CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) Wisconsin has relied all season on star freshman running back Jonathan Taylor to provide the winning edge.
When Taylor went down with an injury against Illinois on Saturday, the fifth-ranked Badgers showed how well they can play defense, forcing three turnovers to help key a 24-10 victory.
Wisconsin had five sacks and three quarterback hurries against the Illini’s inexperienced quarterbacks. The pressure up front led to two interceptions, one by defensive back Joe Ferguson, and a fumble recovery.

”When someone does get a pick or fumble, everybody is juiced-up and excited for them,” Ferguson said. ”It makes everyone else want to make a play.”
On offense, Wisconsin did just enough to get by. Alec Ingold and Garrett Groshek scored on short runs in the first half, and offensive lineman Michael Deiter added another touchdown on a trick play late in the game.
Taylor entered the game averaging 158.6 yards rushing, but only had 73 before leaving the game in the second quarter. Head coach Paul Chryst said he does not know the extent of the injury.

”It was fun to see other guys have to step up,” Chryst said. ”We’ll find out more about JT at practice this week.”

Alex Hornibrook made enough throws to get the victory for Wisconsin (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten). None was better than on the trick play that freed Deiter for his first career touchdown.Hornibrook dropped back on third-and-goal from the 4 and rushed right before throwing a backward pass to Deiter on the other side. The 328-pound Deiter caught it and hustled in for the score.
”I was super nervous,” Deiter said. ”I’ve never touched a football in a football game other than (at) center. I had the whole offensive line out in front of me. There was no way I wasn’t going to get in.”
Wisconsin gained 303 yards, well below its season average of 462.7 yards, but was able to overcome a sluggish performance for its 11th consecutive conference victory.
After starting with consecutive three-and-outs, Wisconsin came alive behind Taylor, who gained 52 yards to set up Ingold’s 1-yard plunge on his only carry of the game. That capped a 15-play, 92-yard drive that took just over eight minutes.
Without Taylor to contend with, the Illinois defense held its own, keeping the score at 17-3 until the fourth quarter. But the Illini offense never found a rhythm.

”It was an outstanding defense that we were going against,” Illini coach Lovie Smith said. ”We couldn’t establish the run. We had our moments with the passing game, but not enough consistency to win.”
Sophomore Jeff George Jr. and freshman Cam Thomas combined to go 9 of 31 for 152 yards. Thomas threw the interceptions, the second coming midway through the fourth quarter and ending any hopes of a comeback.
The Illini (2-6, 0-5) finally found the end zone on a 3-yard run by Kendrick Foster, but it came with less than a minute left in the game.

The Nashville Predators killed off six power plays, helping the Predators edge the Blackhawks 2-1 on Friday.
”Our goalie played real well tonight,” forward Craig Smith said. ”Kudos to him and our penalty killers. They were monsters.”

Smith followed Calle Jarnkrok’s first of the season with career goal No. 100, helping the Predators rebound from consecutive losses to Calgary and the New York Rangers. Nashville also lost 2-1 to Chicago in overtime during their first meeting on Oct. 14.

”Obviously, not the start we wanted but we were able to hang in there and then from the second period on I thought we played pretty well and started creating more and more offense,” Rinne said.

Corey Crawford had 28 stops, but the Blackhawks lost for the fourth time in five games. Coach Joel Quenneville tweaked his lines in search of more offense and ther Hawks generated plenty of opportunities, but couldn’t finish with Rinne on top of his game in net.

”Usually if you play that way, you know you’re going to end up with a couple goals,” Blackhawks star Patrick Kane said, ”so try to stay with it here and hopefully it comes.”

Artem Anisimov scored in the first. John Hayden had a good look at a potential tying goal with 4:15 remaining, but Rinne was there.The Blackhawks have just 11 regulation goals in their last six games.

”It’s a tough loss, but we played well,” Crawford said. ”We can definitely build on a lot of things tonight.”

Nashville was outplayed for most of the first period, but rebounded nicely in the second. Jarnkrok picked off a bad pass by Duncan Keith and beat Crawford from the slot 57 seconds into the period, tying it at 1.The Predators grabbed the lead on Smith’s power-play goal at 11:02. With Jan Rutta in the box for tripping, Smith sent a wrist shot past Crawford on the goaltender’s stick side for his second of the season.The Blackhawks had three power plays of their own in the second, and the Predators killed off each one. They were outshot 13-8 in the period despite all that time with the man advantage.

”Pekka gave us a chance after that first period, because we took on a lot of shots, a lot of attempts, a lot of zone time,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. ”He made so many big saves that allowed it to stay 1-0. And we got going after that. We were pretty good in the second and the third.”

The Hawks got two of their best scoring opportunities with Nashville on the power play. Brandon Saad was denied on a short-handed breakaway about eight minutes into the game. Rinne turned away Nick Schmaltz on another breakaway late in the first, but Anisimov followed the play and knocked it in for his second of the season.

NOTES—Blackhawks forward Lance Bouma skated off gingerly after he blocked P.K. Subban’s shot early in the third, but returned to the game. … Nashville swept Chicago in the first round of the playoffs last season. … The Blackhawks had 21 shots in the first, matching their season high for any period. … Saad celebrated his 25th birthday. … Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen attended the game and played ”Shoot The Puck” before the third period. Rinne said he planned to meet his fellow Finn after the victory….The Blackhawks visit the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.

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The Bulls needed a big play, and Lauri Markkanen wanted the ball.Nothing timid about this rookie.Markkanen made a key 3-pointer with 48.5 seconds left in his fourth NBA game, helping the Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks 91-86 on Thursday night for their first win of the season.

”I’m not afraid of big moments,” Markkanen said. ”Even though my shot wasn’t falling early on, I still believe every shot I shoot, I believe it’s going in.”

The 7-foot forward finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, leading a dominant rebounding effort for the Bulls. Robin Lopez had 16 points and eight rebounds, and reserve David Nwaba finished with 15 points and 11 boards, helping the Bulls to a whopping 62-40 advantage on the glass.

”I think in the past few games we had struggled to close out possessions,” Lopez said. ”We had solid defensive possessions, but we let the opposing team get offensive rebounds and tonight I thought we did a great job of getting rebounding, of team rebounding.”

Marco Belinelli made five 3-pointers on his way to 23 points for Atlanta, which went 1-4 on the franchise’s longest road trip to begin a season. Kent Bazemore scored 16 points and Mike Muscala finished with 14 points and 10 boards.Belinelli made a 3 to give Atlanta an 86-85 lead with 1:48 left, but the Hawks never scored again. Lopez passed to Justin Holiday for a reverse layup and Jerian Grant found Markkanen for his big 3 in the final minute, making it 90-86.

”It was a tough way to end,” Muscala said.

Grant added a free throw in the final seconds, helping the Bulls close it out. Holiday had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Grant finished with 11 points and seven assists.Rookie John Collins had 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting for the Hawks, who won three of four against the Bulls last season. Playing without point guard Dennis Schroder, who missed his second straight game with a sprained left ankle, Atlanta did not attempt a free throw in the fourth quarter, while the Bulls went 9 for 12 at the line in the final period.
”They basically won the game at the free-throw line,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. ”That’s the difference. And both teams are struggling to score, we just kind of gifted them with free throws.”

Markkanen, the seventh overall pick in the June draft, made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points in Tuesday’s 119-112 loss at Cleveland, drawing praise from LeBron James for his shooting skills. He got off to a slow start against Atlanta, going 1 for 8 from the field in the first half, but he got back on track by putting the ball on the floor.He drove to the rim for a dunk and a three-point play with 8:33 left in the third. He added a slick driving layup with 6:48 to go, giving the Bulls a 49-44 lead after they trailed by as many as seven in the first half.Lopez has a framed picture of pop star Britney Spears in his locker. He said he found it after the Bulls season-opening loss to Toronto at the Air Canada Centre last Thursday.

MILWAUKEE—The Milwaukee Bucks wanted to play a game in the aging arena where the team got its start to celebrate the franchise’s half-century in existence.Al Horford and the Boston Celtics spoiled the party.Horford had 27 points and nine rebounds, held league scoring leader Giannis Antetokounmpo in check for long stretches and sank back-to-back 3-pointers late in the third quarter as the Celtics beat the Bucks 96-89 on Thursday night.
”He was great on both ends of the floor,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. ”He guarded Giannis a large part of the night and I thought did a great job on him and then he obviously hit the big 3s.”

Kyrie Irving added 24 points and seven assists for Boston, which avenged a loss to Milwaukee in Boston earlier this month.The game was played at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, formerly known as the MECCA, which served as the Bucks’ home from 1968 until the team moved into the Bradley Center in 1988. The Bucks chose to play one game this season at the 11,000-seat arena to mark the team’s 50th anniversary. The Bucks will move into a new arena next season.Antetokounmpo had 28 points. Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon added 15 apiece.Antetokounmpo, who came into the game leading the league with nearly 37 points per game, scored just 11 in the first half before matching that total in the third quarter as the Bucks built a seven-point lead midway through the period.

CLEVELAND—LeBron James scored 34 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers, using another early season lineup, awakened after a sluggish first half and beat the winless Bulls 119-112 on Tuesday night.Although he often handles the ball and runs Cleveland’s offense, James had not officially been listed as a guard since 2012 with Miami. The superstar added 13 assists, including a no-look, behind-the-back dish to Jae Crowder for a 3-pointer during Cleveland’s 15-3 spurt in the third quarter.The Bulls did all they could. James just did more.

”You’re playing against the best player on the planet,” Fred Hoiberg said.

Kevin Love had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade, who asked Cavs coach Tyronn Lue to take him out of the starting lineup, came off the bench and added 11 points.Justin Holiday scored 25 and rookie Lauri Markkanen 19 for the Bulls, who made a season-high 17 3-pointers. The 7-foot Markkanen became the first player in NBA history to make 10 3-pointers in his first three career games.Cleveland trailed 92-91 entering the fourth before Love dropped a 3 and Kyle Korver made a pair of 3s in 33 seconds. The Bulls closed within six in the final two minutes, but the Cavs came up with two offensive rebounds to reset the shot clock before James drove past Markkanen for a left-handed layup to make it 118-110.It was vintage James, perhaps the only player in the game who can play either guard spot, both forward positons and center.It’s how he was raised.The Cavs were coming off an embarrassing loss to Orlando and their defense was atrocious in the first half, when the Bulls made 12 3-pointers and scored 65 points – 12 less than in their previous game.

Eddie Jackson scooped up a loose ball and corralled a tipped pass. And with two long touchdown returns, he made NFL history.Jackson became the first player to score multiple defensive TDs of 75 yards or more in a game, leading the Bears to a 17-3 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. He’s also the only rookie in NFL history with two 75-yard defensive touchdowns in a season.Jackson’s big day came exactly one year after he broke his leg playing for Alabama against Texas A&M.

”I’d dealt with adversity before,” Jackson said. ”That’s one thing that I can credit Alabama on. They help you fight through adversity. I’ve been through a lot of stuff in my life. That was just a little minor stepping stone. I came here – it’s a great organization, great training staff and great teammates so they did a great job keeping me up, keeping me going.”

Jackson ran back a fumble recovery 75 yards on the game’s opening possession and returned an interception of Cam Newton 76 yards for a score early in the second quarter to give the Bears a 14-0 lead.He became the first Bears player since Fred Evans in 1948 – and the first NFL player since Tennessee’s Zach Brown in 2012 – with two defensive TDs in a game.The Bears also sacked Newton five times and intercepted him twice.The big plays by Jackson and the defense lifted the Bears (3-4) to their second straight win even though they got dominated in just about every statistical category.Carolina (4-3) held huge advantages in yards (293-153), time of possession (38:35-21:25), offensive plays (69-37) and first downs (20-5).

”Those two turnovers hurt us and we just couldn’t seem to get our (footing) back,” said Newton, who completed 21 of 34 passes for 211 yards and ran for a team-high 50.

The Panthers dropped their second straight game.

”We didn’t make plays, we really didn’t,” coach Ron Rivera said. ”We were very methodical. We moved the ball. We got in certain situations and they bowed their neck and did some good things defensively. Offensively, they did what they needed to do.”

Mitchell Trubisky was 4 of 7 for 107 yards in his third NFL start. The No. 2 overall pick threw a 70-yard pass to Tarik Cohen, but did little else.

”We just have to get better in the pass game, and that falls on me,” Trubisky said. ”I’ll be on the receivers and tight ends this week to continue to perfect our timing and routes. However, it mostly falls on me, so I just have to get better.”

Jordan Howard also had a quiet afternoon, even though Panthers star linebacker Luke Kuechly missed the game because of a concussion. He ran for just 65 yards after going off for a career-high 167 against Baltimore last week.The Bears matched last season’s win total and put together back-to-back wins for the first time since 2015 – coach John Fox’s first year in Chicago. They have six takeaways in the past two games. And against the Panthers, Jackson asserted himself right from the start.A fourth-round draft pick, he scooped up the loose ball near the end zone after Curtis Samuel botched a lateral and was barely touched if at all on the way to the end zone.Early in the second quarter, Prince Amukamara tipped a pass intended for Kelvin Benjamin. Jackson hauled in the interception and made a neat move to avoid a lunging Cam Newton in an otherwise clear path to a 76-yard TD.

”I see it every day in practice,” linebacker Pernell McPhee said. ”He is going to be special. That’s a special kid. Our whole secondary is special.”

The three points allowed matched Chicago’s lowest total since a 41-3 romp at Jacksonville on Oct. 7, 2012. The Bears haven’t allowed fewer than three since a 16-0 shutout of Miami on Nov. 18, 2010.Bears coach John Fox on matching last year’s win total: ”I don’t know if that’s really a benchmark for us, to be honest.”. DL Roy Robertson-Harris injured his hamstring defending the kickoff return following Jackson’s second touchdown.

SOUTH BEND—Brian Kelly expected 13th-ranked Notre Dame to win big against No. 11 Southern California. He even wrote it down on a piece of paper in the locker room before the game.

”I said if we didn’t win really big, I would be disappointed,” he said.

He wasn’t disappointed, and neither were his players who doused their coach with water following a dominating 49-14 victory over the rival Trojans on Saturday night.Brandon Wimbush passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more, Josh Adams added three touchdown runs and the Irish took advantage of three USC turnovers in what was a surprisingly easy win in the storied series that dates to 1926. It gave the Irish (6-1) their first victory against USC (6-2) when the Trojans were ranked since 1995.Wimbush credited the Irish defense with getting the offense going.

”When they take away the ball, you just get so excited, and (offensive coordinator Chip) Long wants to be aggressive and call a play, usually,” said Wimbush, who was coming back after missing a game with a right foot injury.

The turnovers came on a fumble and interception by Sam Darnold and a dropped punt by Jack Jones.

”We helped them by mistakes,” USC coach Clay Helton said.

Adams had an 84-yard touchdown run and finished with 191 yards on 19 carries. Wimbush ran for 106 yards on 14 carries as the Irish amassed 377 yards on the ground. Notre Dame led 28-0 at the half.

”The turnovers were key for us in the first half and being opportunistic, which really we’ve been all year offensively,” Kelly said.
Kelly was asked about Adams possibly not getting the attention he deserves nationally.
”He’s one of the best players in the country,” Kelly said. ”I’ll let others make that decision. Here’s what I know. We’re going to play some really good football teams the rest of the year. Maybe everyone should just wait until the end of the year and vote for the Heisman.”

It was the fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season for Adams, quickest to 2,000 rushing yards in Notre Dame history at 316 carries. It took George Gipp 323 carries to set the mark. It was the third 100-yard rushing game for Wimbush, coming back from missing a game with an injured right foot.Wimbush still wasn’t sharp passing, completing 9 of 19 passes for 120 yards. But he came up with key passes when needed.Linebacker Te’Von Coney, starting because Greer Martini injured his knee during the bye week, got the Irish going on a strip-sack of Darnold on USC’s first play from scrimmage after Darnold bobbled the snap. Wimbush threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Equanimeous St. Brown three plays later.Darnold completed 20 of 29 passes, but could not overcome the turnovers or USC being held to 76 yards rushing, including minus-4 in the first half. He threw two touchdown passes, the first cutting Notre Dame’s lead to 28-7.Kelly said beating rival USC and recapturing the Jeweled Shillelagh trophy were big, but said he expects the Irish to keep playing at this level.

”We want to be unique. Unique means this is not the crown jewel for us. We want more,” he said.

The Trojans continue to shoot themselves in the foot with turnovers, with 19 on the season. Darnold is responsible for all but three. USC can still win the Pac-12 title, but a playoff berth appears nearly impossible.

GLENDALE—The Blackhawks took a two-goal lead on a penalty shot by Tommy Wingels, only to have it erased upon review. The struggling Arizona Coyotes scored quickly after the rare play, tying the game and snatching the momentum.The Blackhawks are a veteran team, though, and kept grinding to keep the Coyotes winless. Wingels got to cap it with an empty-net goal to boot.Lance Bouma scored on a rebound with 4:24 left in the third period, Corey Crawford stopped 27 shots and the Blackhawks beat the NHL’s only winless team 4-2 Saturday night.

”We rebounded after that and found a way to get a win,” said Wingels, who also had an assist. ”The hockey gods kind of repay you, I think.”

The Coyotes have been playing better lately, but their only point is an overtime loss to Vegas the second game of the season. Arizona was aggressive and Louis Domingue made some spectacular saves against the Blackhawks after being replaced by rookie Adin Hill the past two games.The Blackhawks were just better.Patrick Kane and Richard Panik each scored and Jonathan Toews had a pair of assists for Hawks, who had lost three of four. Wingels put the game out of reach with his empty netter.

”We just stuck with it and it was a big win for us,” Bouma said.

The Coyotes made just enough mistakes in another what-could-have-been loss.Arizona failed to hold a lead for the sixth time in eight games, gave up another quick goal after scoring and allowed a breakaway goal after getting caught pinching at the blue line The Coyotes also went 0 for 4 on the power play, including two minutes of 5-on-3.Clayton Keller had his NHL rookie-best sixth goal of the season and Christian Fischer also scored for the Coyotes, who dropped to 0-7-1 with a long road trip next.

”A lot of positive things, but came up short again,” said Domingue, who stopped 25 shots. ”We’re getting close and against one of the greatest teams over the past decade, I thought we showed a lot of positive things.”

Arizona took the early lead when a shot by Fischer hit the stick of Jordan Oesterle and slipped between Crawford’s pads.No problem for the Blackhawks.The Coyotes have had a penchant for giving up goals immediately after scoring and did it again against the Hawks. Panik got this one, deflecting the puck past Domingue on a shot by Toews 1:01 after Fischer’s goal. It was the ninth time Arizona has given up a goal less than two minutes after scoring.

Arizona’s defensemen also have been caught pinching at the blue line multiple times this season, leading breakaways and odd-man rushes. That happened again, too, this time giving Kane, one of the best stick handlers in the game, a free run at Domingue. Kane beat him between the pads, using a deke to open up a forehand shot for his fourth of the season.

”We had a chance to score and it was kind of a fluke thing, and he gets a goal there,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said.

Wingels appeared to give the Blackhawks a two-goal lead by scoring on a penalty shot, but it was waived off after a review showed Domingue touched the puck before Wingels knocked it in.Arizona capitalized with a quick goal this time, with Keller backhanding a loose puck in the crease past Crawford after Wingels’ goal was negated.

NOTES—Niklas Hjalmarsson played against this former team for the first time. He spent 10 seasons with the Hawks, winning the Stanley Cup three times, before being traded to Arizona for Connor Murphy. … Blackhawks trainer Jeff Thomas worked his 1,000th NHL game. … Arizona G Antti Raanta missed his fourth straight game with an injury. … The Blackhawks have won eight straight against Arizona.The Hawks are at Vegas on Tuesday night.

The San Antonio Spurs aren’t sure when Kawhi Leonard’s season will start.Fortunately for them, there’s another All-Star forward on the roster to carry the load.LaMarcus Aldridge had 28 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Spurs to an 87-77 victory over the Bulls in the Bulls’ home opener.It was his second straight double-double after signing a three-year contract extension a day before the season began.

”I’ve been in a different mindset since the summer started,” Aldridge said. ”That carried over to training camp to preseason to now. I don’t think I’ve changed after the contract. My mindset coming into the season was to try to be more dominant.Rudy Gay added 12 points for the Spurs, who have not provided a timetable for Leonard’s return from a right quadriceps injury, though Popovich said it will be ”weeks rather than months.”
In the meantime, they’ll ride Aldridge, who scored 12 points in a 22-13 run that gave the Spurs a 63-51 third-quarter lead.
”They moved the ball better than we did,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. ”I thought they shared it. They got more open shots than we did. I thought they did a great job.L.A. was just a difference maker for us, the way he scored. The defense in the second half and L.A.’s offense was what got us over. I thought they actually executed better than we did.”

Robin Lopez had 16 points and seven rebounds for the Bills, also short-handed without power forwards Niko Mirotic (facial fractures, concussion) and Bobby Portis (suspension).Rookie Lauri Markkanen, thrust into the starting lineup because of an incident in practice Tuesday that ultimately sidelined both Mirotic and Portis, had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

MINNEAPOLIS—Kobe McCrary ran for 153 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Rodney Smith added 103 yards rushing for Minnesota as the Gophers beat Illinois 24-17 victory on Saturday.Linebacker Jon Celestin returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth to provide the winning margin for Minnesota (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten). The Gophers ran for 292 yards as a team and held the Illini (2-5, 0-4) to 282 total yards.Illinois sophomore quarterback Jeff George Jr. was 18-of-23 passing for 128 yards with a late touchdown pass to freshman receiver Ricky Smalling. Freshman running back Ra’Von Bonner had 18 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown.Minnesota opened the game with a 72-yard drive for a touchdown, with 64 of the yards coming on the ground. Demry Croft finished the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Johnson.Croft earned the starting job over senior Conor Rhoda after sparking Minnesota with three fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Johnson in last week’s loss to No. 18 Michigan State. The sophomore quarterback was 5-of-15 passing for 47 yards on Saturday and threw two interceptions.Both offenses would have trouble, despite the two defenses allowing the second-most and third-most rushing yards per game in the Big Ten during conference games.The Illini scored 10 points off turnovers, creating three on the day and finishing a plus-1 in turnover-margin.A big missed opportunity on Saturday leaves Illinois still looking for its first Big Ten victory and backup quarterback Cam Thomas became the 21st true freshman to play for the Illini this season. The least experienced team in college football with 14 true freshmen starters, Illinois is simply learning on the job this season.The schedule does provide a chance to get a conference win at some point, with a road game at Purdue and home games against Indiana and Northwestern. But it won’t be easy for a team so green and without an offensive identity. The up-and-down nature of the Gophers’ running game continues, but perhaps they found something to build on. Minnesota had twice been held under 100 yards rushing as a team in three Big Ten games.Despite Shannon Brooks missing the game with an injury, McCrary and Smith both rushed for over 100 yards and the Gophers had the two-headed rushing attack they had last season when they won nine games under former coach Tracy Claeys.