Ohio State's big plays sink Tolzien, Wisconsin
Three plays will torment Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema for another year.
Kurt Coleman and Jermale Hines returned interceptions for touchdowns, and Ray Small brought back a kickoff 96 yards on Saturday to lead the host ninth-ranked Buckeyes to a 31-13 win, despite getting badly outgained by the self-destructive Badgers.
"I hate losing to these guys," Bielema said. "Absolutely, it's something I can't stand for whatever reason. The bottom line is I have to do it again. It's something we'll continue to look at until we have another opportunity next year."
Scott Tolzien, intercepted just three times on 125 attempts in Wisconsin's first five games, completed 27 of 45 passes for 250 yards but threw the 2 costly picks. After being sacked just twice all year, Tolzein was sacked six times and harassed all day.
Wisconsin (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) outgained Ohio State (5-1, 3-0) by nearly 200 yards and had 22 first downs to the Buckeyes' 8. None of it mattered in the end.
Wisconsin had won in its last two trips to Ohio Stadium. But the Badgers' mistakes led to their undoing this time. They dominated the statistics, leading in first downs 22-8 and total offense 368-184, but the three big returns spelled the difference.
Penn St. 52, Eastern Illinois 3: Daryll Clark threw for 3 touchdowns and ran for another, Jared Odrick led a menacing defense with 2 sacks, and linebacker Navorro Bowman returned a fumble 91 yards for a touchdown as host No. 14 Penn State (5-1) dismantled Eastern Illinois (4-2).
The game was well in hand in the first half, when Penn State scored 28 points the final 7:27 of the second quarter. Clark threw his TDs on three straight drives to give Penn State a 24-0 lead with 4:33 left in the half. It was 38-0 at halftime.
Minnesota 35, Purdue 20: Lee Campbell intercepted a pass and blocked a field goal to set up touchdowns for host Minnesota (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) in a victory over mistake-prone Purdue (1-5, 0-2).
Kevin Whaley rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown for the Golden Gophers, who forced 3 turnovers. Purdue's Keith Smith caught 7 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown, and Joey Elliott threw for 299 yards and 2 touchdowns with 2 interceptions.
Virginia 47, Indiana 7: Mikell Simpson ran for 4 touchdowns, and Virginia's much-maligned offense erupted for its biggest output in five years as the host Cavaliers (2-3) rolled over Indiana (3-3).
Virginia entered the game tied for 117th in the 120-member Football Bowl Series in total offense, averaging more than 272 yards per game. The Cavaliers easily eclipsed that by halftime, with Jameel Sewell's passing accounting for 248 yards of Virginia's 337-yard total.
Virginia finished with more than 500 yards (536) for the first time since 2004.