The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 13, 2005 -11 Big Ten powers look for turnaround By Dan Feldman and Chris Herring For the Daily After starting the season 11-0, the Big Ten continued their strong show- ing, posting a 8-3 record last week. But the conference's three highest rated teams - Michigan, Ohio State and Iowa suffered all three losses. Head- ing into the last weekend before Big Ten conference play begins, this will be the last chance for the Big Ten power- house teams to boost their records. No. 12 Purdue (1-0) at Arizona (1- 1) - 10 p.m. In Arizona's first two games, both Utah and Northern Arizona had moder- ate success passing the ball on the Wild- cats' defense. With Joe Tiller's pass-heavy spread offense, this is the kind of game where Purdue quarterback Brandon Kirsch will look to pad the already impressive stats he posted in an opening victory over Akron. Last season, Purdue also opened the season against two weak teams (Syra- cuse and Ball State) and totaled 110 points in those games. To match that mark, Pur- due will need to score 61 points Saturday. ECKER Continued from page 10 the Notre Dame 12 yard line, Henne tried to force a throw to Ecker near the sideline. But Notre Dame's safe- ty, Tom Zbikowski, knew the pass was going to Ecker and stepped in front for the interception. Despite the interception, Henne continued to look for Ecker. The tight end caught passes on five different Michigan drives, and, at one point in the fourth quarter, he was the intended receiver on three straight plays from scrimmage. He was even the intended receiver on Michigan's last two offensive plays of the game. Afterward, Carr said the fact that he needed fluids just showed how hard he worked all game long. "Because Tim was out, he played a lot more than he normally would have played, and probably more than we would like for him to play," Carr said. "But I thought he played really hard." Massaquoi's status for next game is still unclear. But one thing is cer- tain: Tyler Ecker is going to show up to play. He always does. Even though his first name isn't Bob, Mike Stoops will not allow a rising Arizona pro- gram to fall that badly. Purdue 38, Arizona 14 San Diego State (0-2) at No. 9 Ohio State (1-1) - 3:30 p.m., ABC After losing to Texas last Saturday in the most hyped game of the early season, things should be easier for the Buckeyes at The Horseshoe this week. It doesn't matter whether the Buckeyes go with Troy Smith or Justin Zwick at quarter- back, they should have no problem scor- ing on the Aztecs, who surrendered 44 and 41 points in losses to UCLA and Air Force. Ohio State tends to keep weaker teams in the game in the first half, and this game probably won't be an excep- tion. But behind a strong performance from Ted Ginn Jr., the Buckeyes will pull away in the second half, leaving the hapless Aztecs 0-3. Ohio State 34, San Diego State 17 Central Michigan (1-1) at Penn State (2-0) - 3:30 p.m. - The consensus this year is that Penn State will cruise to a 5-0 record with their apparently weak early schedule, which features South Florida and Northwest- ern. But hasn't every year lately been the year of Nittany Lions' return to glory? On the opposite sideline, Central Michi- gan's coach Brian Kelly will get another chance to upset a Big Ten team. In their opening game, the Chippewas fell just short of upsetting Indiana, falling 20-13. Last week, they beat MAC powerhouse Miami (Ohio). Penn State and fab-fresh- man receiver Derrick Williams won't put up enough points to beat a scrappy Central Michigan team. Central Michigan 16, Penn State 13 Northwestern (2-0) at Arizona State (1-1) - 10 p.m. Michigan fans know first-hand that Northern Illinois isn't a pushover. Follow- ing in the Wolverines footsteps, North- western managed to beat the Huskies last week as well. A 38-37 win over Northern Illinois kept the Wildcats' record unblem- ished at 2-0, but expect their first loss to come this weekend when they travel to Tempe and take on the Sun Devils. Ari- zona State blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to an emotionally charged LSU team last weekend, but the Sun Devils will be looking to release a week's worth of anger on someone. Unfortunately for the Wild- cats, that will be them. Arizona State 31, Northwestern 13 Wisconsin (2-0) at North Carolina (0-1, 0-1) - 7 p.m. - ESPN2 Fleeting memories of last year's Elite Eight showdown during March Madness may still linger for these two programs. But look for Wisconsin coach Barry Alva- rez to leave the Big Ten with a splash. Still, the Badgers looked horrible on defense in week one, allowing 42 points to Bowling Green. Last week, they pitched a shut- out and led 51:0 at half against Temple. Which defense will show up? It might not matter. North Carolina quarterback Matt Baker completed less than 50 percent of his passes, and no Tar Heel rusher man- aged more than 30 yards against Georgia Tech last week. Wisconsin 42, North Carolina 20 Michigan State (2-0) at No. 10 Notre Dame (2-0) - 3:30 p.m. - NBC Every year, this matchup seems to be an interesting one. This time around, Michigan State comes in undefeated, but against questionable competition. Notre Dame, coming off a big win against Michigan, will play at home for the first time in the Charlie Weis era. The Irish looked very average offensive- ly after their first drive against Michi- gan. But the Spartans' defense is not quite as solid as Michigan's, so expect Notre Dame's offense to look more like it did in week one against Pittsburgh than it did last week in Ann Arbor. Notre Dame's defense should pounce on Michigan State's Drew Stanton and contain the Spartan offense. Notre Dame 31, Michigan State 16 AP PHOTO Ohio State's Brandon Schnittker and the rest of the Big Ten are coming off a tough week. LAYOUT STAFF: THE GREATEST THINWG SINCE SLICED BREAD. Jon NITrT I ........................... ............................ .......................... ............................ OR JOIN DAI~Y. SPORTS. IT'S GOOD TIMES. TRUST uS. WE'RE NOT KIDDING. YOU'LL HAVE FUN. UNLIKE JEREMIAH TROTTER, WE'LL STICK AROUND UNTIL KICKOFF. THAT'S HOW WE ROLL. At Ernst & Young we know each employee is integral to the strength of the firm. Every individual matters. That's why we've created an environment that's conducive to personal and professional growth and success. At Ernst Young, we're offering an opportunity to learn from some of the best talent in the industry. Look for us on campus if you'd like to connect, or visit us on the Web at ey.com/us/careers. C/3DTt1T TAT is I I i