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Illinois Pulls Off Upset, Moves Into Top 25; Bears Lose; Rams At Giants on MNF; More

>> Illinois Upsets #22 Arizona State

Illinois sacked Arizona State's Brock Osweiler six times and turned one into a touchdown in a 17-14 win over the No. 22 Sun Devils on Saturday night.

With Illinois trailing 14-10 in the fourth quarter, defensive end Whitney Mercilus hit Osweiler in the back and knocked the ball loose to linebacker Ian Thomas. Four plays later, Nathan Scheelhaase hit A.J. Jenkins for a 16-yard touchdown that gave Illinois (3-0) the win.

Scheelhaase was 11 of 15 for 135 yards. He threw one interception but also ran for 67 yards. Jenkins had six catches for 103 yards.

The Sun Devils (2-1) outgained Illinois 362-239. Each team had three turnovers.

Osweiler completed 25 of 45 passes for 256 yards. He ran for a touchdown and threw for another, but also tossed two interceptions.

Mercilus had two sacks, and Jonathan Brown had an interception and a sack that led to another interception.

Illinois' 17-14 win over Arizona State wasn't perfect. The Illini turned the ball over three times and struggled on offense.

None of that matters much to quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase. He expected a slugfest and got one. And the Illini were rewarded with the No. 24 ranking, their first time in the Top 25 since 2008.

Arizona State dropped out of the poll after one week. Coach Dennis Erickson said the Sun Devils are a good football team, but seem to take a step back for every one or two they move forward.

Arizona State limited Illinois to 257 yards of offense, but the Illini made the most of the three turnovers they forced.

Illinois linebacker Jonathan Brown said the Illini defense, considered a big question mark coming into the season, has something to prove.

>>Saints, Brees Lights Up Bears

(New Orleans, LA)  --  Drew Brees was 26-of-37 for 270 yards and three touchdowns as the New Orleans Saints bombed the Chicago Bears, 30-13, on Sunday in the Big Easy.  Brees hooked up with Devery Henderson on a 79-yard scoring strike early in the second quarter to put New Orleans ahead for good.  Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was 19-of-45 for 244 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked six times and also lost a fumble deep in Chicago territory.  The Bears were just 2-of-12 on third down, while the Saints were 8-of-17.  Chicago fell to 1-and-1 with the loss.  The Bears host the Green Bay Packers in Week Three.

>>SUNDAY'S SCOREBOARD

NFL
------
Detroit Lions 48, Kansas City Chiefs 3
New York Jets 32, Jacksonville Jaguars 3
Buffalo Bills 38, Oakland Raiders 35
Washington Redskins 22, Arizona Cardinals 21
Tennessee Titans 26, Baltimore Ravens 13
Pittsburgh Steelers 24, Seattle Seahawks 0
Green Bay Packers 30, Carolina Panthers 23
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, Minnesota Vikings 20
Cleveland Browns 27, Indianapolis Colts 19
Dallas Cowboys 27, San Francisco 49ers 24 (OT)
Houston Texans 23, Miami Dolphins 13
New England Patriots 35, San Diego Chargers 21
Denver Broncos 24, Cincinnati Bengals 22
Atlanta Falcons 35, Philadelphia Eagles 31

>>Rams At Giants Tonight

(East Rutherford, NJ)  --  The Rams are in the national spotlight tonight as they take on the New York Giants on "Monday Night Football" at MetLife Stadium.  St. Louis is looking to bounce back from a 31-13 home loss to the Eagles.  Quarterback Sam Bradford is expected to start despite a finger in jury in Week One.  Running back Steven Jackson is not expected to play due to a quadriceps injury.

>>Youngstown State Beats ISU

Kurt Hess threw four touchdown passes and Youngstown State defeated Illinois State 24-17 on Saturday in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams.

Hess, who has 11 touchdowns against only one interception in the first three games, threw to nine different receivers Saturday. Hess' 44-yard touchdown pass to Andre Barboza gave the Penguins (2-1) a 34-20 lead with 8:05 remaining in the third quarter.

Illinois State scored a touchdown on a 7-yard pass from Matt Brown to Marvon Sanders to cut the lead to 34-27 with 13:18 to play in the game. But the Redbirds were held to only one first down on their final four possessions.

The win gives Youngstown State an 11-10 edge in the series.

Brown, who tied a career record with five touchdown passes last week, threw for 155 yards and three touchdowns for the Redbirds (1-2).

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