The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 23, 2004 - 11A Big Ten busts out with full slate By Sara Livingston and Kevin Wright For the Daily What a crazy three weeks it's been with Big Ten powerhous- es looking shaky. Arizona State poached the Iowa Hawkeyes 44-7, and Michigan barely survived the upset attempt by San Diego State 24-21. Also, in the first week of the sea- son, Michigan State lost to Rutgers, which in turn lost to Division 1-AA New Hampshire. Buckle up, fans, because this Big Ten season is going to be a roller coaster ride. *01 SIG", Penn State (2-1) at No. 20 Wisconsin (3-0), 5:45 has played well in the first three weeks of the season, throw- ing for 428 yards and four touchdowns. On the other sideline, Michigan State has yet to find a permanent quarterback and a consistent offense. This game will be close and ugly. And in close games, the team with the better quarterback usually wins. Give this one to the Hoosiers. Indiana 14, Michigan State 10 Northwestern (1-2) at No. 19 Minnesota (3-0), U 9p.m After blowing out Toledo in its season opener, barely beating Illinois State and then rushing for 360 yards and scorching Colorado State, Minnesota has high expectations going into its Big Ten opener against a constantly struggling Northwestern team. Northwestern, the perennial embarrassment of the Big Ten, centers its offense around junior quarterback Brett Basanez, who managed to throw three interceptions for every one of his four touchdowns last season. After a 6-7 record last year, the Wildcats slogged into this season with losses to unranked TCU and Arizona State. The Golden Gophers will head in with their dominant running game led by junior Marion Barber III and sophomore Laurence Maroney. Northwestern is clearly eager to prove itself in the Big Ten - something which seems to be its motto every season. On the other hand, Minnesota will be looking to make a statement to the rest of the Big Ten. Minnesota 40, Northwestern 17 p.m., ESPN Who's wearing those weighty glasses on the Penn State sideline? That's right, it's coach Joe Paterno, back for another season. His Nittany Lions, mediocre in the last few years, need to go to a bowl game to prove their coach still has the magic touch. Beating Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium would be a good starting point. Both of these two teams are looking for redemption from past failures and chance to return to Big Ten glory, which makes this a crucial game. Penn State features senior quarterback Zach Mills, while the Badgers rely on an untested sophomore in John Stocco. Wisconsin almost slipped last week with a close 9-7 win against Arizona, but expect the Badgers to protect their home field and hold off Penn State with a late fourth quarter touchdown. Wisconsin 28, Penn State 21 No. 15 Purdue (2-0) at Illinois (2-1), noon Illinois already has won more games than it did last sea- son. Quarterback Jon Beutjer has played up to potential, and running backs Pierre Thomas and E.B. Hasley have carried the offensive load. However, the Illini face a real challenge in Purdue. The Boilermakers remain untested as they have rolled over both Syracuse and Ball State, and Kyle Orton - the best quarterback in the Big Ten - is firing on all cylinders. He has * thrown for 616 yards and nine touchdowns. Illini fans better celebrate while they can because the future looks bleak for the Fighting Illini. Look for Orton to pick apart the Illinois second- ary and Purdue's defense to shut down Beutjer. Purdue 35, Illinois 10 Michigan State (1-2) at Indiana (2-1), noon So far this season, Michigan State's best highlight has been John L. Smith's climb to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro shown dur- ing the Rutgers game. The Spartans come into the Big Ten sea- son having just lost to Notre Dame and hope to jumpstart their season with a win over Indiana. Meanwhile, Indiana, usually a Big Ten doormat, has shown life this season, beating Central Michigan and Oregon at Eugene - a feat Michigan couldn't accomplish last year. Indiana's quarterback, Matt LoVecchio, AP PHOTO Purdue's Bernard Pollard (31) celebrates a blocked punt. BURKE Continued from page 10A While you're waiting, here's a fun fact: Michigan beat Iowa 107-0 in 1902. OK, we're back. 1998. Michigan was the defending national champion but, thanks to an 0-2 start to the year, the Wolverines had just barely cracked the polls. So they headed to Iowa. And on a cold and rainy day, the defenses ruled. It was 10-9 Michigan late in the fourth quarter, when the Wolverines punted if away, trying to pin Iowa deep in its own territory. But, sur- prise, su ftle - sofnething unusual happened. Iowa's Kahlil Hill fielded the punt at his own five, tried to make a great play happen, ran back into the endzone and was tackled for a safety. It was like risking all your money on a Daily Double in Jeopar- dy, then having your podium explode before you could answer. Michigan won, 12-9. And finally, 1997. The Wolverines were down 14-7 with just a couple of seconds left in the first half. So Michigan, of course, decided to punt right to Iowa return man Tim Dwight who, of course, ran it back for a touchdown. Iowa led 21-7 at halftime, as Michigan was abysmal on offense in the first 30 minutes. But the Wolverines put up 21 in the second half to survive despite, again, kicking right at Dwight, who nearly took another back while set- ting up an Iowa field goal. Michigan won, 28-24. There it is. Five ridiculous games between Michigan and Iowa. What's in store for this year? With this history, who can tell? One thing's for sure, though: You don't want to miss it. Chris Burke tried to run the fum- ble-rooskie during a game of Electric Football once and his player spun around until he fumbled. He can be reached at chrisbur@umich.edu. 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