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Hazelwood Central's McNutt sparks Iowa again
FROM NEWS SERVICES
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Of all the holes Iowa has dug itself, this was the deepest. Indiana was leading by 14 in the third quarter and just 2 yards away from the Hawkeyes' end zone. Given how poorly quarterback Ricky Stanzi was playing, one more touchdown might have brought their charmed season crashing down. But Tyler Sash instead returned an interception 86 yards for a TD and Stanzi bounced back from five interceptions to rally the No. 7 Hawkeyes to a 42-24 victory, another wild finish in a season full of them. Marvin McNutt set the tone for the offense in the comeback, taking a short pass from Stanzi and racing for a 92-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to bring Iowa to within 24-21 and start a barrage in which Iowa outscored Indiana 28-0 in the final period. McNutt, who is from Hazelwood Central High, scored the winning TD on the final play of the game in a 15-13 victory a week earlier over Michigan State. This time he finished with four catches for 155 yards and the key touchdown. Iowa is off to the best start in school history, thanks to four victories by three points or less, and controls its destiny in the Big Ten — with a chance to play for the BCS title. "Our guys don't buckle," coach Kirk Ferentz said. "If they were ever going to buckle, I think today would have been the day." Stanzi threw four interceptions in the third quarter but responded by hitting McNutt for the long touchdown and, moments later, connecting with Derrell Johnson-Koulianos from 66 yards to put Iowa ahead 28-24. Brandon Wegher made it 35-24 on a 6-yard TD run and added a 27-yard score with 1:12 to go. On defense, Webster Groves' Adrian Clayborn was in on seven tackles for the Hawkeyes, including half a sack.
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Evan Royster rushed for 118 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown during Penn State's fourth-quarter surge, and the 12th-ranked Nittany Lions blanked Northwestern in the second half of a 34-13 victory on the road. Daryll Clark threw a 53-yard TD pass to Derek Moye before Royster broke loose for the third of three Penn State touchdowns during a span 3 minutes, 40 seconds of the fourth quarter that turned a tight game into a rout.
{".TXT brief indent"/}Penn State trailed 10-3 in the second quarter when Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka was forced out with a leg injury. And the Nittany Lions were behind 13-10 at the half. But they shut down the Wildcats and backup QB Dan Persa and gave coach Joe Paterno his 391st win. Penn State moved in for the go-ahead touchdown early in the final quarter on a 3-yard run by Brandon Beachum that made it 20-13. When the Nittany Lions got the ball back, Clark rolled right and found Moye behind Northwestern's secondary for the 53-yard TD pass, making it 27-13 with 10:16 to go and they were in control. No. 17 Ohio St. 45, New Mexico State 0 • Dane Sanzenbacher caught two TD passes and Terrelle Pryor threw for one and ran for another as the Buckeyes romped at home. The game was a nonconference respite for Ohio State, which closes the regular season with pivotal Big Ten games at Penn State, against Iowa and at Michigan. Tempering the win was the possible loss of kicker Aaron Pettrey, who left with an apparent knee injury. New Mexico State (3-6), last among all Bowl Subdivision teams in total offense, mustered just 62 total yards against the 13th-best defense. Wisconsin 37, Purdue 0 • John Clay ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns and the Badgers shut out a Big Ten opponent for the first time since 1999 to snap a two-game losing streak. Freshman David Gilbert added a leaping blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown as the Badgers became eligible for a bowl bid for the eighth consecutive year. Visiting Purdue gained 141 yards total offense in the game, nine fewer than Wisconsin rolled up in the first quarter. The Associated Press yesterday's most emailed
9. Two costly?
 
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