Minnesota RB Donnell Kirkwood celebrates one of his two touchdowns against Syracuse with his teammates. (US Presswire)

Big Ten scoreboard

Ohio State 29, UAB 15: QB Braxton Miller struggled to break one of his trademark long touchdown runs but still managed to get 207 total yards and two touchdowns. The offense was just 3 of 10 on third-down conversions, and the Buckeyes (4-0) committed seven penalties for 60 yards. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog here).

Wisconsin 37, UTEP 26: The Badgers (3-1) lost star RB Montee Ball early in the second quarter when he suffered a head injury on a 1-yard touchdown run. But backup RBs James White and Melvin Gordon combined for 177 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. QB Joel Stave, who started over incumbent QB Danny O’Brien, was 12 of 17 for 210 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Central Michigan 32, Iowa 31: QB James Vandenberg was 16 of 25 for 215 yards and completed his first touchdown throw of the season. But it wasn’t enough for the Hawkeyes (2-2). Iowa failed to recover an onside kick and allowed 10 points over the final 45 seconds to lose on a 47-yard FG just before the final gun. Central Michigan had 394 yards of offense. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog here).

Northwestern 38, South Dakota 7: The Wildcats (4-0) didn’t show much in a dominating win over the Coyotes. Northwestern had 277 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 53 attempts as eight players had at least three carries. RB Venric Mark led with 117 yards and three scores on 16 attempts.

Nebraska 73, Idaho State 7: This one was over by the end of the first quarter as the Cornhuskers (3-1) scored five touchdowns in the first 15 minutes. Star RB Rex Burkhead, who missed the past two games with a sprained left MCL, rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. Nebraska allowed 210 yards and forced three turnovers.

Penn State 24, Temple 13: WR Allen Robinson had another outstanding game as the league’s leading receiver made five catches for 82 yards, including a spectacular 41-yarder for a score. FB Mike Zordich was the primary option in the backfield, gaining 75 yards on 15 carries and caught four passes for 44 yards. The Nittany Lions (2-2) had 491 yards of offense.

Michigan State 23, Eastern Michigan 7: RB Le'Veon Bell demonstrated why he's the most important player for the Spartans (3-1), rushing for 253 yards and a touchdown on 36 carries. QB Andrew Maxwell struggled, going 16 of 29 for 159 yards and a score. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog here).

Notre Dame 13, Michigan 6: QB Denard Robinson might want to stop playing in prime time. The senior had another disaster under the lights as he threw four interceptions and lost a fumble in South Bend after struggling against Alabama after dark. The Wolverines (2-2) committed six turnovers and had 299 yards of offense.  (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog here).

Minnesota 17, Syracuse 10: RB Donnell Kirkwood had 99 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries as the Gophers (4-0) had a seven-minute edge in time of possession. Backup QB Max Shortell was 16 of 30 for 231 yards in place of injured incumbent QB MarQueis Gray, who remained sidelined with a leg injury. 

Louisiana Tech 52, Illinois 24: The Fighting Illini (2-2) moved the ball, but six turnovers, including five fumbles, dashed their hopes of a win by early in the third quarter. QB Reilly O’Toole finished 19 of 25 for 120 yards as he continually opted for a check-down pass. 

(Video courtesy ESPN)

Play of the day: Penn State was moving the ball against Temple late in the first quarter, but its drive stalled. Coach Bill O’Brien opted to go for it on fourth down from the Owls’ 41-yard line, and QB Matt McGloin validated his decision. The senior eluded the rush as he rolled to his left, heaving the ball under heavy pressure to WR Robinson. The sophomore adjusted his body to face the pass, snagged the ball and never broke stride as he twisted back down the field and outraced defenders to the end zone.  

He said what? Ohio State coach Urban Meyer following a narrow victory against UAB: “It’s glaringly obvious we’ve got to get a lot better or we won’t win next week [at Michigan State].”

RapidReports defensive star of the day: Wisconsin LB Chris Borland was a force against UTEP, making 12 tackles, including 3.5 for a loss, to go with two passes defensed. Borland (5-feet-11, 242 pounds) had double-digit tackles for the first time this season and the 10th of his career.

Fullback Mark Weisman scored three touchdowns in Iowa’s loss to Central Michigan. (US Presswire)

RapidReports offensive star of the day: Iowa FB Mark Weisman didn’t look like a walk-on against Central Michigan. Weisman (6-0, 225) battered the Chippewas all afternoon, rushing for 217 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. Weisman has six touchdowns the past two games.

His seat is getting uncomfortable: Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz won’t be getting much sleep. The team looked disorganized and undisciplined in a 32-31 loss to Central Michigan that saw the Hawkeyes called for nine penalties for 106 yards. This loss comes a mere two weeks after a lackluster 9-6 loss to rival Iowa State. Both losses were in Iowa City.

A possible spot on the bench for: QB O’Brien. The former Wisconsin starter was benched this week in favor of Stave and will have a tough time getting his job back. Stave threw a bad interception and was sacked three times, but his ability to attack with deep passes kept the defense from crowding the line of scrimmage and created running lanes.

Why you care about these three stat lines:

  1. Northwestern was 9 of 14 on third-downs conversions. The Wildcats demonstrated again why they are one of the most efficient teams in the country. Northwestern converted 64.1 percent of its third downs against South Dakota. Northwestern entered the game converting 25 of 50 for the season.  
  2. Nebraska allowed 51 yards rushing against Idaho State. Sure, it was against a mediocre FCS team, but the Cornhuskers built on a solid performance against Arkansas State last week when they yielded 148 yards on 37 carries. This is a much different unit than the one that allowed 344 yards rushing at UCLA on Sept. 8.   
  3. Michigan State went eight quarters between touchdowns. The Spartans managed just two field goals through three quarters against Eastern Michigan before TE Dion Sims scored on a 10-yard touchdown catch. Michigan State failed to score a touchdown last week in a 20-3 loss to Notre Dame and hadn’t reached the end zone since the fourth quarter of a 41-7 win over Central Michigan on Sept. 8.

Key number: 710. Career touches (rushes and catches) for Wisconsin RB Ball before losing his first career fumble in the first quarter against UTEP.

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from Big Ten bloggers Dave Carey and Mike Singer, follow @CBSSportsBigTen.