The Big Ten dusk was a fading orange Saturday in Evanston. The new morning will bring horizons of sweeping southbound purple. With visions of a bowl game ''someplace warm'' as motivation, Northwestern seamlessly blended offensive wiles, defensive wills and a game-breaking 51-yard punt return by Brendan Smith early in the fourth quarter into a 27-10 victory against Illinois in the final battle for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk.
He sits tall behind the table with that clean-cut, short-hair look and talks about Northwestern from his heart.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Craig Moore erupted for a career-high 31 points -- including a school-record nine three-pointers -- to power Northwestern past Brown 73-64 on Saturday night before 1,331 fans at the Pizzitola Sports Center.
The college basketball season not only is longer than a Midwestern winter, its return is a sure tipoff that nasty weather is fast approaching. But at least college basketball provides some relief from the snow and cold.
Northwestern will learn its bowl destination no later than Dec. 7. . . . In a game in which the Wildcats limited Illinois to 335 total yards ￯﾿ﾽ 113 below its average ￯﾿ﾽ there were many defensive stars. One of the most prominent was senior end Kevin Mims, who had 2￯﾿ﾽ of NU's five sacks among his seven tackles and forced a fumble. "I knew there would be more than a little emotion on [Senior Day], and there was," the 6-3, 265-pound Texan said. "But we're a pretty mature team, and we were able to hold it in check." . . . Also starring for the NU defense were Prince Kwateng (team-leading 11 tackles, including a sack), Nate Williams (10 tackles), Brad Phillips (nine tackles), Sherrick McManis (interception) and Quentin Davie (fumble recovery). . . . Of the 23 rostered players who were making their final appearance at Ryan Field, 16 are seniors and seven are in graduate school. . . . Ross Lane, after his 14-yard touchdown catch staked NU to a 13-0 lead, walked by coach Pat Fitzgerald on the sideline and said, "That was a lot of fun." Lane finished with six catches for 57 yards and now has 1,991 yards in his career, the third-highest total in school history. . . . Eric Peterman helped C.J. Bacher and the Wildcats get off to the strong start, pulling in five of his teamhigh eight receptions for 63 yards in the first quarter. He finished with 111 yards. . . . While Brendan Smith's 51-yard punt return in the fourth quarter lacked the walk-off drama of his 48-yard interception runback that beat Minnesota three weeks ago, there was no question it turned the tide once and for all in Northwestern's favor. "Illinois had kind of seized the momentum coming out for the second half, but by that time, no one really had it," Bacher said. "That punt return really seized it back for us."
Much of the 3 to 5 inches of snow that fell in the South Bend area Friday remained in Notre Dame Stadium, resulting in fans (mostly from the student section) tossing snowballs at each other and pelting the Notre Dame sideline throughout the game. Irish defenders Pat Kuntz and Ethan Johnson were among those dusted. ''I was pretty mad about that,'' Kuntz said. ''But whatever the fans want to do, I guess.'' Ushers escorted several snowball throwers out of the stands and presumably the stadium. The Syracuse sideline, oddly enough, was mostly snowball-free. ... Brandon Walker's early-season struggles are a memory. The Irish kicker, who made 1 of 7 field goals to start the season, connected from 24, 45 and 23 yards. Of his two misses, one was the result of a mishandled snap by holder Eric Maust, and the second was just short from 53 yards. ... Senior linebacker Maurice Crum Jr. became the ninth player in Notre Dame history to record at least 300 tackles. Crum was among several seniors who called the loss the toughest of their careers. ''Every loss hurts, but there's something added to it, being the total situation,'' he said. ... Notre Dame will have to defeat No. 6 USC to have any chance at a Gator Bowl berth. The Sun Bowl remains a possibility even with a loss. ... Mike Anello's penchant for making big plays has become routine. One week after the 5-10, 170-pound walk-on from Orland Park blocked a punt that was returned by Toryan Smith for a touchdown, Anello forced Syracuse punt returner Ryan Howard to fumble after Notre Dame's first possession. Anello partially blocked another punt in the third quarter. ... Golden Tate caught seven passes for 146 yards and a career-high two touchdowns.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- When Syracuse's Donte Davis caught the go-ahead touchdown pass with 42 seconds left and snowballs rained down from disgusted fans at frigid Notre Dame Stadium, the Irish had the defining moment they had been searching for since the season began.
If ever there was a team that needed to take out its frustrations and salvage some pride, Illinois was it.
Wesley Matthews and Lazar Hayward scored 25 points each, and No. 15 Marquette raced past crosstown rival Wisconsin-Milwaukee 100-80 on Saturday night.
Barring something highly unusual, junior cornerback Vontae Davis has played his last game at Illinois. Davis, who led the Illini with nine tackles (eight solo) and had an interception, is a certain first-round NFL draft pick and could be a top-10 pick, according to some projections. . . . Sophomore linebacker Martez Wilson didn't make the trip for violating unspecified team rules, a breach that denied the former Simeon star a homecoming trip. Junior strong safety Donsay Hardeman was sidelined by a neck injury. . . . More curious than the late scratches of two defensive starters, though, was coach Ron Zook's postgame revelation that backup quarterback Eddie McGee broke his left hand last week and would have played only in an emergency. "Eddie was there to play if Juice [Williams] got hurt," Zook said. "The doctors had cleared him to play. He practiced all week, threw the ball extremely well. I wasn't going to take a chance of him hitting the hand and needing to operate. Right now, it's a clean break. It'll heal. He'll be fine, no issues." Well, maybe one. Shouldn't the Big Ten have a disclosure policy regarding these sorts of things? There's something unsettling about coaches at state universities playing cat-and-mouse games with injuries. The NFL doesn't allow it, and the Big Ten shouldn't, either. . . . Brit Miller, who's headed for first-team All-Big Ten honors, finishes the regular season as the conference's leading tackler after posting eight against Northwestern. . . . Williams' 306 total yards gave him a school record for total offense (3,892), passing Tony Eason (3,671 in 1982). . . . Matt Eller's 31-yard field goal was his 15th of the season, tying him with Jason Reda (2005) and Chris White (1985) for fifth on Illinois' single-season list.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Cane in hand, Joe Paterno beamed in the locker room after his players were handed roses and the Big Ten trophy.
Justin Kahut hit a 24-yard field goal as time expired, and No. 21 Oregon State rallied to defeat Arizona 19-17 on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz., and move within one victory of its first Rose Bowl trip since 1965.
NEW YORK -- This is the time of year the same lines come from people ranging from basketball fanatics to sun worshippers:
Chris Dieker threw a 29-yard touchdown pass in overtime to lead Southern Illinois to a 17-10 victory over Illinois State and clinch the Missouri Valley championship on Saturday in Normal.
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Loyola's J.R. Blount finished with a game-high 17 points Saturday, but his three points in the final 32 seconds meant the most as they sparked the Ramblers to a 54-51 victory over Western Michigan.
The ball left UIC guard Josh Mayo's hands from three-point range with four seconds left and his team trailing DePaul by two.
C.J. Bacher threw two touchdown passes, one to Eric Peterman in the fourth quarter after a 51-yard punt return by Brendan Smith, as Northwestern beat Illinois 27-10 Saturday to strengthen its case for a New Year's Day bowl. The Wildcats (9-3, 5-3) became just the fifth team in school history to win at least nine games -- the first since 1996 when coach Pat Fitzgerald was the team's star linebacker.
Maybe Pete Weber or Carmen Salvino can roll the coin before the Illinois-Northwestern game today. That's because it will be all about going bowling -- postseason bowl games -- when the fatted Cats (8-3, 4-3 Big Ten) host the upstreaming Illini (5-6, 3-4) at winter-ready Ryan Field (2:30, BTN, 720-AM, 560-AM).
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Cameron Dantley, son of one of Notre Dame's basketball greats, threw an 11-yard TD pass to Donte Davis with 42 seconds left, to lead Syracuse to a 24-23 victory Saturday against the stunned and disheartened Fighting Irish.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It took five big plays to give Ohio State an unprecedented fifth straight win over rival Michigan.
To those who have contested it since 1945, the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk has been a source of pride, a symbol of their passion for college football. To the NCAA, though, the tomahawk is, like Chief lliniwek, an objectionable use of an Indian symbol. As a result, Illinois and Northwestern have agreed to bury the hatchet.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Regardless of whether he stays or goes, Joe Paterno has Penn State back atop the Big Ten and headed to the Rose Bowl.
While the debate about how much progress the Irish have made this season rages on, there's no denying that one of their primary preseason goals -- playing in a New Year's Day bowl game -- remains firmly in their grasp.
Mike Krzyzewski roused the Duke Blue Devils on Friday and headed for Madison Square Garden long before they were set to play Michigan in the 2K Sports Classic.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame football players were pelted by snowballs from fans sitting in the student section during their game against Syracuse on Saturday.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue provided the perfect ending to Joe Tiller's tenure Saturday.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns and had a key run in the third quarter to set up another score that helped North Carolina State beat No. 25 North Carolina 41-10 on Saturday.
MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin escaped an upset bid by Cal Poly of the Football Championship Subdivision, mounting a late comeback and capitalizing on three missed extra points to win 36-35 in overtime Saturday on John Clay's second touchdown of the game.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- C.J. Spiller threw the first touchdown pass of his career and Clemson scored all its points after Virginia turnovers Saturday in a 13-3 victory.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- In the middle of one of its worst seasons in history, Tennessee still found a way to beat instate rival Vanderbilt.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- It may have been the first time in his career Pat White took the easy way out.
It took five big plays to give Ohio State an unprecedented fifth straight win over rival Michigan. Noted Wolverines nemesis Chris ''Beanie'' Wells had two of those, including a 59-yard touchdown run and 134 yards rushing to help the 10th-ranked Buckeyes beat their archrivals 42-7 Saturday, the first time in 105 meetings that they've strung together five wins.
Herb Gould: All those compliments Bob Stoops is paying Mike Leach this week aren't of the usual butter-up-the-opponent variety. Sure, Leach is bringing No. 2 Texas Tech to Norman, Okla., on Saturday to play Stoops' fifth-ranked Sooners, with the loser dropping out of the national championship race.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Showing why he'll be Illinois' best player this season, Demetri McCamey put on a pretty good show in Music City. And after hitting some wrong notes in the early going, McCamey's supporting cast stepped up nicely in the final 10 minutes as the Illini rallied to beat Vanderbilt 69-63 on Thursday, ending the Commodores' 20-game home winning streak.
NEW YORK -- Alfred Aboya gave Southern Illinois fits.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida backup quarterback Cameron Newton was charged with stealing another student's laptop computer after being arrested Friday.
DeShawn Sims scored 18 points and Manny Harris 15 to help Michigan upset No. 4 UCLA 55-52 on Thursday in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic in New York. The Wolverines will face No. 10 Duke in the championship game tonight.
The DePaul-UIC crosstown rivalry is only a few years old, but it already has the tinge of sparks that go with the territory.
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri coach Gary Pinkel and the university are close to agreeing on a contract extension.
Notre Dame can ill afford for playmaker Golden Tate to go two straight games without a catch, especially because Michael Floyd, who has been Tate's big-play sidekick all year, will miss the final two games after straining a knee on the third play against Navy last week.
Neil Hayes: 'A win is a win.'' That sentiment was expressed by several players after Notre Dame's 27-21 victory over Navy last week. It's an understandable sentiment, but at some point, however, players and coaches must hold themselves to a higher standard.
Not spending all of his time grinding away in the paint is a welcome change for forward Kevin Coble.
The two home wins were nice but expected. Tonight at Vanderbilt (7, 560-AM), Illinois has its first chance to see what it can do when the stakes are raised.
Illinois leads the Big Ten in total offense in conference play. Its 440.3 yards per game are a sizable increase from last year (408.5), when it was second in the conference. Yet the Illini have two fewer Big Ten wins heading into their final game Saturday at Northwestern (2:30 p.m., BTN, 560-AM, 720-AM) than they had a year ago.
Josh Mayo scored a game-high 27 points to lead UIC to an 84-77 win over Northern Iowa on Wednesday night at the Pavilion.
The small-town boy playing small-college football at North Central is having an enormous season.
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said he doesn't have to worry about his team overlooking 2-8 Syracuse while looking ahead to playing at No. 6 USC in the season finale. That's because Saturday's game against the Orange (1:30 p.m., Ch. 5, 890-AM) is the final home game for Irish seniors.
Many credible sports books are listing upstreaming Illinois as 2 1/2-point favorites over Northwestern on Saturday. While NU coach Pat Fitzgerald did not directly address the point spread after practice Tuesday, questions about the intriguing early-week line and his team's posted role as home underdog left a dandy opening to talk about the degree of respect his Wildcats (8-3, 4-3 Big Ten) are receiving as they prepare to host the Fighting Illini (5-6, 3-4) at Ryan Field (2:30 p.m., BTN, 720-AM, 560-AM).
Kevin Coble scored 18 points to lead Northwestern to a 66-48 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Wednesday night.
When Illinois and Northwestern met in their regular-season finale last year, the Illini entered with eight victories and the Wildcats thought they needed to win to go to a bowl game. This year, NU has eight victories and Illinois' bowl hopes are on the line.
KENT, Ohio -- Chandler Harnish threw two touchdowns passes and ran for two more scores as Northern Illinois took a 42-14 Mid-American Conference victory over Kent State on Tuesday night.
In many ways, Illinois junior quarterback Juice Williams has made remarkable progress.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Despite some struggles down the stretch, Notre Dame is still drawing interest from the Cotton, Gator and Sun bowls heading into its final two games.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- E'Twaun Moore scored 14 points, and No. 11 Purdue beat Loyola 78-46 on Tuesday night to advance to the NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals.
Deon Thompson scored a career-high 20 points to help top-ranked North Carolina beat Kentucky 77-58 on Tuesday night despite playing yet again without national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough in Chapel Hill, N.C.
BALTIMORE -- It's not often a college basketball coach passes control of his team to an assistant in the middle of a game, then climbs into the stands to watch the action.
The crowd of 3,502 in DePaul's McGrath Arena moaned when sophomore Dar Tucker drove to the basket and opted for an uncontested finger roll with just under four minutes left in the first half Monday night against Albany.
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald is not ready to deliver any self-lauding valedictories on his 2008 team, nor would it be his style to speak in such manner.
Among the positives from Notre Dame's 27-21 victory over Navy were the solid play of the defense, the continued stellar play of special-teams standout Mike Anello and the emergence of the Irish running game in the second half.
For all their disappointment at being 5-6, the Illinois players say they are excited about playing Northwestern on Saturday (2:30 p.m., BTN, 560-AM, 720-AM) and trying to pull out a win that would make them bowl-eligible.
J.R. Blount scored 16 points, and Loyola bounced back from an embarrassing loss to Division II Rockhurst in its season opener to defeat Georgia 74-53 on Monday in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off in West Lafayette, Ind.
Freshman wide receiver Michael Floyd and sophomore linebacker Brian Smith will miss Notre Dame's last two regular-season games after suffering knee injuries Saturday in a 27-21 victory over Navy. Coach Charlie Weis said Sunday that both players could return in time for a bowl game.
It was a yawner of a weekend in college football. No big games, no big surprises. But that will change Saturday, when No. 2 Texas Tech visits No. 5 Oklahoma. If the Red Raiders win, they'll remain in position for a surprising trip to the national title game.
Though disappointed, Illinois is vowing to fight on for its bowl life Saturday at Northwestern (2:30 p.m., BTN, 560-AM, 720-AM).
Luke Harangody scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to power No. 9 Notre Dame to a 94-58 rout of South Carolina-Upstate in its season opener Sunday in South Bend, Ind. The Fighting Irish have won 38 consecutive home games, tying the school record set in 1948.
Northwestern is trying to feel the November love after its impressive 21-14 come-from-behind victory at snow-speckled Michigan on Saturday. But the national polls are generally still holding the Wildcats (8-3, 4-3 Big Ten) out and away as they head for their regular-season finale against Illinois (5-6, 3-4) on Saturday at Ryan Field (2:30 p.m., BTN, 720-AM, 560-AM).
After an exhibition loss to Robert Morris, Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said, ''Defense is all we've done.''
Loyola makes its first appearance tonight in the revamped Preseason NIT, now formatted into four regions to determine the semifinalists that will play in New York next week.
CHAMPAIGN -- Among the many question marks on Illinois' basketball roster is Mike Davis.
DePaul center Krys Faber sounded more like a coach than a freshman about to start his college basketball career when he talked about his first game tonight against Albany at McGrath Arena (7:30, 670-AM).
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Bears coach Lovie Smith will not be calling Rocky Top home, sweet home any time soon.
