Getting offensive
Curtis Painter tied a school record with six touchdown passes as Purdue defeated Eastern Illinois 52-6. His output tied the record set by Drew Brees in 1998 and matched by Kyle Orton in 2004.
Painter completed 38 of 49 passes for 348 yards.
“He’s at the top of the list somewhere,” Eastern Illinois coach Bob Spoo said.
On the defense
One, two, three, punt. One, two, three, punt. One, two, three, punt. That was pretty much the Akron offense against No. 12 Ohio State. The Buckeyes forced befuddled Akron to punt 14 times, including after 12 straight three-and-out series, and beat the Zips 20-2.
Akron managed just three first downs and 69 yards, including 3 on 19 rushing attempts.
But still the Buckeyes only led Akron 3-2 at the half.
“We can’t leave our defense hanging out to dry,” Ohio State tackle Kirk Barton said. “At halftime we were like, what are we doing? What’s going on?”
The number
Four. The number of agonizing hours Tim Brewster waited to get his first win as a head coach in Minnesota’s 41-35 three-overtime victory over Miami of Ohio.
The Gophers dropped interceptions. They let a 16-point lead disappear in the final eight minutes. They missed three field goals and had a punt blocked.
“Every baby is a beautiful baby,” Brewster said after the ugly win. “And this one’s no different.”
Sick bay
Michigan quarterback Chad Henne did not play in the second half against Oregon because of an apparent lower-leg injury, and he’s not expected to face Notre Dame.
“I think he’s very doubtful for next week,” coach Lloyd Carr said after the Ducks beat his Wolverines 39-7.
Audible
Purdue’s game was suspended before the start of the third quarter due to lightning. The stands were cleared, and few fans returned when play resumed 65 minutes later. “The test of a man’s character is ‘Will he do his best when no one’s watching?'” coach Joe Tiller said before the second half. “I said, ‘There’s a good chance there’d be no one watching.'”
Looking ahead
With its 24-10 upset over No. 22 Boise State, Washington notched its first win in 11 tries over a Top 25 team. The Huskies are 2-0 for the first time since 2001 heading into a home game against No. 12 Ohio State.
