BIG TEN ROUNDUP : Wisconsin Opens With 56-0 Victory

Tailback Brent Moss, the nation’s leading returning rusher, rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns Saturday as 10th-ranked Wisconsin opened its season with a 56-0 victory over Eastern Michigan at Madison, Wis.

Fellow senior tailback Terrell Fletcher added 100 yards and three touchdowns in 11 carries.

With star wide receiver Lee DeRamus in the hospital after suffering a broken left leg in practice on Thursday, Badger Coach Barry Alvarez turned to his reliable tailback tandem.

Last year, the two became the best rushing duo in Big Ten history when Moss (1,637) and Fletcher (996) combined for 2,633 yards.

Each ran for two scores in the first half as Wisconsin, coming off the winningest season in the school’s 105-year history, built a 35-0 halftime lead over the outclassed Eagles (0-2) of the Mid-American Conference before a sellout crowd of 77,745 at Camp Randall Stadium.

The Badgers returned 14 starters from last year’s 10-1-1 squad that shared the Big Ten title with Ohio State and defeated UCLA, 21-16, in the Rose Bowl.

Moss, who extended his streak of 100-yard rushing games to 12, showed he hasn’t lost a step since winning most valuable player honors in the Rose Bowl and Fletcher again showed that he should not be overlooked.

“With all the two-a-days and practices in the hot sun from Jan. 2 until today, it seemed like an eternity,” Fletcher said. “Yesterday, we weren’t saying, ‘It’s game time!’ We were saying, ‘It’s about time!’ ”

Indiana 35, Miami (Ohio) 14--Redshirt freshman Alex Smith rushed for 157 yards in the first half and finished with 191 as the Hoosiers romped at Bloomington, Ind.

Smith, who had 152 yards in 23 carries in his collegiate debut last week, carried 26 times in the first half and sat out the fourth quarter as Indiana (2-0) took command.

Indiana rushed for 314 yards against the Redskins (0-2), breaking the game open in the second half with a pair of 80-yard drives and a Memorial Stadium-record 97-yard return of an intercepted pass by Alfonzo Thurman.

Iowa 37, Iowa State 9--The Hawkeyes turned third-quarter fumbles by Cyclone quarterbacks Todd Doxzon and Robby Duncan into 17 points and romped at Iowa City, Iowa.

The temperature on the field was 102 degrees at game time and both teams were sloppy, Iowa (2-0) committing three turnovers, including Ryan Terry’s fumble into the end zone, and Iowa State (0-2) making four turnovers.

Iowa State mistakes were the more costly and Iowa stretched its winning streak against the Cyclones to 12 games, earning its most lopsided victory in the series since 1987, when it won, 48-9.

Leading at halftime, 13-3, Iowa broke the game open after Doxzon fumbled on Iowa State’s first two plays from scrimmage in the third quarter. Chris Webb recovered the first fumble at the Iowa State 33, setting up Todd Romano’s 33-yard field goal.

Lloyd Bickham pounced on Doxzon’s second fumble at the Iowa State 22 and Kent Kahl scored on a one-yard run four plays later, making the score 23-3 less than five minutes into the second half.

Duncan then replaced Doxzon and, on his second series, missed connections on a handoff to Graston Norris. Freshman defensive back Kerry Cooks picked up the ball at his 49 and ran unmolested 51 yards for a touchdown, stretching the lead to 30-3 with 5:14 to play in the third quarter.

With Iowa State’s defense tiring, No. 3 tailback Tavian Banks ran 38 yards for Iowa’s final touchdown with 10:50 remaining.

Iowa State’s triple-option offense, which produced the nation’s 11th-best rushing attack last season, stalled for the second consecutive game. The Cyclones managed only 249 yards in a season-opening loss to Division I-AA Northern Iowa and were held to 233 against Iowa.

Doxzon scored Iowa State’s only touchdown on a one-yard run with 7:48 to play.

Iowa, getting 106 yards in 19 carries from Sedrick Shaw, moved the ball from the start.

On the first series of the game, the Hawkeyes marched from their 34 to the Iowa State two on 10 running plays, only to give the ball up when Terry fumbled as he was about to score.

But the Hawkeyes scored on two of the next three possessions, Shaw running one yard to cap a 13-play, 61-yard drive and quarterback Ryan Driscoll scoring on a four-yard run.

Iowa State’s Ty Stewart kicked a 23-yard field goal in the final minute of the half.