EVANSTON, Ill. - It was bad enough when Northwestern receiver Mark Philmore said Ohio State was no better than the Wildcats, conveniently overlooking all that tradition and five national titles.
Then defensive end Luis Castillo piled on, brazenly calling Ohio State's offense "mediocre."
What nerve. What gall.
What a game.
The Wildcats and their fans partied into the wee hours, celebrating a 33-27 overtime upset of the then-No. 7 Buckeyes on Saturday night that ended generations of frustration and elated Northwestern fans across the country. It was the Wildcats' first victory over Ohio State since 1971, ending a 24-game streak of ineptitude, and their first win at home in the series since 1958.
It also was Northwestern's first victory over a Top 10 team since beating then-No.7 Wisconsin in double overtime on Sept.23, 2000, in Madison.
"It was the greatest feeling in the world," Castillo said. "What (were) they? No.7? Ohio State? Thirty-three years? Saturday night lights? Prime-time TV? What else can you say?"
Nothing. Their play said it all.
"It's an incredible feeling," said Philmore, an Ohio native who had the first touchdown catch of his career. "To look up and just see the crowd, all I could say was, "Thank you."'
The Wildcats controlled the game almost the entire night, outgaining the Buckeyes 444-308, confusing their defense and making mediocre seem like a compliment for the Ohio State offense. Ohio State rallied for 10 points in the final nine minutes to force overtime, but a 40-yard field-goal attempt from the normally automatic Mike Nugent sailed wide right on the first overtime possession.
Northwestern quickly made the most of its second chance. On the second play, quarterback Brett Basanez scrambled to the left and up the sideline for a 21-yard gain. Two plays later, Noah Herron bulldozed his way into the end zone for the winning score.
Players piled on top of each other in the end zone, and students rushed the field, turning it into a purple mosh pit.
"It reminded me of two great heavyweights in the 15th round trading blows," Northwestern coach Randy Walker said. "We got the last one in."
The Buckeyes watched the purple party with disbelief, finally trudging off the field in silence.
"It is tough to accept," Buckeyes offensive tackle Rob Sims said. "Not so much about the streak, but we lost to a team we didn't think we could lose to."
MORE LATE SATURDAY: Hawaii's Timmy Chang moved into second on the NCAA career passing yardage list. Chang needed 6 yards to pass Philip Rivers' mark of 13,484 yards, and passed the former N.C. State star with a shovel pass that running back West Keliikipi turned into a 17-yard gain in the Warriors' first offensive series against visiting Tulsa. Chang finished 22-of-43 for 378 yards in Hawaii's 44-16 victory. The fifth-year senior from Honolulu has 13,857 career passing yards as he closes in on the 13-year-old mark of 15,031 yards set by Brigham Young's Ty Detmer from 1988 to '91.
In the highest-scoring regulation game in Division I-A history, Brian Nunez returned an interception 28 yards with 2:18 left for the last of 19 touchdowns and host San Jose State beat Rice 70-63. The 133 points surpassed the total from Middle Tennessee State's 70-58 victory over Idaho on Oct.6, 2001, and was one short of the I-A mark for any game set in Arkansas' 71-63, seven-overtime victory over Kentucky on Nov.1, 2003. The 19 TDs set a I-A record, eclipsing the 18 that had been accomplished twice, recently by Middle Tennessee and Idaho in their 2001 game.
In Idaho, Jared Zabransky threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns to help Boise State extend the longest win streak in the nation to 16 games, beating SMU 38-20. Zabransky completed 20-of-31 and the Broncos won at home for the 22nd straight time.
ASSOCIATED PRESS POLL: For the first time this season, the Top 25 received a serious shakeup - just not at the top. Big wins by Auburn, Georgia, California and Purdue, combined with surprising losses by West Virginia, Ohio State and Fresno State helped overhaul the media poll.
The Top 5 remained the same a third straight week, with No.1 Southern California followed by Oklahoma, Georgia, Miami and Texas. From there, changes were plentiful - including LSU's 11-spot drop to No.24.
Auburn's 34-10 victory at Tennessee on Saturday moved the Tigers into national title contention and to No.6. That's where Auburn started last season, but 2003 didn't work out as planned and the Tigers never lived up to the advanced billing. Now, they are exceeding expectations. The last time Auburn was ranked this high during the season was Oct.12, 1997.
Ohio State was 18th after losing to Northwestern. West Virginia's loss at Virginia Tech wasn't quite as stunning, but ultimately may have been more costly. The Mountaineers fell to 16th, and with a relatively weak Big East schedule left, they probably won't have a chance to work themselves back into the national title race. Fresno State, which looked like a potential BCS buster, dropped out of the rankings after being upset 28-21 at Louisiana Tech.
