This weekend’s top tv games

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Staff and wire reports | Friday, October 27, 2006 1:04 AM CDT | () comments

Saturday

No. 11 Notre Dame (6-1) at Navy (5-2)

When: 11 a.m.

TV: WHBF, Ch. 4

Favorite: Notre Dame by 4

Coaches: Charlie Weis (15-4 in second year at Notre Dame) and Paul Johnson (34-20 in fifth year at Navy).

Last week: Notre Dame beat UCLA, 20-17. Navy was off.

Stat that matters: Fighting Irish’s 42 consecutive wins over Midshipmen is Division I record for longest streak of one team over another.

No. 19 Oklahoma (5-2) at No. 23 Missouri (7-1)

When: 11 a.m.

TV: WQAD, Ch. 8 (regional)

Favorite: Missouri by 1

Coaches: Bob Stoops (89-18 in 8th year at Oklahoma) and Gary Pinkel (36-31 in 6th year at Missouri).

Last week: Oklahoma beat Colorado, 24-3. Missouri beat Kansas State, 41-21.

Stat that matters: Since 1984, Sooners are 15-1 vs. Tigers including 9 wins by 21 points or more.

Penn State (5-3)

at Purdue (5-3)

When: 11 a.m.

TV: WQAD, Ch. 8 ABC (regional)

Favorite: Penn State by 3

Coaches: Joe Paterno (359-120-3 in 41st year at Penn State) and Joe Tiller (72-46 in 10th year at Purdue).

Last week: Penn State beat Illinois, 26-12. Purdue lost at home to Wisconsin, 24-3.

Stat that matters: Since start of 2004 season, Boilermakers are 14-3 when scoring 24 points or more and 1-11 when they don’t.

Northwestern (2-6) at No. 2 Michigan (8-0)

When: 11 a.m.

TV: ESPN

Favorite: Power ratings say Michigan by 31.

Coaches: Pat Fitzgerald (2-6 in first year at Northwestern) and Lloyd Carr (110-34 in 12th year at Michigan).

Last week: Northwestern lost at home to Michigan State, 41-38. Michigan beat Iowa, 20-6.

Stat that matters: Since 1960, Wolverines are 18-1 vs. Wildcats in Ann Arbor winning by average score of 33-8.

Illinois (2-6) at

No. 17 Wisconsin (7-1)

When: 11 a.m.

TV: ESPN2

Favorite: Wisconsin by 25

Coaches: Ron Zook (4-15 in second year at Illinois) and Bret Bielema (7-1 in first year at Wisconsin).

Last week: Illinois lost at Penn State, 26-12. Wisconsin won at Purdue, 24-3.

Stat that matters: Since November 17, 2001, Illini have lost 17 straight to ranked opponents while being outscored 203-63 in five of those losses under Zook.

Minnesota (3-5) at

No. 1 Ohio State (8-0)

When: 2:30

TV: WQAD, Ch. 8(regional)

Favorite: Power ratings say Ohio State by 25.

Coaches: Glen Mason (61-55 in 19th year at Minnesota) and Jim Tressel (58-13 in sixth year at Ohio State).

Last week: Minnesota beat North Dakota State, 10-9. Ohio State beat Indiana, 44-3.

Stat that matters: Dating back to last season, Buckeyes have won nine straight home games by average score of 40-9.

Georgia (6-2) vs.

No. 9 Florida (6-1)

When: 2:30 p.m.

TV: WHBF, Ch. 4

Favorite: Florida by 15

Coaches: Mark Richt (58-15 in sixth year at Georgia) and Urban Meyer (15-4 in second year at Florida).

Last week: Georgia beat Mississippi State, 27-24. Florida was off.

Stat that matters: Since 1990, Gators are 14-2 vs. Bulldogs including 7-1 mark vs. ranked Georgia teams.

No. 20 Nebraska (6-2) at Oklahoma St. (4-3)

When: 2:30

TV: WQAD, Ch. 8 (regional)

Favorite: Nebraska by 4

Coaches: Bill Callahan (19-12 in third year at Nebraska) and Mike Gundy (9-10 in second year at Oklahoma State).

Last week: Nebraska lost at home to Texas, 22-20. Oklahoma State lost at home to Texas A&M, 34-33, in overtime.

Stat that matters: Against D-I teams currently with winning records, Cornhuskers, Cowboys are combined 0-4 this season.

Miami (5-2) at

No. 21 Georgia Tech (5-2)

When: 2:30

TV: WQAD, Ch. 8 (regional)

Favorite: Georgia Tech by 5

Coaches: Larry Coker (58-11 in 6th year at Miami) and Chan Gailey (33-23 in fifth year at Ga. Tech).

Last week: Miami won at Duke, 20-15. Ga. Tech lost at Clemson, 31-7.

Stat that matters: Since starting last season 8-1, Hurricanes are only 6-4 with wins over Virginia, Houston, North Carolina, Florida International, Duke and I-AA Florida A&M.

No. 3 USC (6-0) at Oregon State (4-3)

When: 2:30 p.m.

TV: Fox Sports Net

Favorite: USC by 16

Coaches: Pete Carroll (60-10 in sixth year at USC) and Mike Riley (32-33 in 6th year at Oregon State).

Last week: USC was off. Oregon State beat Arizona, 17-10.

Stat that matters: Since 1968. Trojans are 30-1 vs. Beavers including 18 victories by 22 points or more.

Florida State (4-3)

at Maryland (5-2)

When: 6 p.m.

TV: ESPN2

Favorite: Maryland by 1

Coaches: Bobby Bowden (290-78-4 in 31st year at Florida State) and Ralph Friedgen (46-22 in 6th year at Maryland).

Last week: FSU lost at home to Boston College, 24-19. Maryland beat N.C. State, 26-20.

Stat that matters: Since joining ACC in 1992, Seminoles are 13-1 vs. Terps winning by average score of 46-16.

No. 5 Texas (7-1)

at Texas Tech (5-3)

When: 6 p.m.

TV: TBS

Favorite: Texas by 11

Coaches: Mack Brown (90-20 in 9th year at Texas) and Mike Leach (52-31 in 7th year at Texas Tech).

Last week: Texas won at Nebraska, 22-20. Texas Tech won at Iowa State, 42-26.

Stat that matters: In winning six of last seven over Red Raiders, Longhorns have outscored Tech, 303-151.

No. 8 Tennessee (6-1)

at South Carolina (5-2)

When: 6:45 p.m.

TV: ESPN

Favorite: Tennessee by 7

Coaches: Phillip Fulmer (134-38 in 15th year at Tennessee) and Steve Spurrier (12-4 in second year at South Carolina).

Last week: Tennessee beat Alabama, 16-13. South Carolina won at Vanderbilt, 31-13.

Stats that matter: Pick one. Vols are 10-0 vs. Gamecocks when UT is ranked in top 10 while Spurrier is 8-3 all-time in games vs. Fulmer.

Saturday’s storylines

Iowa

Both programs have come a long way since their last meeting on Sept. 18, 1999, when Iowa led Northern Illinois 3-0 after three quarters. The Hawkeyes used drives of 99 and 97 yards in the fourth quarter to pull away to a 24-0 victory, the first for coach Kirk Ferentz at Iowa.

The Huskies’ Garrett Wolfe leads the nation in rushing, averaging 176.6 yards per game on the ground, but coach Joe Novak’s team has balance. Senior quarterback Phil Horvath threw for 253 yards and two scores in a

43-21 win by Northern Illinois (5-3) over Temple last weekend.

Iowa (5-3) will be without starting quarterback Drew Tate for Saturday’s 11 a.m. game but expects to use the skills of backs Albert Young and Damian Sims as it looks to end a

two-game losing streak.

Looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak since 2000, the Hawkeyes are one victory shy of becoming bowl eligible for the sixth straight season, and Iowa will look to extend a 10-game winning streak in nonconference home games.

Iowa State

Still seeking their first Big 12 win of the season, the Cyclones (3-5, 0-4 Big 12) will seek a stronger defensive effort in Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. game at Kansas State. ISU, which had allowed just two plays of 20 yards or more in its first seven games, gave up three in last week’s 42-26 loss to Texas Tech.

First-year coach Ron Prince’s Wildcats have struggled on the offensive end, averaging 19.5 points and 309 yards per game. Leon Patton and James Johnson lead Kansas State’s rushing attack, while Dylan Meier and Josh Freeman have struggled to bring consistency to the passing game.

The Wildcats (4-4, 1-3) are improved defensively, holding seven of their eight opponents under their average scoring and yardage totals. End Ian Campbell leads the Big 12 in sacks and tackles for a loss, while linebackers Brandon Archer and Zach Diles have combined for 119 tackles.

Illinois

Only seven current Illinois players were in the lineup when the Illini last visited Wisconsin two years ago. The 17th-ranked Badgers (7-1, 4-4 Big Ten) are equally young, with eight first-year starters on offense heading into Saturday’s 11 a.m. game at Camp Randall Stadium.

The matchup features the two most productive rushing offenses in the Big Ten. Led by conference rushing leader P.J. Hill, a redshirt freshman who averages 146.5 yards per game, Wisconsin is piling up 196.2 yards per game on the ground. Illinois is second in the league at 189.5 yards, the best rushing total for an Illini team since 1978.

Badgers senior quarterback John Stocco, working behind a line led by Joe Thomas, will be challenged by an Illinois defense that is giving up

127.8 rushing yards per game, the lowest total allowed by an Illini team since 1994.

Northern Iowa

Following two straight road wins, seventh-ranked Northern Iowa welcomes Western Illinois to the

UNI-Dome for a 4 p.m. game Saturday. The Panthers (5-2) are 3-0 in Gateway Conference play for the first time since 2003.

Sophomore receiver Johnny Gray helped UNI remain unbeaten in the league, earning player of the week honors in the Gateway after catching seven passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-23 victory last week at Youngstown State, a team that beat the Leathernecks the previous week 35-28.

Senior Dre Dokes picked off a pair of passes last weekend, raising his career total to 16, four shy of the UNI record set by Mike Woodley from 1970 to 1973.

Western Illinois

The Leathernecks (3-5, 0-4 Gateway) end a string of four straight games against ranked opponents with a 4 p.m. game at Northern Iowa on Saturday. UNI has won the past three games between the teams, but Western Illinois has won in two of its past three visits to the UNI-Dome.

Quarterback Steve LaFalce needs 69 passing yards to reach the 6,000-yard mark for his career. He’s just more than 400 yards shy of Russ Michna’s spot for second place on the Western career charts.

Augustana

The Vikings (5-2, 4-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) travel to North Central on Saturday for a 2 p.m. kickoff.

The Cardinals (5-2, 3-1) enter the game tied for second with Wheaton in the CCIW behind league-leader Augustana.

North Central, led by preseason All-America quarterback Kam Kniss, features the top passing game in the league. Kniss has thrown for a league-leading 1,534 yards this season with 17 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

Augustana’s pass defense ranks fourth in the CCIW, allowing 144 yards per game.

St. Ambrose

The undefeated No. 5-ranked Fighting Bees (7-0, 6-0 Mid-States) host NAIA independent Waldorf at 1 p.m. Saturday at Brady Street Stadium.

Waldorf (1-6) has lost four games in a row since beating Martin Luther College for its only victory of the season. The Warriors have lost each of their past three games by more than 30 points.

— Steve Batterson, Adam Soebbing

STAT PACK

Big Ten

Conf. Overall

W L W L

Michigan 5 0 8 0

Ohio State 4 0 8 0

Wisconsin 4 1 7 1

Penn State 3 2 5 3

Purdue 2 2 5 3

Indiana 2 2 4 4

Iowa 2 3 5 3

Michigan State 1 3 4 4

Illinois 1 3 2 6

Minnesota 0 4 3 5

Northwestern 0 4 2 6

Saturday’s games

Northern Ill. at Iowa, 11 a.m. (ESPNU)

Illinois at Wisconsin, 11 a.m. (ESPN2)

Penn St. at Purdue, 11 a.m. (WQAD, Ch. 8)

Northwestern at Michigan, 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Michigan State at Indiana, 11 a.m. (KWQC, Ch. 6)

Minnesota at Ohio State, 2:30 p.m. (WQAD, Ch. 8)

Big 12

Conf. Overall

North W L W L

Missouri 3 1 7 1

Nebraska 3 1 6 2

Kansas State 1 3 4 4

Colorado 1 3 1 7

Iowa State 0 4 3 5

Kansas 0 4 3 5

South W L W L

Texas 4 0 7 1

Texas A&M 3 1 7 1

Baylor 3 1 4 4

Oklahoma 2 1 5 2

Texas Tech 2 2 5 3

Oklahoma State 1 2 4 3

Saturday’s games

Oklahoma at Missouri, 11 a.m.

Colorado at Kansas, 1 p.m.

Nebraska at Oklahoma St., 2:30 p.m.

Iowa St. at Kansas St., 2:30 p.m.

Texas at Texas Tech, 6 p.m. (TBS)

Texas A&M at Baylor, 6 p.m.

CCIW

Conf. Overall

W L W L

Augustana 4 0 5 2

Wheaton 3 1 6 1

North Central 3 1 5 2

Elmhurst 2 2 5 2

Carthage 2 2 5 2

Ill. Wesleyan 1 3 2 5

Millikin 1 3 2 5

North Park 0 4 1 6

Saturday’s games

Millikin at Carthage, 6 p.m.

Augustana at North Central, 2 p.m.

North Park at Illinois Wesleyan, 1 p.m.

Elmhurst at Wheaton, 1 p.m.

Mid-States

Midwest League Conf. Overall

W L W L

St. Ambrose 6 0 7 0

St. Xavier 5 1 6 2

McKendree 4 2 4 3

Quincy 3 3 4 4

William Penn 3 3 3 5

Trinity Int. 2 3 3 5

Olivet Nazarene 1 4 2 6

St. Francis (Ill.) 1 4 1 6

Iowa Wesleyan 0 5 1 6

Mideast League W L W L

St. Francis (Ind.) 4 0 7 0

Walsh 3 0 8 0

Urbana 2 2 5 3

Malone 2 2 4 3

Ohio Dominican 1 2 4 3

Geneva 1 2 3 3

Taylor 0 4 1 6

Saturday’s games

Urbana at Walsh, 11 a.m.

Geneva at Ohio Dominican, 11 a.m.

St. Francis (Ind.) at Seton Hill, 12 p.m.

Malone at Taylor, 12 p.m.

Waldorf at St. Ambrose, 1 p.m.

Trinity Int. at William Penn, 1 p.m.

McKendree at Quincy, 1 p.m.

Olivet at St. Francis (Ill.), 1 p.m.

Individual statistics

Northern Illinois at Iowa

Passing

NIU Comp Att Yds TD Int

Horvath 123 203 1541 9 6

Iowa

Tate 138 233 1678 11 6

Rushing

NIU Att Yds Avg TD

Wolfe 191 1413 7.4 13

Iowa

Sims 90 473 5.3 5

Receiving

NIU No Yds Avg TD

Davis 33 402 12.2 2

Iowa

Chandler 32 376 11.8 4

Illinois at Wisconsin

Passing

Illinois Comp Att Yds TD Int

Williams 70 166 1081 8 7

Wisconsin

Stocco 114 183 1590 12 3

Rushing

Illinois Att Yds Avg TD

Thomas 96 522 5.4 3

Wisconsin

Hill 202 1172 5.8 13

Receiving

Illinois No Yds Avg TD

Hudson 22 331 15.0 3

Wisconsin

Beckum 32 501 15.7 3

Iowa State at Kansas State

Passing

Iowa St. Comp Att Yds TD Int

Meyer 140 247 1743 10 9

Kansas State

Meier 69 137 765 3 4

Rushing

Iowa St. Att Yds Avg TD

Hicks 107 523 4.9 2

Kansas State

Patton 64 333 5.2 2

Receiving

Iowa State No Yds Avg TD

Blythe 30 436 14.5 7

Kansas State

Norwood 25 228 9.1 0

Augustana at North Central

Passing

Augie Comp Att Yds TD Int

McGinnis 31 67 340 2 1

North Central

Kniss 131 207 1,534 17 4

Rushing

Augie Att Yds Avg TD

Galliart 84 427 5.1 3

North Central

Sulo 123 596 4.8 6

Receiving

Augie No Yds Avg TD

Kwasigroch 14 204 14.6 2

North Central

Stuedemann 46 525 11.4 8

Waldorf at St. Ambrose

Passing

Waldorf Comp Att Yds TD Int

Palmer 58 129 501 1 10

St. Ambrose

DuPage 122 217 1,358 7 11

Rushing

Waldorf Att Yds Avg TD

Smith 96 372 3.9 2

St. Ambrose

Reed 132 807 6.1 11

Receiving

Waldorf No Yds Avg TD

Lewis 20 151 7.6 0

St. Ambrose

Watford 30 363 12.1 3