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Ohio State 56 - Miami (OH) 10
It was a slow start for Urban Meyer in his first game as Ohio State's head coach, but once the first quarter ended the flood gates opened wide. OSU scored three touchdowns in the second quarter -- two on Braxton Miller passes -- and another four after halftime to slam the door shut on Miami (OH). Miller only completed 56 percent of his passes, but he did so for 207 yards, two touchdowns, while running for 163 yards on 16 carries for another score. The OSU defense stoned the pass happy Miami offense on the ground (-5 yards) but gave up over 300 yards through the air. All in all it was the easy win that Meyer needed to start his career at OSU off on the right foot and break his team into its new offensive system.
Illinois 24 - Western Michigan 7
Tim Beckman survives game number one at Illinois, but the game wasn't without its issues. Illinois took a 17-0 lead at halftime, but only totaled 248 yards of offense while completing less than one-third of its third-down attempts. Nathan Scheelhaase had a Nathan Scheelhaase day going 11 for 18 for 126 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The running offense stagnated to just 2.8 yards per rush with Jon Davis leading the way with 54 yards. The Illini defense was on its game yet again, holding WMU to negative rush yards while forcing four turnovers. The Broncos only put up 259 yards.
Penn State 14 - Ohio 24
Disappointment, thy name is Ted Roof. Or Bill O'Brien really, but we'll settle on Roof. Ohio gained 499 yards of offense while rushing for 175 yards (3.4 ypc) and passing for 324. Ohio converted 60 percent of its third downs and only punted the ball three times. Meanwhile the Penn State offense struggled to gain its footing. It took Matt McGloin 48 attempts to get to 259 yards, and the Nittany Lions clearly missed Silas Redd as Bill Belton only managed 53 yards on 13 carries. Penn State started the game off strong, building a 14-3 halftime lead, but Ohio caught a couple lucky breaks and sucked all the momentum out from Beaver Stadium.
Northwestern 42 - Syracuse 41
The Wildcat defense may as well have taken the day off, but it didn't matter much as the Wildcat offense made the most of its chances -- not before giving Northwestern fans a bit of pause. The Wildcats took a 35-13 lead midway through the third quarter, but allowed Syracuse to score four unanswered touchdowns before the Wildcats took the final lead with 44 second remaining. Northwestern's offense gained 341 yards, but just 4.7 yards per play -- a full two yards less than what the Wildcat defense gave up, but three forced turnovers helped keep the Wildcats close. In the end Northwestern avoided what would be a very 2011-esque fourth quarter collapse.
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Afternoon games:
Iowa vs. Northern Illinois
Nebraska vs. Southern Miss.
Wisconsin vs. Northern Iowa
Full Schedule of games here.