Richard Panik scored three goals for his first NHL hat trick, Scott Darling was sharp in making 33 saves and the Blackhawks earned their first victory of the season, 5-3 over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.Nick Schmaltz, one of four rookies in Hawk’s lineup, scored his first NHL goal and Brent Seabrook added a power-play score and an assist as the Blackhawks rebounded from a 3-2 loss at Nashville on Friday. Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith each had two assists.Colin Wilson, Craig Smith and Viktor Arvidsson scored for the Predators.Nashville trailed 3-0 after Schmaltz, Seabrook and Panik scored in a 3:43 span in the first period, and could never pull even in this one.The Predators outshot the Hawks 36-27 and dominated in stretches, but were stymied by Darling in the backup goalie’s first start this season.Nashville backup Marek Mazanec had 22 saves after Pekka Rinne stopped 22 of 24 Friday.The Blackhawks scored on three of their first five shots to take a 3-0 lead and led by two after the first period as Darling stopped 15 of 16 Nashville attempts, including several nifty saves on point-blank chances.Schmaltz opened the scoring 6:36 in when he plowed to the net off the left boards and beat Mazanec on the short side with a rising shot.Seabrook’s power-play goal 1:43 later – from a faceoff and just 6 seconds into the advantage – made it 2-0. His shot from the right point deflected in off the stick of Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm.Panik extended it to 3-0 at 10:19 when he drove to the net against defenseman Matt Carle, pivoted in front and slid in a backhander.Wilson cut it to 3-1 with 1:29 left in the first by poking in a rebound of James Neal’s shot to complete a 3-on-1 break.Darling came up with two of his best saves, close-in pad stops on Smith and Wilson seconds apart, with just over five minutes left in the second.From a faceoff and 6 seconds into a power play, Smith cut it to 3-2 on shot from the right circle with 1:16 left in the period.Set up by Marian Hossa’s pinpoint pass, Panik tapped in his second goal, on a power-play at 4:56 of the second to make it 4-2. But Arvidsson drove to the net, outworked Hawk defenseman Brian Campbell at cut it to 4-3 at 10:06.Panik iced it when he completed his hat trick with 1:31 left after he was set up at the side of the net by Kane.

NOTES—Blackhawks rookie F Ryan Hartman, who left Friday’s game in the first period after blocking a shot by P.K. Subban, missed Saturday’s contest and is out day-to-day. ”It’s positive news as far as the extent of the injury,” coach Joel Quenneville said. Dennis Rasmussen took his place in the lineup. … Chicago D Trevor van Riemsdyk was a healthy scratch for the second straight contest after playing in all 82 games last season. … Nashville D Anthony Bitetto sat out with an upper-body injury. The Predators Miikka Salomaki suffered an upper-body in the second period and did not return.The Blackhawks Host the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.

EAST LANSING—Just over a month after being held to single digits by an FCS team, Northwestern has solved a lot of problems offensively.Justin Jackson rushed for 188 yards and two touchdowns, and the Wildcats moved the ball almost at will after a slow start, beating Michigan State 54-40 on Saturday night to hand the Spartans their fourth straight defeat.Clayton Thorson threw for 281 yards and three TDs for the Wildcats, who rallied from an early 14-0 deficit. Michigan State (2-4, 0-3 Big Ten) is now mired in its longest losing streak in coach Mark Dantonio’s 10 seasons at the helm.Northwestern has won three of four since starting the season with losses to Western Michigan and Illinois State. The Wildcats managed only seven points against Illinois State, but that seems like a long time ago now that they’ve scored 38 against Iowa and 54 on the defending Big Ten champions.

”Our guys have really been grinding,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. ”Earlier in the year we weren’t a very good team. … We could either pout and feel sorry for ourselves and start to point fingers, or we could just stay on the grind and keep the pedal down.”

The Spartans hadn’t lost four in a row since 2006, and this was the most points they’d allowed since a 56-21 loss to Wisconsin in 2003.Northwestern held Michigan State to 3 yards of offense in the second quarter.

”There’s no easy fix,” Dantonio said.

The Spartans made a change at quarterback for this game, starting redshirt freshman Brian Lewerke instead of Tyler O’Connor, but Michigan State’s problems extend well beyond one position.The Spartans went back to O’Connor in the third quarter, and he threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns, but Michigan State couldn’t stop Northwestern (3-3, 2-1) with any consistency.Solomon Vault returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter to put the Wildcats up 40-31, and the Spartans never made it closer after that.Michigan State is off to its worst start after six games since 1994, when the Spartans were 2-4 and later forfeited away the wins.

The Wildcats have to be encouraged by the ease with which they shrugged off an early deficit Saturday, and although the secondary was beaten for a couple long touchdowns in the second half, NU will win its share of games if it can keep creating big holes for Jackson.

”It was a good one today, but I think we’re just showing what we can do,” Thorson said. ”Passing the ball, running the ball, everything.”

Dantonio shook things up by starting Lewerke at quarterback, then watched his defense give up so many yards and points it didn’t really matter who was throwing passes for Michigan State. The Spartans were a mess on defense and still don’t block well enough on offense to put together many sustained drives.

”It’s almost like everybody’s at a loss for words,” O’Connor said. ”We feel like we’ve been saying everything that we think we need to fix and working as hard as we can to fix it, and everybody understands that we need to get better.”

O’Connor did do his best to reclaim the quarterback spot with his work late in the game.Lewerke had attempted only four passes this season before becoming the first Michigan State freshman to start at quarterback since Stephen Reaves in 2004. Lewerke opened the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Josiah Price in the first quarter, but the offense bogged down again in the second.Dantonio was noncommittal about his quarterback situation afterward.

”I thought both guys obviously did some good things, and both guys obviously did some things they’d like to have back,” Dantonio said. ”So we’ll look at it and evaluate it.”

Michigan State took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter when Justin Layne scored on a 43-yard interception return. That was the last touchdown the Spartans scored for a while.

”We knew that they were going to try and knock us out early. Their backs are against the wall,” Fitzgerald said. ”We basically got what we expected, and it was disappointing with our start, but I really loved the way our guys responded. We didn’t flinch.”

The Wildcats host Indiana next weekend.il

DEKALB—Cooper Rush connected with Tyler Conklin for a 25-yard touchdown pass on the first play of triple overtime, sending Central Michigan to a 34-28 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday.Northern Illinois had the first possession in triple overtime, but Christian Hagan’s 34-yard field goal attempt was blocked. On the next play, Conklin released up the seam and used his outstretched arms to haul in the game-winning grab.Central Michigan (5-2, 2-1 Mid-American) had a chance to win it in regulation, but Brian Eavey’s 33-yard attempt with 16 seconds remaining missed wide left. He also missed a potential game-winner in the first overtime – wide left again – this time from 35 yards out.Rush’s 25-yard pass to Corey Willis put CMU up 28-21 in double OT. NIU (1-6, 1-2) answered with a 13-yard strike from Anthony Maddie to Joel Bouagnon one play after converting on fourth down.Devon Spalding and Jahray Hayes each ran for over 100 yards and a touchdown for the Chippewas.

PISCATAWAY—Riding a four-game losing streak, all Illinois coach Lovie Smith wanted was for a couple of his players to make some big plays.Halfback Kendrick Foster did it early, Darius Mosely came through late and the Illini defense stepped up all game in forcing five turnovers in a 24-7 win over mistake-prone Rutgers 24-7 Saturday.

”We feel good about winning the football game, yes,” Smith said. ”About this one game. You have to celebrate every game to feel good about it. Sense of relief? Yeah. You can give it a few different descriptions. There definitely was a lot of excitement. There’s nothing like seeing a locker room after a big win and that’s what we had today.”

Foster, who rushed for 108 yards on 21 carries, ran 5 yards for a touchdown and caught a 5-yard scoring pass from first-time starter Chayce Crouch in helping the Fighting Illini (2-4, 1-2 Big Ten) win for the first time since the season opener.The Illini defense forced five turnovers, recovering four fumbles and getting the game-clinching, fourth-quarter 75-yard interception return for a touchdown from Mosely, who also had a fumble recovery.

”We started him for the first time at the nickel position and that was probably the play of the game, that long interception return,” Smith said. ”… Times like when you have a four game losing streak going you need someone to elevate their game. He did.”
Gio Rescigno, who replaced Chris Laviano at the start of the second half, threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Nick Arcidiacono on the first play of the fourth quarter to snap an 11-quarter scoring drought and get Rutgers (2-5, 0-4) within 17-7.It wasn’t enough to prevent the Scarlet Knights from losing their fourth straight game.Rescigno had Rutgers at the Illini 25 with a first down on the next series, but Mosely intercepted his short pass to the left side. The clincher came after play was delayed a couple of minutes for an injury Scarlet Knights lineman J.J. Denman.

”It didn’t work out the way we thought it would, but it happens,” Rescigno said. ”You have to get over it and move on to the next play.”
The first half was dominated by mistakes.After having his first-quarter TD run following a muffed punt nullified by a holding penalty, Crouch threw an interception in the end zone.Laviano (7 of 12 for 62 yards) and halfback Robert Martin both lost fumbles in Illinois’ territory. The low point for the Scarlet Knights might have been seeing Laviano and Rescigno mishandle snaps in the shotgun formation on fourth-down plays.
”You get five turnovers in a game and really you have no chance to win a football game,” Rutgers coach Chris Ash said. ”That’s what it came down to. I thought we did a lot of good things on both sides of the ball. We ran the ball better. We threw the — at times threw the ball better today. Had a little energy going. And every time we were in critical situations, shot ourselves in the foot.”
Crouch played well, starting for the injured Wes Lunt. He was 6 of 14 for 92 yards and ran 11 times for 25. Lunt missed the game with a back injury sustained last week.The Scarlet Knights are clearly the worst team in the conference. Rescigno, who was 10 of 18 for 120 yards, clearly earned the right to start next week although Ash said it would be quarterback competition this week…..Rutgers outgained Illinois 385-320 in total yards and had the ball for almost 33 minutes. The Scarlet Knights were 9 of 16 on third-down attempts. Illinois was 4 of 13….The Illini travel to No. 4 Michigan next Saturday.

AFC GAMES:TENN over Cleve, N.ENG over Cin, Pitt over Mia. OAK over K.City
NFC GAMES; Phil over WASH, Car over N.ORL, Atl OVER SEAT
INT-CONF GAMES:BUFF over S.Fran, NYG over Balt,
THUR NIGHT: Denv over SD
SUN NIGHT:HOUST over Ind
MON NIGHT: ARIZ over NY Jets
NFC NORTH: DET over L.Angeles, Dal over GB, Jax over BEARS
BYE WEEK: Tampa Bay, Minnesota
LAST WEEK: LES 8-8(44-36), ZACH 9-7(40-40), TONY 8-8(38-42), SEAN 10-6(39-41)
All CAPS are the Home Team.

One of our long time callers MIKE PHILLIPPS from EAST CHICAGO,IN passed away after a bout with Cancer last Thursday. For those of you wishing to send a card, etc, it should go to TABERNACLE BAPTIST CHURCH, 3709 BUTTERNUT STREET, EAST CHICAGO, IN 46312.

Viewing will be Wednesday at 10am and the Mass starts at 11am.

LES

INDIANAPOLIS—After hearing the clamor for changes all week, the Indianapolis Colts cranked up the pace, took their first halftime lead of the season and, yes, even managed to pull out a badly needed victory, 29-23 victory over the penalty prone Bears.

”We needed to get off the snide and get a win,” Luck said after throwing a 35-yard TD pass to T.Y. Hilton with 3:43 to play to retake the lead. ”We needed to get that taste out of our mouth. We needed a win. Winning cures all in this league.”

The Colts (2-3) had plenty of concerns all week.So Indy threw a change-up at the Bears’ defense and Luck took full advantage by taking shots down the field and putting points on the scoreboard early.The result: Indy had its first halftime lead of the season, 16-13.But after bogging down in the regular offense most of the second half, the Colts switched back after the Bears took a 23-19 lead midway through the fourth quarter. This time, Luck needed only six plays to go 82 yards – the last 35 coming on the TD pass to Hilton that made it 26-23.Luck was 28 of 39 with 322 yards and two TDs despite being sacked five times. Hilton caught 10 passes for 171 yards.Bears quarterback Brian Hoyer was solid in his third straight start and gave Chicago (1-4) a 23-19 lead with a 24-yard TD pass to Jordan Howard with 7:04 left in the game. The 94-yard drive was Chicago’s longest in more than seven years. Hoyer finished 33 of 43 for 397 yards and two TDs.But after a late Bears fumble led to Adam Vinatieri’s fifth field goal, Hoyer couldn’t convert on fourth-and-8 from Indy’s 28-yard line.

”It is frustrating,” coach John Fox said. ”It is a hard pill to swallow anytime you lose a game.”
When the Colts opted not to take their bye following last week’s trip to London, NFL officials were eager to see how Indy performed on a regular week. The Colts easily passed the test, performing even better than they did last week. And instead of playing catch-up all day, the Colts only trailed twice – at 3-0 and 23-19. The win could prove the long road trip wouldn’t necessarily create at a disadvantage if London hosted more games.Frank Gore continues climbing the NFL’s career rushing list. On Sunday, the Colts’ feature back passed Jim Brown for No. 9 overall with a 16-yard run late in the first quarter. Brown retired in 1965 with 12,312 yards, a league record that stood for nearly two decades. Gore had 14 carries for 75 yards Sunday, giving him 12,367. In five games, Gore has passed five Hall of Famers and Edgerrin James, the Colts’ career rushing leader.Howard has already established himself as a key component in the Bears’ offense. The rookie ran 16 times for 118 yards and caught three passes for 45 yards and a score in his second straight start. Since Jeremy Langford, the starter went down with an ankle injury in Week 3, Howard has posted back-to-back 100-yard games.Hoyer talking about an uncovered Howard before Indy called timeout: ”I was trying to get the ball snapped. They were messed up. But they called timeout before we could get set.”

”You won’t find a guy who loves football more than Frank Gore. He’s a beautiful teammate, a great locker room guy. And to pass Jim Brown, that’s great. My dad grew up in Cleveland and so he always used to talk about Jim Brown.”

After entering the game without Cutler (thumb), Langford or outside linebacker Leonard Floyd (calf), the only significant injury appeared to be backup cornerback Bryce Callahan, who left in the second half with an injured hamstring.

CHAMPAIGN—Purdue came to Illinois Saturday reeling from a 43-point loss at Maryland and living with growing pressure on its coach, Darrel Hazell, to win.The Boilermakers got just what they needed from a freshman kicker who had missed more field goals this season than he had made and a freshman running back starting his first game, knocking off the Illini in overtime, 34-31.The running back, Brian Lankford-Johnson, carried the ball 18 times for 127 yards and a touchdown.The kicker, J.D. Dellinger, had missed three of his five field goals on the season. But he hit from 28 yards on the game’s final play, and set off a wild celebration.The Boilermakers (3-2, 2-1 Big Ten) rushed for the Illinois sideline, mistakenly thinking they would find the Cannon trophy the teams play for there, before finally mobbing their band in the south end zone.Dellinger said the aftermath of the win was a blur.

”I never thought about celebrations because I’ve never been put in this position before so I’ll have to watch it again – I don’t remember it honestly,” he said.

Hazell, who earlier in the week acknowledged the pressure, said the win was a big lift.

”People don’t understand how hard it is to win football games, all the pieces have to fit together and you need a break every once in a while,” he said.

Illinois (1-4, 0-2) kicker Chase McLaughlin had a chance to win the game on the final play of regulation but his 41-yard attempt clanged squarely off the right upright. McLaughlin had already made three field goals, including one from 47 yards, and had been a perfect 8-8 on the year.

”Every loss hurts, but some hurt a little bit more than others,” Illinois coach Lovie Smith said. ”This is the one that hurts a little bit more”

”We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot,” a red-eyed Illinois center Joe Spencer added, noting that Illinois had 12 penalties for 125 yards.

Crouch, a sophomore, carried the ball 17 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns.Lunt was knocked out of the game in the second quarter on a big hit by linebacker Danny Ezechukwu, who was flagged for roughing the passer. Smith said immediately after the game that he only knows Lunt’s injury is a concern.The Boilermakers are out of the Big Ten West cellar and suddenly have a winning record and are halfway to bowl eligibility. They also ran the ball for 231 yards (an average of 5.6 a carry) and three touchdowns on a team whose defense was considered its strength. But their run defense was still a problem. Illinois ran for 315 yards.It isn’t clear yet just how long Lunt will be out, but the Illini got a look at what their offense is likely to be if he misses any time. Crouch is not a consistent deep-ball threat. But he ran for more yards Saturday than Lunt has at Illinois. Illinois is still in search of its first Big Ten win, and its first win since the opener against Murray State.

”Right now, we’re not a good football team,” Smith said. ”That’s where we are. We’re facing reality right now.”

While Lunt’s status is not known, starting cornerback Darius Mosely left the game after a hard hit in the third quarter and backup cornerback Cameron Watkins was also knocked out with an unspecified injury. For Purdue, receiver Dominique Young left the game in the fourth quarter with an injury to his right leg. He was carted off the field with his leg in an inflatable cast. Jones did not make the trip to Champaign as he tries to recover from a shoulder injury that has nagged him all season.

NOTES—Both teams had trouble with penalties, and not just the quantity of flags thrown. Illinois defensive end Carroll Phillips was flagged for roughing quarterback David Blough in the fourth quarter, and also called for targeting on the play and ejected. Purdue nose guard Eddy Wilson was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and roughing the passer on one play for knocking Crouch to the ground and then stepping on his helmet…..The Boilermakers host Iowa next Saturday, the first Big Ten home game on their schedule….The Illini make their first trip to Rutgers since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten and just the third meeting between the schools. The last game, in New Jersey, was a 33-0 Rutgers win in 2006.

KALAMAZOO—Zach Terrell guided Western Michigan to four scores after halftime, including the dagger touchdown from the 2, to defeat six-time defending Mid-American West champion Northern Illinois 45-30 on Saturday night.Justin Ferguson and Robert Spillane ended NIU’s last two drives with interceptions.Terrell threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns as the Broncos (6-0, 2-0 MAC) are 6-0 for the first time since 1941. They are bowl eligible and have a chance to crack The Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time after receiving 76 votes last week.Corey Davis (6 catches, 122 yards) and Jarvion Franklin (3-80) made spectacular grabs on the winning TD drive – Davis a one-hander as he fell out the back of the end zone (making it 31-23). Two plays earlier, Franklin was clobbered as the ball arrived, but the defender went sprawling and Franklin spun and ran another 17 yards for a 39-yard gainer.The Huskies (1-5, 1-1) tried to win its second-straight game, making up a 14-0 gap and coming as close as 24-23 after halftime.

RALEIGH—One by one, the North Carolina State players took off running after the game ended, heading straight for the puddle at the 25-yard line.After a sloppy day of belly-flops and splashdowns, it was time to turn the field at Carter-Finley Stadium into a slip-and-slide.The Wolfpack beat Notre Dame 10-3 on Saturday in a game played in hurricane conditions and after the start of the second half was delayed because of lightning.

”This is a game to remember,” N.C. State tight end Pharoah McKeever said. ”I’ll probably remember it until the day I die. Raining, playing in a hurricane, not knowing if we were going to play or not. Lightning delay, in the locker room for 30 more minutes. … And then after the game, doing field slides in the mud. This was just something to remember.”

A waterlogged field saturated by Hurricane Matthew’s heavy rains and wind-whipped by its gusts rendered both offenses ineffective, so N.C. State (4-1) beat the Fighting Irish (2-4) with special teams and defense – with Dexter Wright returning a blocked punt for the go-ahead touchdown with 12:43 remaining.That TD came after McKeever fought through a block from Nic Weishar up the middle to deflect Tyler Newsome’s punt. All Wright had to do was scoop up the ball – not an easy task on a day like this – and head for the end zone.

”I didn’t even have to see the block,” Wright said. ”I heard it.”

Notre Dame put together a late drive into the N.C. State red zone, but a shotgun snap on fourth-and-8 squibbed past DeShone Kizer with 1:52 left and the Wolfpack ran out the clock.The teams combined for five turnovers, had a total of 10 fumbles and lost four of them. In a sequence that perfectly captured the day, Notre Dame coughed the ball up with about 10 minutes left in the second quarter on a bad snap – only to get it right back when N.C. State fumbled on its next snap.

”Both teams turned the ball over in very difficult conditions,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. ”Both teams had a hard time moving the football. Both field-goal kickers managed to eke one over the uprights in sloppy conditions. We give up a flippin’ blocked punt for a touchdown, and that’s the difference in this one.”

The sloppy conditions helped the Fighting Irish’s oft-criticized defense post its best numbers of the season. After allowing at least 489 total yards to every Power Five opponent they’ve faced, they gave up just 198 yards in this one.But that went both ways. The potent Fighting Irish offense managed just 113 total yards on 64 offensive plays, and had just 41 yards through three quarters. Kizer was sacked five times and was just 9 of 26 for 54 yards – the worst game of his career, aside from a 0-for-1 day against Texas last year.

”We don’t have any excuses,” Kelly said. ”We were atrocious offensively.”

N.C. State: The weather also shackled the Wolfpack’s potent offense, which hung at least 30 points on every other opponent. QB Ryan Finley – who completed nearly 73 percent of his passes in four games – was just 5 of 12 for 27 yards with a rating of 60.6. He entered with a passer rating of 171.43 – good for 11th nationally.But for N.C. State, the bottom line was this: With games against No. 3 Clemson, No. 7 Louisville, No. 23 Florida State, No. 17 North Carolina and No. 10 Miami still ahead on the schedule, this was a game the Wolfpack had to have.N.C. State was 2 of 14 on third downs – and was still better than the Fighting Irish, who were 1 of 15. The Fighting Irish return home next week for their annual rivalry game with No. 15 Stanford.