The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 29

PORTS FINAL SUNDAY October 21, 2007 BRYCE MILLER, Executive Sports Editor 51 5-284-8288e-mail: brmillerdmreg.com TOP-RANKED PANTHERS ROLL SATURDAY'S GAME: Northern Iowa 42, Western Illinois 3 UNI blows out Leathernecks PURDUE BOILERMAKERS 31 IOWA HAWKEYES 6 Hawkeyes 1-4 in league after Purdue loss Dcs IUotnc Sunbatj Jtcciisf cr 0 iL Three safeties hurt Bulldogs on road Davidson set a record with three safeties in a 24-21 victory over Drake on Saturday. Page 4C 1 By RANDY PETERSON REGISTER STAFF WRITER West Lafayette, Ind. Der-rell Johnson-Koulianos dropped passes on the first two plays of the game. Jake Christensen threw his hands up in disgust when receiver James Cleveland appeared to stop running a pass route. "I thought it could have been pass interference," Christensen said.

Injuries aside, Iowa needs to find something in a hurry to avoid a collapse for the second season in a row after Saturday's 31-6 drubbing by Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium. The Hawkeyes finished 2-6 in the Big Ten Conference last season. They are 1-4 this season and have scored only two touchdowns in the past three games. "We're playing good defense for the most part," coach Kirk Ferentz said after his team lost its ninth conference game out of the past 10. "We need to score, too.

It's unrealistic to think that we can win 10-7 every week." Even tailback Albert Young seems discouraged. "When you have the ball across the 50, you would See HAWKEYES, Page 6C Panthers' winning streak grows to eight games with big road victory. By ROB GRAY REGISTER STAFF WRITER Macomb, III. The booming end zone cannon fell silent. The halftime fireworks display retreated quietly into the realm of memory.

And as one group of purple-clad fans despondently filed out of Hanson Field, a smaller slice of the regal color erupted in elation. Those were Northern Iowa's football fans. The top-ranked Panthers dominated No. 17 Western Illi- XJ nois on Saturday, trouncing the Leathernecks 42-3 in a Gateway Conference game before 15,330 fans most of whom fled early in the fourth quarter. "We wore them out," said Northern Iowa coach Mark Farley, whose team ran 30 more plays than Western Illinois.

"They were shuffling guys in and out and you See PANTHERS, Page 9C Purdue's Dorien Bryant in front of Iowa's Harold TOM STRATTMANASSOCIATED PRESS pulls in a 22-yard scoring pass Dalton on Saturday. IOWA STATE CYCLONES 7 NO. 4 OKLAHOMA S00NERS 17 cm trim mm I -1 m- rTi-i-rimriTi T-i nil mm i "it r- i-- Oklahoma's D.J. Wolfe (25) makes a fourth-quarter interception in the end zone in front of Iowa State's R.J. Sumrall (5) on Saturday.

IF inJ CHRISTOPHER GANNONTHE REGISTER let it slip away' mm SeanKEELER Big Red's Callahan fading to a pink slip Lincoln, Neb. -If Bill Callahan hasn't been fired by the time you read this, the man is well on his way. Unlike the previous weekend, almost every Nebraska fan stuck around for the second half of Saturday's game with Texas Of course, many of them left Memorial Stadium wishing they hadn't. "I just don't think they'll qualify for a bowl game," Neil Donohoe sighed as he headed to his car. The Des Moines man drove in to watch the Callahan Huskers have lost 2 straight in Lincoln.

Cornhuskers, his beloved for some 44 years now, hoping to witness the turning of a corner. A victory. Progress. Something. Instead, he got a Big Red bellyflop.

"You can't lose ballgames by this score," Donohoe said after Nebraska's 36-14 setback, "and expect to hold on to your job." He was referring to Callahan, of course, the embattled Huskers coach whose rocky tenure in Lincoln appears to be on life support. Nebraska has lost three in a row. The Huskers have been outscored the last two weekends, at home, by an average margin of 40-14. Players and coaches have this glazed look in their eyes. It's as if Kentucky football and Nebraska football have magically switched places, See KEELER, Page 9C www.k?rlchevrolet.com li 1 1 dLt UUUH (UK UjMlUll utirtiLJ Cyclone defender Bell: 'We could have shocked the nation, but we Z2U a 17-7 escape.

Chris Brown's 4-yard scoring run gave the Sooners a 14-7 lead with 13: 50 left in the game. Garrett Hartley's 43- yard field goal accounted for the final margin with 1:34 remaining. When it was over, players and coaches from both sides seemed disenchanted. 0 Bell What a difference a week makes for ISU A week after getting scorched by Texas, the Iowa State defense was up to the task against Oklahoma, the nation's fourth-highest scoring team entering Saturday's game. Here's a look at how the Cyclone defense fared in yards per game, first downs and points per game against the average for Oklahoma and Texas the last two weeks: Opponent Rush Pass Total Firsts Points 153.8 265.8 419.7 21.0 31.7 216 298 514 28 56 Rush Pass Total Firsts Points Texas average Texas vs.

ISU Opponent Oklahoma average 202.1 266.0 468.1 22.1 48.4 Oklahoma vs. ISU 133 183 316 21 17 By ANDREW L0GUE REGISTER STAFF WRITER Ames, la. Don't ask Allen Bell about moral victories. He'll only tell you about Saturday's missed opportunities. "We could have shocked the nation," Iowa State's sophomore cornerback said, "but we let it slip away." The greatest upset win in Cyclone football history was within reach, until fourth-ranked Oklahoma pulled off MARATHON Runners take over D.M.

streets today A record field of more than 5,000 is expected today for the sixth annual IMT Des Moines Marathon in downtown Des Moines. The races begin with the push-rim event at 8 a.m. and the featured marathon at 8:10 a.m. No race-day entries will be allowed. Many streets will be closed and motorists will have to look for alternate travel routes.

Street closures include Fleur Drive from Ingersoll Avenue to Bell Avenue, as well as other downtown streets. "On the road, it was a little loud," said DeMarcus Granger, Oklahoma's defensive tackle. "Coming into this week we knew we had to stand our ground." The Sooners improved to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12 Conference, but they appeared more relieved than triumphant as they exited Jack Trice Stadium. "I was a little off today," See CYCLONES, Page 8C fielder hit a grand slam and drove in five runs and, behind yet another postseason gem from Curt Schilling, Boston battered Cleveland 12-2 Saturday night to tie the American League Championship Series at three games apiece. "We needed tonight's game, we needed a good performance for Schilling," Drew said.

"We got that, now we're going to play in Game 7." AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES SATURDAY'S GAME 6: Boston 12, Cleveland 2 TODAY'S GAME 7: Cleveland at Boston (7 p.m.; KDSM) Drew's grand plan: Game 7 After failing to get a victory from aces C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, the Indians hope Jake Westbrook is the answer tonight. The Red Sox turn to Daisuke Matsuzaka, who has not pitched well so far in the postseason. "It's going to come down to Game 7, the two teams that won more baseball games See ALCS, Page 4C Much-maligned Boston slugger's early slam sends ALGS vs. Indians to brink.

By JIMMY G0LEN ASSOCIATED PRESS Boston, Mass. From the brink of elimination and the depths of a yearlong slump, J.D. Drew helped the Boston Red Sox force a Game 7. The struggling Red Sox right ANAMFHMNR VmUTfflN j..