Sports

College football

Big Ten: Weis joins a legend at Notre Dame

Associated Press
Published September 11, 2005

---

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Two games into his Notre Dame tenure, Charlie Weis has joined Knute Rockne in the record books.

And though he isn't interested in comparisons to the famed Fighting Irish coach, if Weis keeps winning like he did Saturday at No. 3 Michigan, he might not have a choice.

Brady Quinn threw two touchdowns in the first half and the No. 20 Fighting Irish held on to beat the Wolverines 17-10, making Weis the first Notre Dame coach to win his first two games on the road since Rockne in 1918.

"If I answered by dignifying that, (Bill) Parcells and (Bill) Belichick would humiliate me," Weis said about his coaching mentors when asked about his connection to Rockne. "I've just coached two games and they've played two games. Let's come back and revisit that in about 10 years."

Notre Dame, which won at then-No. 23 Pittsburgh last week, snapped the Wolverines' 16-game winning streak at Michigan Stadium and handed them their first home loss against a nonconference team since 1998. The Irish, two years removed from losing 38-0 in Ann Arbor, won at Michigan for the first time since 1993.

"I'm happy for the team, but I worry about their heads," Weis said. "I told them to enjoy this tonight, but not too much. You don't want to have a big win like this, then lay an egg at home the next week."

Notre Dame, which started 3-1 last season but finished 6-6, hosts Michigan State on Saturday.

Weis helped New England win three Super Bowls as Belichick's offensive coordinator and earned his first championship ring with the Giants as one of Parcells' assistants.

Against Michigan, the offensive guru began with a shotgun formation and an empty backfield. The Irish didn't use a huddle at times during the opening 12-play drive and didn't have a third down.

"I think that sent a message to start the game like that," said Quinn, who ended the possession with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Rhema McKnight.

No. 13 Purdue 49, Akron 24

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Jerod Void ran for 101 yards and a score, and Dustin Keller caught two touchdowns to lead the Boilermakers.

New starter Brandon Kirsch ran the offense effectively, completing 22 of 34 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns for Purdue, which had 267 yards passing and 211 rushing.

Kirsch's favorite target was Dorien Bryant, who caught nine passes for 70 yards.

Luke Getsy, getting his first start for the Zips after four-year starter Charlie Frye left for the NFL, was 25-for-44 for 283 yards and two touchdowns.

WISCONSIN 65, TEMPLE 0: Senior tight end Owen Daniels caught a career-high three touchdowns and the host Badgers opened up their passing game and emptied their bench.

Wisconsin won by its biggest margin since 85-0 over Marquette in 1915 and scored its most points since piling up 69 against New Mexico State in 1962.

Daniels and many of his fellow starters were already done for the day by the time the Badgers had taken a 51-0 halftime lead over the outclassed Owls.

PENN ST. 42, UC 24: Michael Robinson's 59-yard touchdown pass to Justin King sparked a quiet crowd as the host Nittany Lions showed off a big-play offense after halftime to support a solid defense.

Penn State held a 14-3 lead five minutes into the second half when safety Calvin Lowry hit Bearcats freshman quarterback Dustin Grutza, who fumbled. Defensive back Paul Cronin recovered at the 41.

On the next play, Robinson hit King, one of Penn State's prized freshman recruits, in stride down the right sideline.

MICH. ST. 42, HAWAII 14: Drew Stanton completed 21 of 26 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns for the host Spartans.

Michigan State had 499 yards of offense against the Warriors, who made their first road trip to the Eastern time zone since 1975. Hawaii, which traveled more than 4,000 miles, has lost its past six road openers.

The Spartans scored touchdowns on their first four possessions to take a 28-0 lead midway through the second quarter.

N'WESTERN 38, NIU 37: Tyrell Sutton ran for his fourth touchdown of the game with just over a minute left for the host Wildcats, and the Huskies failed to convert a 2-point conversion in the final seconds.

After Sutton put Northwestern up 38-31 with a 5-yard touchdown run, Northern Illinois marched downfield in less than minute to set up Phil Horvath's 19-yard scoring pass to Sam Hurd with six seconds left.

Coach Joe Novak went for the win, but Horvath threw incomplete to Hurd, who was closely guarded by Marquice Cole.

MINNESOTA 56, COLO. ST. 24: Laurence Maroney ran 26 times for 133 yards and two touchdowns, leading the host Golden Gophers. Maintaining his position as a darkhorse Heisman Trophy contender, Maroney gave Minnesota room to breathe by scoring on 2- and 32-yard runs in the second quarter.

INDIANA 35, NICHOLLS ST. 31: Blake Powers threw a 7-yard touchdown to James Hardy with 47 seconds left to lift the host Hoosiers over the Division I-AA Colonels, a Louisiana school which had its early schedule disrupted by Hurricane Katrina.

ILLINOIS 40, SAN JOSE ST. 19: Tim Brasic, Pierre Thomas and E.B. Halsey scored first-quarter touchdowns as the host Illini erased an early deficit. Thomas' touchdown was set up by Remond Willis' 27-yard interception return.

[Last modified September 11, 2005, 01:14:18]