Morning Box Score
By Marcus Gilmer in News on Oct 3, 2010 2:00PM
College Football
Northwestern got a dramatic 29-28 victory on the road in Minnesota to stay at 5-0 on the year. Down 28-20 late, Northwestern got a touchdown pass from Dan Persa, one of two TD passes for Persa in the game to cut the lead to two but the two-point conversion to tie failed. Lucky for the Wildcats, the defense held Minnesota on the ensuing possession which led to a 27-yard Stefan Demos field goal to put the Wildcats ahead for good as the defense held the Gophers' last attempt to get ahead. Persa finished with 309 yards in the air and 99 more yards on the ground to push the Wildcats to victory.
It was an easy win for Notre Dame as the Irish rolled over Boston College 31-13. The Irish rattled off 21 straight points to open the game and create a lead the Golden Eagles couldn't overcome. The Irish defense did its part, too, in that first quarter, holding BC to three straight three-and-out drives as the Irish offense built the big lead. Dayne Crist threw for two touchdowns (and 203 yards) and ran for another to lead the Irish. Armando Allen Jr. was the leading rusher for the Irish with 90 yards and a touchdown of his own.
Illinois kept things close in their Big 10 opener with No. 2 Ohio State in Champaign but the Buckeyes proved to be too much, pulling away late for a 24-13 win over the Illini. It wasn't a very offensive game as neither team broke 300 yards of total offense. Illinois was still within four with less than five minutes to play, down 17-13, but gave up a Buckeye touchdown to put the game out of reach.
NIU cruised to a 50-14 win over Akron, a bulk of the points coming in a 23-point second quarter. Chandler Harnish had a big day, throwing for 281 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Chad Spann ran for 84 yards with a touchdown of his own as the Huskies moved to 3-2.
Cubs Shoot Down 'Stros
The Cubs used more offense to keep rolling, toppling Houston 8-3. Perhaps more impressive was Carlos Zambrano who finished the season as hot as any pitcher in the National League with eight straight wins. Great. The Cubs could have probably used that in April and May. And June. And July. But, hey, good for him! It's all about momentum, right? Big Z struck out five, allowed three runs, and walked a few over 6.1 innings pitched. Offensively, Marlon Byrd has a two-run single and Aramis Ramirez belted a grand slam in the fourth to give the Cubs a big 8-0 lead. The Cubs now close out the season today in Houston and hope to do so on a winning note because, again, hey, that momentum counts. Right? Sigh. (1:05 p.m., CSN)
Sox Win Rain-Shortened Affair
The Sox scored six runs and only needed six innings to beat Cleveland 6-2 in a rain-shortened game. The Sox broke a 2-2 tie in the fourth thanks in part to Brent Lillibridge's two-run single. Dayan Viciedo also added a late solo homer to help add an insurance run on to the board. On the hill, Mark Buehrle got the win and, technically, threw a complete game, pitching all six innings for the Sox. A disappointing season comes to a close this afternoon as the Sox take on the Tribe one more time (1:05 p.m., WGN).
Fire Get Shut Down By FC Dallas
The Fire continued to slide through the 2010 season, struggling in a 3-0 blanking at the hands of FC Dallas. The Fire only managed two shots on goal in the match and though they're still mathematically alive for the playoffs, that's becoming less and less likely. The Fire return home on Friday to host Columbus (8 p.m., CSN).