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Scarlet Knights continue to have South Florida's number

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PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) -- Given a week and a half to prepare for No. 23 South Florida, Rutgers did something that no one has done to the Bulls in the regular season in their 13-year history -- they blanked them.

Freshman Tom Savage threw for two touchdowns and Rutgers forced four turnovers, blocked a punt and recorded seven sacks in embarrassing the error-prone Bulls 31-0 on Thursday night in a nationally televised game.

The Scarlet Knights limited South Florida to 159 total yards, including 30 rushing, and seven first downs, which matched the Bulls' all-time low in a game.

"I think those kids believed in what we put in front of them and executed it," Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. "We had some new things that we threw at them. The kids were able to learn it and execute it. It's all them."

The victory was the fourth straight for Rutgers (7-2, 2-2 Big East) over South Florida (6-3, 2-3), and this one made the Scarlet Knights bowl eligible for the fifth straight season.

"It's awesome," said Savage, who threw for 194 yards on 15 of 30 passing. "That's all you can say about it. It's a great feeling, but we have three games to work on right now and that's what we are doing."

The win was also sweeter because many of the players on South Florida talked about getting even with the Scarlet Knights all week, saying Rutgers ran up the score last year in a 49-16 win.

"I'd be lying if I said there wasn't," cornerback Devin McCourty said. "To come out here and play like that and get a win like that after guys were saying this and saying that. We just kept saying that's not what we're about. We're not gonna talk about what we're gonna do. We're just gonna prepare and come out and play."

The only other time South Florida was shut out was 14-0 in the Meineke Bowl in 2005 against North Carolina State.

"Give Rutgers a lot of credit, they just beat the dog out of us," South Florida coach Jim Leavitt said. "They did a nice job. We haven't fared well against Rutgers over the years, they have just done a very good job, especially the last two years, they've beaten us pretty good."

Savage threw touchdown passes of 25 yards to Mohamed Sanu and 26 yards to Tim Brown. Joe Martinek ran for 128 yards, including a 37-yard score. San San Te kicked field goals of 36, 26 and 49 yards.

Thursday's Games

Bowling Green 35, Miami 14

OXFORD -- Freddie Barnes scored three touchdowns to lift Bowling Green to a 35-14 win over Miami of Ohio on Thursday night.

Barnes, the nation's leading receiver, opened the scoring with a 19-yard run less than a minute into the game. He also had touchdown catches of 59 and 2 yards, finishing with 10 receptions for 109 yards.

Barnes has 117 catches for 1,285 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns this season.

Tyler Sheehan completed 21 of 34 passes for 199 yards for Bowling Green (5-5, 4-2 Mid-American Conference). Sheehan also threw a 20-yard TD to Willie Geter late in the third quarter, and Chris Bullock added a 13-yard TD run with just over two minutes to play.

Quarterback Zac Dysert had first-half scoring runs of 2 and 1 yards for Miami (1-10, 1-6). He was 29 of 48 for 259 yards, but also threw three interceptions and was sacked six times.

N. Illinois 26, Ball State 20

DEKALB, Ill. -- Quarterback Chandler Harnish threw a touchdown pass in his first appearance in nearly a month as Northern Illinois topped Ball State on Thursday.

The Huskies (7-3, 5-1 Mid-American West) won their fourth straight while the Cardinals (1-9, 1-5) dropped their sixth game by seven or fewer points.

Harnish had missed three games with a knee injury. He hit wide receiver Marcus Lewis on a 6-yard scoring play late in the third quarter for a 26-13 lead.

Ball State cut it to 26-20 on Tanner Justice's 29-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Ifft with 6:53 left in regulation.

The teams traded touchdowns on their respective first possessions. The Huskies added a safety and a six-yard Chad Spann touchdown for a 16-7 lead late in the first quarter.

A pair of second-quarter field goals by Ian McGarvey trimmed the deficit to 16-13. Huskie kicker Mike Salerno got one back with a 41-yard third-quarter field goal.

Tennessee players charged

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Three freshmen Tennessee football players, including highly touted wide receiver recruit Nu'Keese Richardson and starting safety Janzen Jackson, were charged with attempted armed robbery Thursday morning.

Richardson, 18, and Jackson, 18, along with defensive back Mike Edwards, 18, and companion Marie Montmarquet, 22, were each charged with three counts of attempted armed robbery in connection with an incident at a gas station in an area known as "The Strip" at the edge of Tennessee's campus.

Richardson was being held Thursday afternoon on a $19,500 bond. Edwards was released on a $19,500 bond and Jackson was released on his own recognizance.

"Mr. Jackson vehemently asserts his innocence, and we hope that this will become apparent in the next 24 to 48 hours," Jackson's attorney Don Bosch said in a statement. It was not immediately known if Richardson and Edwards had attorneys.

The three players are the first arrested during the tenure of first-year coach Lane Kiffin, who on Thursday said he would not make any comment on the situation until he knew more. Kiffin's predecessor, Phillip Fulmer, was often criticized for being too lax on a number of his players who had discipline problems.

"We're gathering all the information so we don't know exactly what happened. Unfortunately there was an incident. We made it 11 months and 11 days without (any incidents). We'll deal with the information as it comes in," Kiffin said.

Wisconsin recalls meltdown

MADISON, Wis. -- Tight end Garrett Graham remembers just how quiet 109,000 people could sound last year with Wisconsin rolling over Michigan 19-0 at halftime.

That silence didn't last long.

Michigan rallied with 20 fourth-quarter points for a 27-25 victory over then-No. 9 Wisconsin, the first of four straight losses for the Badgers as their season went into a tailspin and finished 7-6.

In the rematch this Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium, there's no way around it -- the memories of last year are still painfully fresh for the 21st-ranked Badgers.

"To be in the situation we were at half and to finish that game out the way it did, leaves a very bad taste, and then we all know what happened after that," Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said. "We've battled our tails off to get to where we are right now, and Michigan is the next opportunity."

Wisconsin (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) will try to push Michigan (5-5, 1-5) to the brink of failing to make a bowl for the second consecutive year.

A win would be even sweeter for the Badgers because it would extend Michigan's losing streak to four games on Senior Day in Wisconsin's final home game this season.

"Losing wears on a lot of people," said coach Rich Rodriguez, who is 3-11 in conference games at Michigan. "I know fans are frustrated, coaches are frustrated, players are frustrated."

Fighting for bowl hopes

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The stakes for the Purdue-Michigan State football game resemble those of a pre-tournament basketball game between two teams on the bubble.

Purdue (4-6, 3-3 Big Ten) must win to remain in contention for a bowl game. Michigan State (5-5, 3-3) can become bowl eligible with a win, and this week's matchup, at least statistically, looks better than next week's home game against Penn State.

November madness, indeed.

"It's a playoff-type situation, I guess you would say, for both football teams," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. "When it gets like that, you know, you get to a point probably where sometimes I guess you take chances. You have an opportunity, there's risk there obviously, but you're in a situation where you've got to win. So I think it's similar for both football teams."

Purdue coach Danny Hope is glad to be even talking about a bowl game. The Boilermakers went 4-8 last year, then started this season 1-5.

Now, Purdue has won three of four, including victories over Ohio State and Michigan.

"I'm so very, very proud of our football team to be in this position," Hope said. "If we don't make many mistakes and play hard for 60 minutes, we can play with anybody, and we felt that way all season long."

Last home game for Lee

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State's recruiting class of 2005 is hailed in Happy Valley as a group of players who helped bring the storied program back from football purgatory to national relevance.

So don't be surprised if the biggest cheers on Saturday for the No. 19 Nittany Lions' final home game of the season are reserved for linebacker Sean Lee.

The last player on the roster who played in the Orange Bowl that capped the school's magical '05 ride will run out of the Beaver Stadium tunnel for the last time before the Nittany Lions (8-2, 4-2 Big Ten) host Indiana (4-6, 1-5).

"It's definitely going to be emotional. So much time playing in front of our fans," said Lee, a fifth-year senior. "It's definitely going to be tough for me and a lot of the older guys."

Many other notable names from Lee's recruiting class are gone.

The top recruits, receiver Derrick Williams and cornerback Justin King, are in the NFL.

Two of the most touted prospects in the country, their decisions to sign with Penn State at a time when the school was coming off a string of four losing seasons in five years was considered by recruiting pundits to be a coup for coach Joe Paterno.

King left after his junior season. Williams and safety Anthony Scirrotto -- Lee's former roommate -- stuck around as seniors in 2008, helping to guide Penn State to its second Big Ten title and BCS bowl in four years.

Battle for Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Last Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis, Illinois put on Act II in its late-season offensive resurgence, putting up 35 points in an upset of Minnesota.

About that time, Northwestern's defense was clamping down on Iowa with a win that ended the Hawkeyes' hopes of a national title run.

The two Illinois teams collide Saturday in Champaign with Northwestern (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten) looking to spruce up its credentials for a bowl invitation and the Illini (3-6, 2-5) trying to extend a modest winning streak that has eased a bit of the pressure on coach Ron Zook.

Illinois' wins -- over Michigan and Minnesota, both upsets -- would have been unthinkable during this season's five-game losing streak. The Illini scored a total of 59 points in those games, then dropped 38 on Michigan and 35 on the Gophers.

"They understand this: It's only two games," Zook said. "This is a big week coming up here."

Add in the cross-state rivalry -- played for the first time for the Land of Lincoln trophy, a replica of Abe's hat -- and it could be a big game in Champaign.