The Gophers (5-2, 1-2) snapped a two-game losing streak as James Manuel broke a 7-7 tie with a 24-yard third quarter interception return and Chris Hawthorne turned another Wildcat turnover into a 34-yard field goal in the fourth. 

Host Northwestern (4-3, 0-3) dropped its third straight. 

Kill, on indefinite leave after a series of epileptic seizures, watched Manuel picked off Wildcat quarterback Trevor Siemian with 1:22 for a go-ahead score.  The Gophers made it 17-7 just 87 seconds later on Hawthorne’s field goal after recovering a Wildcat fumble. 

Hawthorne’s 38-yard field goal with 5:24 remaining made it 20-10.  Northwestern cut the deficit to 20-17 on a 10-yard touchdown strike from Siemian to Tony Jones with 2:07 remaining. 

Gopher quarterback Philip Nelson was 8-of-11 for 112 yards, including a touchdown strike to Derrick Engel.  Running back David Cobb rushed 20 times for 103 yards. 

Siemian completed 25 of 46 passes for 234 yards but was picked off twice and fumbled once.  Jones had eight catches for 84 yards. 

Northwestern opened the scoring on Stephen Buckley’s first career touchdown with 1:53 left in the first quarter.  Buckley’s 3-yard score capped a drive on which he had a 33-yard reception and an 11-yard run. 

Minnesota tied the game at 7-7 as Nelson hit Engel hit on a 29-yard touchdown pass with 6:48 left in the first half. 

Hawthorne’s try for a go-ahead 44-yard field goal just before halftime sailed wide left. 

Minnesota’s defense shut down a promising Northwestern drive deep into Gopher territory early in the final frame.  The Wildcats settled for a 35-yard Jeff Budzien field goal that cut the Gopher lead to 17-10 with 11:09 left in regulation. 

After Hawthorne’s second field goal, Northwestern converted on three fourth downs in a 75-yard scoring drive that culminated in Jones’ 10-yard TD reception. 

Two key Northwestern players were sidelined with reported ankle injuries: tailback Venric Mark and quarterback Kain Colter, who was dressed but only available in an emergency role. 

Kill didn’t coach for the second straight game but watched from a Ryan Field booth.  Kill and his wife, Rebecca, drove down from Minneapolis and arrived just before the game.  He reportedly addressed the Gophers at halftime. 

Tracy Claeys has served as head coach in Kill’s absence. 

Minnesota hosts Nebraska next Saturday while Northwestern travels to Iowa. 

WISCONSIN 56, ILLINOIS 32CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Wisconsin lost defensive leader Chris Borland to injury early and even with an early three-touchdown lead struggled to put Illinois away. 

So the No.  25 Badgers put the game in Melvin Gordon’s hands and he delivered. 

Gordon rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns to lead No.  25 Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) to a rout of Illinois.  James White backed him up with another 98 yards in 20 carries and two touchdowns. 

Gordon, who has 1,012 yards for the season, said the Badgers’ 21-0 first quarter lead was a key to the game. 

“That momentum at the beginning was important,” Gordon said. “ We knew we had to come out fast, especially on the road.  They tried to take it from us but we took right back.” 

Illinois coach Tim Beckman said defense was a problem for the Illini (3-3, 0-2) , but so was a running game that managed just 72 yards on 29 carries against one of the top run defenses in the country. 

“When you play against a team like that, you’ve got to be clocking on all cylinders,” he said. “ Defensively, we didn’t tackle well in space.” 

Borland, the team’s leading tackler, said he hurt his right hamstring covering a punt in the first quarter.  He never returned, watching much of the second half in street clothes. 

“I just couldn’t play,” he said. “ It’s going to be OK, they’ve already started to take care of it.” 

Andersen said he expects him back soon but is glad to have a bye week coming to give the linebacker time to heal. 

Gordon went over the 1,000-yard mark on a 13-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put the Badgers up 42-17.  It capped the second of two bruising, third-quarter drives that put Illinois away.  White finished the first with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Joel Stave. 

Before the drives, Illinois had found ways to claw back from an early 21-0 deficit and trailed 28-17 at halftime. 

“Defensively we played hard and flew around the field,” Andersen said. “( But) we’re better than that on D. We have to be better than that.” 

On a day when Michigan and Indiana combined for 1,319 yards of offense and 110 points, the decisive Badger drives looked like old-time Big Ten football — using tough backs, smart running and short passes to put a lesser opponent away and stay close to Ohio State in the Big Ten Leaders division. 

White took a short toss from Stave for his touchdown, lunging hard through a tackle to tuck the ball over the goal line.  The touchdown ended a nine-play, 75-yard drive that chewed up just over five minutes and put Illinois on its heels. 

Gordon’s score wrapped up a five-play, 56-yard drive as he took the handoff and charged into the line, saw nothing there and used his speed to bounce outside and easily cover the 13 yards that put the Badgers up by 25 at 42-17. 

Illinois was all but done and on its way to its 16th straight Big Ten loss. 

Borland’s absence didn’t improve Illinois’ ability to run.  The Badgers entered the game as the 10th-best run defense in the country, giving up 90.1 yards a game.  Josh Ferguson led Illinois with just 25 yards on seven carries.  Borland’s backup, Marcus Trotter, made the most of his shot with a team-high nine tackles. 

Both bounced back. Hyde ran for 149 yards, including 106 and two touchdowns in the second half, to lead the Buckeyes back from a halftime deficit to the victory over Iowa, extending their win streak to an FBS-best 19 straight. 

The game tilted on two athletic plays early in the fourth quarter. 

Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller escaped the rush, ran right and then scooted all the way to the left sideline, running maybe 75 yards to gain 9 for a first down. 

On the next play from the Iowa 19, Hyde took a handoff — the call is 13 dash — and bounced off right tackle.  He rumbled to the 7-yard line, where he was hit hard by free safety Tanner Miller, the blow knocking him off balance.  He had retreated all the way to the 11 by the time he regained his bearings and turned up the right sideline.  Hyde ran to the 3 before vaulting just inside the corner post for the touchdown that put the Buckeyes (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) ahead to stay. 

“I’ve never had a run like that but that play was working all day,” the senior tailback said. “ The safety came up and hit me.  I came out of it and I was still up.  I was like, `Let me try to catch my balance.’  Once I did I turned around. ...  I was like, ‘Man, I haven’t even scored yet.’  When I saw (wide-out Corey Brown’s) block, I just went in for the touchdown.” 

The game wasn’t the same after that. 

“That run by Carlos, I don’t know, that’s God-given for him to make somebody miss a tackle like that and just keep moving forward,” said Miller, who completed 22 of 27 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns (58 yards to Brown and 14 yards to Devin Smith) and ran for 102 yards. “ And then to dive into the end zone like that, that’s sweet.” 

The 19 straight wins ties the second-best streak in school history. 

But it didn’t come easy.  The Hawkeyes (4-3, 1-2) dominated offensively in the first half and led 21-14 behind the strong play of quarterback Jake Rudock.  He hit on 19 of 34 passes for 245 yards and three scores covering 2 yards to C.J. Fidorowicz, 6 yards to Kevonte Martin-Manley and 85 yards to Jake Duzey. 

But Hyde tied it with the first rushing TD against Iowa this season on Ohio State’s first drive of the third quarter, and the Buckeyes eventually took over. 

“You don’t get a prize for playing a good first half,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “ You have to play a full 60 minutes.” 

After watching Iowa’s offense control the opening half, the Buckeyes outgained the Hawkeyes 306-153 in the last two quarters.  They piled up a 23:05-6:55 edge in time of possession in the half. 

The Buckeyes haven’t lost in Urban Meyer’s two years as head coach. 

“I’ve learned a lesson in my life.  I’m going to enjoy this win,” Meyer scored. “ I feel outstanding.  I’m going to go hug my players and hug my family and go to work tomorrow.  But, tonight?  I’m not worried about any (problems on) defense.  I’m going to enjoy this win.” 

Teams had run 204 times this season against Iowa’s defense before the Buckeyes finally broke through for a score.  Hyde barely got the nose of the ball across the goal line from a yard out to tie the game at 17 on the first series of the second half. 

The teams traded touchdowns, Miller hitting Smith before Iowa evened it on the next snap on Rudock’s perfect spiral in step to Duzey down the right sideline. 

Then Hyde scored on the hit that at first staggered him to put Ohio State ahead for keeps. 

Ohio State’s defense finally held and forced a punt, with the Buckeyes adding Drew Basil’s field goal to make it a 10-point lead that they maintained the rest of the way. 

Ohio State’s All-Big Ten cornerback, Bradley Roby, was ejected from the game for a hit to the head of a receiver in the first quarter. 

Rudock tossed a short pass over the middle to tight end Fiedorowicz with Roby hitting him high after an 11-yard gain. 

Meyer questioned the call.  Ferentz said it was correct. 

The crowd of 105,264 booed loudly as the play was reviewed, and Roby was sent to the sideline.  He then slowly walked to the locker room, all the while shaking his head. 

As it turned out, the Buckeyes got by — barely — without him. 

Meyer declined to look ahead to the first Bowl Championship Series rankings on Sunday or to where his team fits into the big picture. 

“I wish I had our guys living on a desert island with us,” he said. “ I don’t want to hear anything else other than let’s go get ready to win No.  8.”