, but it was able to ride the momentum and the excitement of the home opener to come up with an exciting win that should do wonders for the rest of the season. However, there are issues. The defense didn't tackle all that well and had a hard time doing anything against Scarlet Knight QB Ryan Hart, but the offense got hot and the rest of the team followed on the way to the win. Next week against San Jose State is key to tune everything up before facing Cal. ---College Football---
---College Football---
2005 Schedule ---College Football---
Sept. 3 – Rutgers (5-6, 2-5 in Big East) – Offense: QB Ryan Hart will once again lead one of the nation's most productive passing attacks with a loaded receiving corps highlighted by Tres Moses and tight end Clark Harris. Can the attack actually produce points on a regular basis? It struggled wildly with consistency and turnovers while getting nothing from a ground game that averaged 2.5 yards per carry and 83 yards per game. There's way too much experience in the backfield to have a repeat disaster.
Defense: It's an interesting mix of talents and strengths with a great group of ends led by Ryan Neill and an experience linebacking corps, but there has been little in the way of overall results. With many newcomers to the mix last year in key spots, things got rocky finishing 104th in the nation in total defense and 88th in scoring D. The biggest area of improvement should be the secondary where Derrick Roberson and Joe Porter are good looking corners who should be over most of their struggles.---College Football---
---College Football---
Sept. 10 - San Jose State (2-10, 0-8 in WAC) – Offense: It'll be an interesting attack if the quarterback situation improves. Adam Tafralis returns after struggling as a freshman in a platoon role. He has a good receiving corps to work with welcoming back the top three receivers and a tight end in Brian Watje who's just waiting to break out. The running backs are puny, but lightning quick and should do well running behind a massive line.
Defense: Dick Tomey, the architect of Arizona's old Desert Swarm, will be looking for aggressiveness and speed from his defense. Seven starters return with decent size up front and three safeties playing linebacker. The secondary should be the strength with the return of All-WAC candidates Josh Powell and Trestin George. The key will be to improve the nation's 116th run defense, but that could be a problem early with the small back seven.
---College Football---
Sept. 17 – at California (9-2, 6-2 in Pac 10) - Offense: It's asking a lot to replace a 2,000-yard running back, a first round NFL draft pick quarterback, and some of the top receivers and hope to be even better. It won't happen right away needing either Joseph Ayoob or Nathan Longshire to shine at quarterback, while all the superstar receiver prospects have to play like steady veterans. There aren't any concerns about the running game with Marshawn Lynch leading a deep running back corps behind one of the nation's best lines.---College Football---
Defense: All the fireworks from the offense overshadowed a fantastic year from a defense that finished second in the nation against the run and eighth in scoring defense. The 2005 D is even more talented with more speed and skill than Cal has ever had, but it's going to take a while for everything to come together with all the new faces in key places. The entire linebacking corps needs to be overhauled and there are some big losses on the line, but the talent is more than there to replace the lost production. This defense will attack, attack and attack some more; fortunately there are two experienced corners in Harrison Smith and Daymeion Hughes to handle the pressure.
---College Football---
Sept. 24 - Michigan State (8-3, 5-3 in Big Ten) – Offense: Last year's attack finished tenth in the nation, and first in the Big Ten, exploding on top defenses like Wisconsin's and Michigan's. Consistency was an issue, and it will be again unless talented quarterback Drew Stanton can stay on the field. With no reliable backup quarterback to count on, the oft-injured Stanton's health is the difference between a good and a great offense. While there aren't the name players like other Big Ten teams boast, this has the potential to be the league's best offense if a home run hitter can be found at running back and the newcomers to the right side of the line come through as expected.
Defense: Some work needs to be done after losing several top players from just about everywhere. This wasn't a solid defense, but it had its moments and will be athletic this year, if nothing else. There isn't a steady pass rush putting more pressure than needed on the average corners. The linebackers can move and should be the D's strength as the season goes on. Being tougher against the run would be a big plus.---College Football---
---College Football---
Oct. 1 – at Iowa (9-2, 6-2 in Big Ten) – Offense: Iowa had a big mess on its hands last year with one of the nation's worst running games brought on by injuries to the backfield and inconsistency on the offensive line. Both areas should be much better with the healthy return of lightning fast runner Marques Simmons and an experienced line ready to be one of the Big Ten's best. The passing attack should be tremendous led by All-America candidate Drew Tate at quarterback and an experienced, productive, and very fast receiving corps.
Defense: The back seven will be among the best in America as long as there aren't any major injuries. The linebacking duo of Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge and the corner tandem of Jovon Johnson and Antwan Allen are good enough to make up for the potential problems on the defensive line. There's absolutely no experience to count on up front losing Matt Roth and Jonathan Babineaux, and there's even less depth. If there's no pass rush, the secondary will have a hard time being as good as it was last year.---College Football---
---College Football---
Oct. 8 – at Indiana (3-8, 0-8 in Big Ten) – Offense: The offense actually wasn't that horrible over the first part of last season. Consistency was the biggest problem and the defense didn't exactly help the cause. Even with the loss of three big starters (QB Matt LoVecchio, RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis and WR Courtney Roby) the potential is there to do much more with an experienced line that gets two of its top players (OT Isaac Sowells and C Chris Mangiero) back from injury The running game will be serviceable with Chris Taylor and Yamar Washington until the young recruits come around and the receiving corps has plenty of speedy prospects. None of the promise will come true if Blake Powers, or one of the other quarterback candidates, doesn't start playing at a D-I level.
Defense: The D returns nine starters with the hopes of being stronger in all phases. There's a better chance of the pass defense improving than the run defense with a good pass rush taking the heat off the speedy young corners. Being a wall against the run will be a problem needing to convert John Pannozzo from fullback to middle linebacker and Greg Brown from the offensive line to tackle. Outside of Brown, there's little Big Ten-size inside.---College Football---
---College Football---
Oct. 22 - Penn State 6-5, 3-5 in Big Ten) – Offense: A ton of experience returns to one of the worst Penn State offenses ever averaging 17.73 points per game with five games scoring seven points or fewer. The line has all five starters returning (if C E.Z. Smith and G Tyler Reed are back from spring suspension) and it has to be much, much better. The receiving corps got a major boost this recruiting season with lightning-fast Derrick Williams and Justin King adding some desperately needed pop. There has to be more from the quarterbacks with the underwhelming Michael Robinson getting the nod since star prospect Anthony Morelli hasn't progressed enough yet. There's talent in the backfield; now it has to do more.
Defense: The nation's tenth best defense and fifth best scoring D should be even better with almost all the parts returning and FS Chris Harrell coming back after missing all of last year with a neck injury. The defense didn't allow more than 21 points per game coming up with a shockingly good season. The corners will be among the best in the nation as will the starting linebackers. Overall depth and a lights-out pass rusher are the slight weaknesses, but that's nitpicking.---College Football---
---College Football---
Oct. 29 - Wisconsin (7-5, 3-5 in Big Ten) – Offense: Paul Chryst comes over from Oregon State to take on the co-offensive coordinator job along with Brian White, and he should do more for the passing game. John Stocco showed flashes of being a reliable quarterback last year, but he didn't do it often enough. The running game needs the backs to stay healthy, and the receiving corps has to make more big plays. While the line loses some key parts, it'll still be a strong group with a few big-time dominators.---College Football---
Defense: Bret Bielema's defense was one of the big stories of the 2004 Big Ten season finishing ninth in the nation and sixth in scoring defense. Now the entire front four needs to be replaced as does most of the secondary with several All-Big Ten talents graduating. However, there's hope with great looking young defensive linemen ready to take over and a good linebacking corps to steady things early on. There's no way to reproduce the same numbers as last year, but don't look for the roof to cave in like many will predict.---College Football---
---College Football---
Nov. 5 – at Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 in Big Ten) – Offense: The offense was average to flat-out bad struggling with its consistency, and then came the Michigan game as QB Troy Smith had his breakout game giving hope for a more explosive 2005. The plan is for experience to turn into production with two good quarterbacks, some decent looking, but unproven runners, and a devastating receiving corps with Santonio Holmes and Heisman candidate Ted Ginn Jr. The line returns four starters and should be better. Finishing 98th in the nation in total offense and 71st in scoring offense again will be absolutely unacceptable.---College Football---
Defense: Nine starters return to a defense that was its typical bend-but-rarely-break self for most of the year, but it has to deal with defensive coordinator Mark Snyder moving on to take the Marshall head coaching gig. The nation's best linebacking corps leads the way with A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Schlegel and Mike D'Andrea all sure to be making a ton of dough next year at this time. The secondary will be solid if it can find a second corner across from Ashton Youboty, and the line will be good if it can find a killer pass rusher.---College Football---

Nov. 12 – at Purdue (9-2, 6-2 in Big Ten) – Offense: Considering the hot start and the nation's 13th best offense and 20th best scoring offense, the Purdue attack was a disappointment having problems with consistency along with an inability to come through in most of the big games. Seven starters return to an offense that has the potential to be far better despite the loss of QB Kyle Orton and top receiver Taylor Stubblefield. Brandon Kirsch takes over at quarterback and should add a bit more life and fire to the position. The receiving corps is loaded with rising star Dorien Bryant, 6-9 Kyle Ingraham and top tight end Charles Davis forming a dangerous trio. The backfield is experienced and good with redshirt freshman Kory Sheets pushing veteran Jerod Void and Brandon Jones. The line will be fine as long as there aren't any injuries to the starting five.---College Football---
Defense: All eleven starters return to the nation's 40th ranked defense. Outside of a few hiccups, it was a consistent group finishing 17th in the nation in scoring defense allowing a mere 17.17 points per game. So why is it hard to get too excited about this group? The line is one of the best in the nation with the best ends (Ray Edwards, Anthony Spencer and Rob Ninkovich), that you've never heard of. The back seven is full of hard-hitting veterans, but there are few star playmakers and there should once again be problems against the better passing teams.---College Football---
---College Football---
Nov. 19 - Northwestern – (4-7, 2-6 in Big Ten) Offense: Consistency was a problem last year and there weren't enough points scored against most of the good defenses, but it was still the nation's 29th ranked offense and it should crack the top 25 this year. The passing game will be one of the Big Ten's best with veteran quarterback Brett Basanez working with an experienced and deep receiving corps. Terrell Jordan and Brandon Robinson will combine to keep the running game rolling behind Zach Strief and a good line. The guards are a bit of a question mark, but that's nitpicking.---College Football---
Defense: The potential is there for a good year after struggling away from Evanston. The return of end Loren Howard, corner Marquice Cole and linebacker Adam Kadela from the injury problems of last year will be a big help. The line should be a rock against the run with excellent size, while the linebacking corps has two All-Big Ten talents in Tim McGarigle and Nick Roach to build around. There's not a sure-thing pass rusher on the line meaning the fast corners will have to be better in coverage to improve a shaky pass defense.---College Football---
---College Football---

Keys to the Big Games
Week Eight, Oct. 22
Northwestern vs. Michigan State
---college football---
By John Harris---college football---

a. Throwing BB’s – Maybe it’s because as a sophomore Northwestern QB Brett Basanez was an interception waiting to happen. Maybe it’s because he plays for Northwestern. Maybe it’s because of the hyped flyboys that garnered the lion’s share of attention in the conference. For some reason, people are missing out on watching, arguably, the best QB in the Big Ten. Well, it’s a pretty safe bet that the two most effective QBs in this conference will suit up on Saturday in East Lansing. Basanez has been the Big Ten offensive player of the week two straight weeks, and his numbers for those two games are flat out astronomical. Against Wisconsin, he threw for 361 and 3 TDs and ran for 69 yards. At Purdue last week, he was better. Yes, really. He accounted for more than 500 yards of total offense. And, oh by the way, he threw for three touchdowns and ran for another. The numbers don’t typically tell the whole story, but they come pretty dadgum close in this sitatution. Basanez is smokin’ hot and the Wildcat offense is feeding off of his ability to find open receivers, and he can definitely find open receivers. That’s probably been the one thing that Basanez has done as well as anyone throwing the pill in college football. He takes what you give him and doesn’t force the ball into coverage. But, he’s making such great reads that if a defense gives him three or more seconds in the pocket, he’ll find someone open downfield. If not, and this is the hardest part about facing Basanez, he can take off and pick up yards running the football. He does have some designed runs, but when he scrambles, he’s that much more dangerous. Maybe not for the yards he picks up, but because he keeps his eyes focused downfield looking for another open receiver. The Spartan defense must find a way to limit his looks, either by narrowing his focus to finding receivers between the numbers or by keeping him from escaping the pocket. Either way, Basanez has been tremendous lately and if he continues on his roll, the Spartans are in big time trouble.---college football---

b. Sutton’s Place – The problem facing the Michigan State defense this weekend is two-fold. You now know about Basanez, but if you haven’t seen the Wildcats this year, you probably don’t know about arguably the best true freshman running back in the nation – Tyrell Sutton. The 5’9”, 185 pound rookie has been the perfect complement to Basanez in this offense. The spread offense takes advantage of Sutton’s quickness and ability to get into space and exploit the defense. Or, is it the other way around – that Sutton takes advantage of the spread offense? Either way you slice it, Sutton is a key figure for the Northwestern offense. With his quickness, out of the shotgun, he gets ‘into’ the defense as quickly as any running back in the league. Although he’s not a big guy at all, in fact he’s probably smaller than your kid brother, he’s tough to stop because he’s on the defense so quickly, that if you can’t get off a block, he’s by you and into the secondary. And, that’s even worse news for a Spartan defense that’s struggling to stop anyone, much less a two-headed monster like Basanez and Sutton. The MSU defense is only giving up 123 yards on the ground, but Sutton is a bit different back than what MSU has seen this year. Sutton won’t break the tackles that Mike Hart of Michigan does, but both of them have similar explosion to the hole, and Hart’s quickness hurt MSU big time a few weeks ago. Tune in this week and check out #19 – he’s already one of the best RBs in the Big Ten.---college football------college football---

c. Ring it up – Each and every week, MSU true freshman (see, Northwestern isn’t the only one to have a true freshman star RB) Javon Ringer becomes more a part of the Michigan State offense. Against the vaunted Ohio State defense, Ringer was the Spartans leading rusher, running it 16 times for 76 yards, nearly 5 yards per carry. Similar to the effect that Sutton has on Northwestern, Ringer is the perfect fit for the shotgun spread MSU attack. He can make you miss, and when he gets out in space, it’s not that easy to make an open field tackle on the Spartan youngster. After facing the Ohio State linebackers last week, he’ll go head-to-head with Northwestern’s star LB Tim McGarigle. But, what gives Ringer a bit of an advantage, over say a guy like Brian Calhoun from Wisconsin is that to stop Ringer, McGarigle will be stretched to his limits facing the spread look that Michigan State will throw at them. The last thing anyone wants to do is chase a guy like Ringer all over the yard. Linebackers want to play smashmouth and stay within the hashes or even go as far as the numbers, but they don’t want to chase a lightning quick RB from sideline to sideline. But, that’s what he’ll have to do to stop Ringer this Saturday. As with Sutton, keep an eye on the future of the Big Ten – Javon Ringer #39.---college football------college football---

Conclusion – There wasn’t a lot of room left to discuss the Spartan offensive line, but another game of 12 sacks and QB Drew Stanton might not finish the season. Now, the OSU defense and the Northwestern defense aren’t on the same plane, but, regardless, the focus for the rest of the season has to be protecting Stanton at all costs. Even Ohio State had major problems stopping this Michigan State offense, and Northwestern may not have a chance. But, they can answer on offense, that’s for sure. Expect a lot of points, a track meet early…and an MSU home victory. Michigan State – 45 vs. Northwestern – 41---college football---
---college football---

Instant AnalysisPenn State 17 ... Ohio State 10By Matthew Zemek
You know, Joe Paterno’s age is still an issue at Penn State.
----collegefootball----
What? How can that be, you say?Come on, don’t pretend you didn’t know: Joe Paterno’s age was naturally a big factor in Saturday night’s headknocking, bone-cracking fistfight between Ohio State and Penn State.
Please—this is too obvious: Jim Tressel was just too young, naive and inexperienced to outdo Paterno.See, told you JoePa’s age was an issue.----collegefootball----
----collegefootball----
What took place in State College Saturday night—much like the Nittany Lions’ sudden and electrifying resurgence as a college football power—is at once totally surprising and not surprising at all.What’s amazing about Penn State’s return to glory—and by beating the team that slightly outplayed Texas, the Lions proved that they’re a legit top-ten ballclub—is that Paterno’s offense has so much maturity and intelligence this season. Prolific against Northwestern, Michael Robinson merely needed to secure the football Saturday night against the Buckeyes’ awesome defense. ----collegefootball----
----collegefootball----
In two decidedly different situations, Robinson and the rest of a talented but youthful offense were able to display two distinct personalities. A few weeks ago in Evanston, clutch playmaking was the order of the day; Saturday in Beaver Stadium against Ohio State, the Lions merely needed to be airtight, and sure enough, they were.What’s not surprising about the newfound Paterno prominence in the college football world is that his blueshirted defense is still dependable. ----collegefootball----
----collegefootball----
The Lions won this game in large part because the home team was able to match A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Donte Whitner with Paul Posluszny, Tamba Hali and Alan Zemaitis, who either destroyed Ohio State’s offensive front or shut down the Bucks on the perimeter. Up and down the line, Penn State’s defense proved to be every bit as good as Ohio State’s more celebrated unit. It wasn’t that the Bucks’ defense was deficient; Penn State’s defensive eleven was simply able to see Ohio State’s A(J)-game and raise its own A-game as well.Continuing the theme of “surprise or no surprise,” another startling element of PSU’s re-entry into the college football spotlight is the fact that Robinson—an upperclassman surrounded by a heckuva lot of freshmen—has suddenly ripened into a fully mature player. ----collegefootball----
----collegefootball----
Playing alongside Zach Mills in previous seasons, Robinson could never totally find himself... not just as a football player, but as an athlete endowed with the kind of interior belief and mental toughness that are essential for any big-time performer. This year, Robinson has found a way to be a poised, confident leader who can win games either by making huge plays (Northwestern) or avoiding mistakes. ----collegefootball----
----collegefootball----
The extent to which the maturity level has changed in Penn State’s offensive huddle is something few could have foreseen going into the 2005 season.On the other hand, what’s not surprising about Penn State’s offense—in terms of its performance Saturday night and for the season as a whole—is that it hasn’t experienced a total transformation from an X-and-O standpoint. This offense won’t be confused with the Kerry Collins/Ki-Jana Carter/Kyle Brady juggernaut of 1994, but a noticeable talent upgrade (think Derrick Williams) has enabled Robinson to be more of a ball distributor who no longer has to force downfield throws or try too hard to make big plays.----collegefootball----
----collegefootball----
Robinson was much more of a game manager and field general against Ohio State, freelancing on a few occasions but trusting his running backs, his defense, and a game plan that called for zero turnovers. The patience and team mindset so evident in Robinson’s play did not translate into a huge scoring night for the Lions, but it was all that he and Joe Paterno needed. Given that Penn State was leading by seven and not down by seven for the final 26 minutes of play, Robinson didn’t need to take risks. Practicality trumped boldness, and for good reason. Clean offensive play acquired more value than explosiveness, and 60 turnover-free minutes later, the Lions had their big win. Not too surprising, when you consider everything.----collegefootball----
----collegefootball----
The final coexisting pair of surprise and non-surprise comes from the end result of this contest. What’s surprising is not necessarily that Penn State won, especially since Troy Smith’s ball security, the number one key for Ohio State in every game the Buckeyes play, bit Jim Tressel’s team in the backside Saturday night. In a game that was essentially a 10-all stalemate, one huge pick—by PSU’s Calvin Lowry—made the difference... a difference Smith couldn’t erase in a second half filled with three-and-outs from his struggling offense that was physically and mentally whupped by the sharper, more fired up Lions. That Penn State won this contest was not a shock.No, what was surprising was that Troy Smith didn’t commit more turnovers.
----collegefootball----
On a night when Ohio State’s offense was poor in every single respect—the line got pushed around, Ted Ginn played tentatively, and Antonio Pittman lacked the authoritativeness he displayed in a recent win against Iowa—one might have thought that an OSU loss would come about not because of impotence, but mistakes... multiple mistakes in a horror show of giveaways that repeatedly set up Penn State scores. But that only happened once, as Penn State got only seven points off Buckeye turnovers. It was shocking to see Penn State’s defense smother Ohio State’s offense so decisively. Perhaps the Lions figured to get an occasional three and out, but the blueshirts made Ohio State and its assemblage of playmakers trudge off the field in three plays with astonishing regularity on Saturday. ----collegefootball----
----collegefootball----
The Buckeyes’ offensive talent isn’t good enough to ring up big numbers against each and every Big Ten opponent, and Jim Tressel’s style of play ensures that the Bucks won’t roll up the points each and every Saturday. However, it’s just as true that Ohio State’s offensive talent is not so bad that the Scarlet and Gray should get bageled, and bageled rather easily, over the course of a whole half of football.----collegefootball----
----collegefootball----
An offense that had supposedly grown—and which was coming off a bye week, perfect for implementing new wrinkles and exotics against a much-studied opponent—showed surprisingly little game, astonishingly little fight on the road in Beaver Stadium. In a trend that’s becoming all too familiar for Ohio State fans—and even Jim Tressel supporters have to look in the mirror on this one—the Buckeyes have once again lost an early-October road night game in conference play, one that came after a bye week.----collegefootball----
----collegefootball----
After “Madison ‘03” and “Evanston ’04,” the Bucks—particularly their offense, came up with another annual display of impotence called “State College ’05.”In the end, you have to go back to Joe Paterno’s age. He was just too gray and treacherous for Jim Tressel to overcome... and after the all-too-youthful and inexperienced coach had a bye week, for cryin’ out loud.Penn State football: it’s back, and back in a big way. The exultation following this huge win over Ohio State is spilling out through a very Happy Valley, but just watch what will happen if Michigan can be conquered next week in the Big House. A win over the Wolverines, and either Tempe or Pasadena could await Paterno in early January.No man is too old for a holiday vacation like that. ----collegefootball----

Player of the Week award goes to UCLA's Drew

UCLA running back Maurice Drew scored five touchodwns against No. 9 California to earn the USATODAY.com Player of the Week award. The junior totaled 299 all-purpose yards, including a 81-yard punt return for a score and 29-yard reception that was the game-winner with 1:35 left as the Bruins prevailed 47-40. Drew earned the award with the votes of college football editor Erick Smith and Gannett News Service columnist Mike Lopresti. The fan balloting selected Georgia defensive back Greg Blue. - College Football -

This week's winner:

Maurice Drew

The UCLA tailback scored five touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 1:35 left, in the Bruins' 47-40 win over ninth-ranked California. Drew had 299-all-purpose yards, and scored one of his touchdowns on an 81-yard punt return. - College Football -

This week's other nominees:

Greg Blue

The Georgia safety led his team with 14 tackles in the Bulldogs' 27-14 victory at No. 7 Tennessee. Georgia held the Volunteers, including prolific tailback Gerald Riggs, to only 48 yards rushing. - College Football -

Joel Filani

The receiver for 13th-ranked Texas Tech caught two early touchdowns to give the Red Raiders a 21-0 lead at Nebraska. Then, after the Cornhuskers rallied to take a 31-27 lead late in the game, Filani caught his third touchdown with 12 seconds remaining to give Texas Tech a 34-27 win. His final numbers: 11 catches, 163 yards, three touchdowns. - College Football -

Tyrell Sutton

The Northwestern tailback rushed for 244 yards and had four touchdowns in the Wildcats' wild 51-48 victory over No. 14 Wisconsin. Two of his scores came in the fourth quarter, including a 62-yard strike that proved to be the game-winner. - College Football -

Terrence Whitehead

The Oregon running back led the Ducks to a 31-17 upset at No. 20 Arizona State. He finished with two touchdowns, 122 yards rushing and 100 receiving yards on nine receptions.

© Copyright 2005 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

College football column Hokies proving they belong on top
Those outsiders are trying to get inside again.

When you think of college football's traditional powers, Virginia Tech doesn't leap to mind.

The program doesn't have the pedigree of USC, Texas, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Alabama and other teams enjoying quick starts this season. - College Football -

The Hokies don't have the history to command that depth of respect ... Yet.

Virginia Tech seems nouveau rich. That surprising breakthrough into its first national title game against Florida State in 1999 almost seemed flukish. The Hokies, after all, went 36 years without being ranked in the Associated Press poll (1957-93). Before Michael Vick led them in that magical season, they had cracked the AP Top 10 poll just once in the program's entire history, for a single week, in 1996, according to the school's media guide. - College Football -

Now the Hokies won't go away.

They've been a regular in the Top 25 ever since and crept to No. 3 this week.

Coach Frank Beamer, 58, epitomizes this program's understated power.

Anybody who follows college football knows Florida State's Bobby Bowden and Penn State's Joe Paterno have won more games than anybody else in college football with more than 300 victories each. - College Football -

Guess who's No. 3 among active coaches?

With 181 victories, it's Beamer, whose work in that remote campus in the Blue Ridge Mountains is much admired by his coaching brethren if not celebrated by national pundits.

With Michael's little brother, Marcus, at quarterback, and another ferocious Virginia Tech defense and gifted special teams units in place, the chemistry is familiar. - College Football -

The Hokies (4-0) travel to West Virginia on Saturday in a bid to keep alive Tech's hopes of a first trip to the Rose Bowl and a return to the national championship game.

"Every time we play we try to go out there and prove to the country that we belong," cornerback Jimmy Williams told the Roanoke Times this week. "If we keep doing what we're doing, the world will see that we do belong."

While Vick is showing some of the same gifts that made his brother special, the Hokies' defense is the foundation of this run. - College Football -

In the wake of Virginia Tech's 51-7 rout of Georgia Tech last weekend, the Walter Camp Foundation broke tradition in the presentation of its defense player of the week award. For the first time, the foundation gave the award to an entire defensive unit, honoring all the Virginia Tech defenders.

The Hokies have allowed just 23 points and two touchdowns in their four victories.

"I think they're the best football team I've seen since I've been in the ACC," Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said. - College Football -

Folks in Blacksburg would like to see how that defense would fare against USC's high-powered offense in the Rose Bowl.

The blitz

Former ESPN college reporter found dead

GREEN LAKE, Wis. -- Adrian Karsten, a former college football sideline reporter for ESPN, was found dead at his home just before he was scheduled to report to federal prison for tax evasion. He was 45.

Karsten was expected to report to a facility in Rochester, Minn., this week to serve an 11-month prison sentence followed by probation after pleading guilty to failing to file federal income tax returns. - College Football -

Green Lake County sheriff's deputies found Karsten dead in his home in the town of Brooklyn on Friday.

The coroner's office was still investigating the death Tuesday and declined comment, saying the sheriff's department would release more information on Wednesday.

Investigators said there was no indication of foul play and ''the death does not appear to be suspicious,'' according to a statement. - College Football -

Karsten pleaded guilty in March to two counts of failing to file federal income tax returns totaling about $363,000 in income from 2000 and 2002.

Karsten began his career at ESPN as a production assistant in 1983 and was a reporter from 1991-03, ESPN spokesman Michael Humes said. Humes declined to comment on whether Karsten left voluntarily or was fired. - College Football -

After pleading guilty, Karsten was allowed to ''do scouting for the Minnesota Vikings'' in April, according to a letter from his lawyer to the judge.

Weekend TV loads up on games

By Jack Carey, USA TODAY

If you're a college football fan and it seems as if you've had to wait longer than usual to watch games this year, it's because you really have.

But fret not, King Football is coming, and soon, to a network near you.

Major college teams kick off the season Thursday, and five games will be televised, including the return to the sideline of new South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier. The Gamecocks host Central Florida at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Saturday's schedule includes two high-profile coaching debuts when Notre Dame (Charlie Weis) travels to Pittsburgh (Dave Wannstedt) at 8 ET on ABC. An hour earlier, defending national champion Southern California opens at Hawaii (ESPN2).

All told, in the first weekend of the season, there will be at least 34 college games televised from Thursday to Monday. That's 11 more than graced TV schedules over Labor Day weekend last year.

The increase is largely because of the addition of ESPNU to the network lineup and more games broadcast on College Sports TV.

The season is starting later than usual this year because the NCAA has discontinued "preseason" games such as the Kickoff Classic and Pigskin Classic, contests previously held in late August.

That means nearly every team opens this weekend, and, because the NFL doesn't, there will be three college games televised Sunday.

The pros get going Sept. 8, and there will be football of some sort nationally televised for 25 of the month's 30 days.

Too much of a good thing?

"In this multichannel universe, it seems the only point where you'll reach saturation is when every game is televised," said Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University.

"The opportunities exceed the ability of most people, even rabid fans, to consume. Because of that, are people going to quit watching? I don't think so. They can't watch all of them, but they'll watch the ones they're most interested in."

© Copyright 2005 USA TODAY,