FIRST AND SHORT

Weekend Warriors: Local players on teams scoring major upsets

JR Radcliffe
jr.radcliffe@jrn.com
Iowa senior running back Jordan Canzeri runs the ball past Illinois State safety Alec Kocour on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.

Saturday was a weekend for big upsets around college football, with three of the top five teams taking a loss.

Among them was Clemson, ranked No. 3, which lost by a 43-42 score on a last-second field goal. Zach Poker (Oconomowoc) had a tackle in the game for Pitt.

Iowa also won on a last-second field goal, knocking off No. 2 Michigan, 14-13. Peter Pekar (Greendale) started the game at wide receiver for the Hawkeyes.

Wisconsin wasn’t about to endure any such upset, defeating Illinois by a 48-3 count. T.J. Watt (Pewaukee) landed three tackles, and both Chikwe Obasih (Brookfield Central) and Billy Hirschfeld (Arrowhead) had one apiece. Beau Benzschawel (Grafton) has been a regular starter on the offensive line.

Sean McGuire (Franklin) had another big day at Western Illinois, throwing for 237 yards and three touchdowns while also running for a team-leading 68 yards, but the Leathernecks lost to Northern Iowa, 30-23.

Illinois State crushed Missouri State, 37-0. Alec Kocour (Catholic Memorial) had eight tackles, including one for loss, and Adam Conley (Franklin) made three tackles with one pass breakup. Mitchell Brees (Greendale) had an interception for 10 yards. It was the regular season finale for Illinois State, which will learn if it made the FCS playoffs Nov. 20.

Nate Tanguay (Mukwonago) left the Nov. 5 North Dakota State game and has been lost for the year with an ACL injury. The five-time FCS national champion will be without two of its best defensive players for the postseason run.

North Dakota, after losing its first two games of the season, closed the year at 9-2 and 8-0 in the Big Sky, good for a share of the league title. Dan Bell (Menomonee Falls) is the starting left guard for the Fighting Hawks.