>>Illinois Tops Northwestern Late

(Champaign, IL)  --  Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase bowled his way into the end zone with 13 seconds remaining, sending Illinois to a 38-35 win over Northwestern on Saturday afternoon in the Big Ten opener for both scores.  Scheelhaase finished with a career-high 391 yards, three touchdowns and one pick as the Illini move up six slots to number-16 in the USA Today Football Poll with a 5-and-0 mark.  A.J Jenkins also had a career day  for the Fighting Illini catching 12 passes for 268 yards and three scores.  Wildcats quarterback Dan Persa played in his first game since last November when he suffered a ruptured Achille's tendon, throwing for 123 yards and a career-high four touchdowns as Northwestern falls to 2-and-2.

>> North Dakota State Beats Illinois State

D.J. McNorton ran for one touchdown and caught a pass for another as North Dakota State beat Illinois State 20-10 on Saturday.

The Bison (4-0), playing their Missouri Valley opener after coming off a 37-24 victory over Minnesota last week, scored first when Brock Jensen connected with McNorton for a 36-yard touchdown. McNorton's 15-yard run gave North Dakota State a 14-3 lead early in the third quarter, and Bobby Ollman returned an interception 82 yards for the Bison's other TD.

Matt Brown, who was 31 for 48 for 270 yards for Illinois State (2-3, 1-2), found Milton Colbert for a 43-yard touchdown with 3:07 to play. Brown was intercepted twice.

Jensen finished with 207 yards passing and 28 yards rushing for North Dakota State, while McNorton ran for 56 yards. The Redbirds outgained the Bison 397 yards to 331.