North Carolina Pounds Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan Top Two In AP Rankings
Published on September 21 2015 7:15 am
Last Updated on September 21 2015 12:25 pm
Written by Millie Lange
Chapel Hill, NC -- In its first road game of the season, Illinois fell behind and couldn't rebound against North Carolina in a 48-14 loss on Saturday.
A bright spot for the Fighting Illini - Josh Ferguson joined elite company in the first quarter - eclipsing 2,000 yards rushing for his career.
He vaults into 13th-place on Illinois' all-time rushing list, passing Rich Johnson, Nathan Scheelhaase, Red Grange and Chubby Phillips.
Eaton Spence snagged his second interception of the season in the first quarter.
Midway through the second quarter with the Fighting Illini trailing 13-0, Ferguson took a handoff from Wes Lunt and ran 52 yards to give Illinois a spark. Three plays later, he finished off the drive with a 1-yard run for a touchdown.
But the Illinois offense couldn't capitalize. North Carolina eventually went on to a 20-7 halftime lead.
On Illinois' final drive of the game Chayce Crouch led the Orange and Blue on a 17-play 63-yard touchdown drive, scoring on a 1-yard run on fourth down.
Illinois State Beats EIU in OT
A true Mid-America Classic as Eastern Illinois and Illinois State played overtime for just the third time in the 104th edition of the rivalry game. The fifth ranked Redbirds took advantage of a missed Panthers field goal with 11 seconds remaining in regulation before eventually winning the game 34-31 in the first overtime.
EIU fell to 0-3 on the season and will return to action October 3 when the Panthers open Ohio Valley Conference play at Austin Peay. ISU improved to 2-1.
Ohio State, Michigan State Named AP Top Two
Ohio State is No. 1 and Michigan State is No. 2 in The Associated Press Top 25, giving the Big Ten the top two teams in the rankings for the first time since 2006.
The Buckeyes received 40 first-place votes after a lackluster victory against Northern Illinois on Saturday. Michigan State got seven first-place votes.
The last time the Big Ten held the top two spots in the AP poll was November 2006, when Ohio State and Michigan went into their annual rivalry game Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.
No. 3 Mississippi made a big jump from No. 15 after winning at Alabama. The Tide dropped from No. 2 to No. 12. The Rebels received 11 first-place votes.
TCU is tied for third with Ole Miss, and Baylor is No. 5. Notre Dame is sixth, followed by LSU, Georgia, UCLA and Florida State. The Tigers received one first-place vote.
