Duane Bennett News

Great teams figure out how to win games even when they arena t firing on all cylinders.A On Saturday, Iowa demonstrated once again why it is a great team when its defense rose to the occasion to slam the door on the Gophers and stake its claim for a BCS bid.

The game was still in reach and the momentum looked to be turning when Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg lost a snap and the Gophers defense recovered.

The 15th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes will attempt to halt a two-game losing streak when they play host to the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a Big Ten Conference clash.

This is right up there with the Spree column. Thank you for brightening an otherwise dull day.

Following the Gophers crushing loss at Ohio State, several observers thought that the Univeristy of Minnesota's football season was basically over.A We'd seen this script before.A It appeared as Gopher fans would be in for a repeat of 2008.

Getting to the QB: Illinois ranks last in the Big Ten with 11 sacks. The Illini also haven't protected the quarterback well.

This was no doubt Tim Brewster's biggest victory as Gophers coach, and it came without their best player.

The ball bounced off tight end Nick Tow-Arnett's chest and into the air, landing right in the hands of running back Duane Bennett.

Duane Bennett , Brandon Green and Troy Stoudermire celebrate a touchdown. AP Photo The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers had its best victory of the season Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium over the Michigan State Spartans.

Brandon Green makes a catch in the end zone. AP Photo The Minnesota Golden Gophers held on to defeat the Michigan State Spartans 42-34 at TCF Bank Stadium Saturday.

Hide Video Adam Weber passed for 416 yards and five touchdowns, helping Minnesota hurdle a school-record 17 penalties and hang on to beat Michigan State 42-34 on Saturday night.

The Big Ten Conference is becoming a collection center for metro-east football talent.

With an offense geared toward a pro-style approach this season, the University of Minnesota football team had to rely on the one running back who was ideal for that system.

There are no days off. Can't be. In a fight for a finite resource -- in this case precious in-game access to the football -- the competition is intense, the stakes high.

The 14th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions return to Big Ten play this weekend, as they welcome the Minnesota Golden Gophers to Beaver Stadium.

Tim Brewster loves head coaching, but 44 years is a long time. "I don't know that my body is gonna hold up as well as Joe's [Paterno] has.

General Manager Bill Smith knows the team has to be smart in player development to battle richer clubs.

The Big Ten saw another exciting weekend as four of the conferencea TMs six games were decided by six points or fewer.

The Big Ten began conference play last week. Iowa got a huge win in State College, the Buckeyes got their second consecutive shut-out against a supposed high powered offense, Wisconsin looked solid in victory, and Michigan outpaced the Hoosiers in a shoot-out in the Big House.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg October is here. Let's look at what's on tap in the Big Ten.