Northwestern pays tribute to Leon Brockmeier

Emotions in the locker room were charged after Northwestern’s 28-17 victory Saturday against Iowa, as senior left tackle Patrick Ward honored the Brockmeier family.Ward shelved his customary No. 70 jersey for No. 67, the number Leon Brockmeier wore from 1997 to 2001, when he started …

Northwestern builds huge cushion on way to victory against Iowa

Northwestern seemed to figure out how to ensure Iowa wouldn’t spoil homecoming Saturday at Ryan Field with a comeback in the fourth quarter.

Make it moot.

After squandering a 12-point fourth-quarter lead Oct. 20 against Nebraska, the Wildcats opened a 25-point cushion early in the …

Northern Illinois turns it on in second half to beat Western Michigan

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — For whatever reason, the second half is kind to Northern Illinois.

It was evident again Saturday, when the Huskies scored 31 points after halftime to earn a 48-34 victory against Western Michigan.

With NIU (8-1, 5-0 Mid-American Conference) trailing 21-14 in the …

Illini players insist they’ll keep fighting to the end

CHAMPAIGN — Illinois’ game Saturday against Indiana might have been its last, best chance to give Tim Beckman his first Big Ten victory. But the Illini vowed to keep fighting the good fight. ‘‘We don’t have any quitters on this team,’’ defensive end Michael Buchanan …

Indiana capitalizes on Illinois’ mistakes, making homecoming a downer

CHAMPAIGN — After Indiana had ruined Illinois’ homecoming Saturday by taking a two-touchdown lead with 5:48 left in the game, the Marching ­Illini broke into a rousing rendition of ‘‘In the Mood’’ while the crowd headed for the exits. Nice timing, huh? Everything that can …

Northern Illinois outlasts Western Michigan 48-34

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Jordan Lynch threw four touchdown passes and ran for two more Saturday, leading Northern Illinois to a 48-34 victory over Western Michigan. Lynch was 18 for 28 for 274 yards and no interceptions, and carried 21 times for 136 yards for the …

Northwestern bounces back, runs past Iowa 28-17

Kain Colter scored three rushing touchdowns and threw for another score as Northwestern defeated Iowa 28-17 on Saturday. The Wildcats (7-2, 3-2 Big Ten) have been struggling with their passing game, but had success running the ball. Colter rushed for 166 yards and Venric Mark …

Northwestern has to get over Husker heartbreak

Northwestern could defy logic Saturday and let Nebraska beat it for a second consecutive week. Obviously, the Cornhuskers won’t return to Ryan Field for a rematch of the Wildcats’ heartbreaking 29-28 loss. But allowing the emotion after the Nebraska loss to linger could affect the …

Indiana’s explosive offense could ruin Illinois’ homecoming

If Illinois is ever going to follow coach Tim Beckman’s advice to ‘‘own the day’’ this fall, Saturday looks like its best chance. Indiana, which might be the weakest Big Ten team that doesn’t wear orange and blue, is coming to Champaign. It’s homecoming. And …

Northern Illinois’ success makes it target against Western Michigan

DeKALB — With four games to go in the regular season, Northern Illinois — winner of two straight Mid-American Conference West titles and the league championship last year — has a bull’s-eye on its back. Today in Kalamazoo, Mich., Western Michigan will be the team …

DePaul’s DeJuan Marrero out for season with torn ACL

DePaul freshman DeJuan Marrero will miss the 2012-13 season after suffering a knee injury, the school announced on Friday.

Marrero injured the knee in practice on Wednesday, and an MRI on Thursday confirmed a torn ACL in his right knee.

The Gary, Ind. native signed …

Tom Crean’s Indiana Hoosiers back in the big time

When Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was asked if the return of Indiana to its traditional seat of power signaled a changing of the guard in the Big Ten, he wouldn’t go that far. ‘‘I struggle when anybody says that about anything,’’ Izzo said Thursday …

Former Mr. Basketball Jereme Richmond back in jail

Former Waukegan basketball star Jereme Richmond, 20, was sent back to jail Thursday after violating terms of his probation.

Groce: Beckman needs more time

Illini basketball coach John Groce and his family have become close with football coach Tim Beckman and his family. Which makes Groce especially sympathetic to the heat Beckman is feeling. ‘‘I want to remind everybody that Coach is in Year 1,’’ Groce said Thursday at …

GOULD: New coach O’Brien has Penn State football going for sixth straight win

A year ago, I was standing on the sidelines at Penn State when Illinois kicker Derek Dimke, the target of snowballs, missed a last-second field goal, preserving Penn State’s 10-7 victory over Illinois. It was a rare snowy Oct. 29 in central Pennsylvania. It was …