Cooper DeJean scored on an interception return and set up another touchdown with a punt return to pace Iowa to a 24-10 victory over visiting Wisconsin on Saturday, moving the defensive-minded Hawkeyes into a logjam atop the jumbled Big Ten West.

DeJean’s 32-yard pick six put the Hawkeyes up 14-3 in the second quarter. His 41-yard punt return to the Wisconsin 18 set up Spencer Petras’ 1-yard quarterback sneak that made it 21-10 early in the final period.

Iowa (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) moved into a four-way tie for the West Division lead with Purdue, Illinois and Minnesota — following Purdue’s 31-24 victory over the No. 21 Illini. Minnesota kept pace with a 31-3 win over Northwestern.

Wisconsin (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten), fell to 3-2 under interim coach Jim Leonhard, promoted from defensive coordinator when Paul Chryst was fired following a 34-10 loss at home to Illinois on Oct 1.

Wisconsin had won 8 of the last 10 games against Iowa in the battle for the Heartland Trophy, including 27-7 last season in Madison.

Iowa’s defense entered third nationally in total defense at 264.4 yards per game and fifth in scoring defense at 14.3. The Hawkeyes held Wisconsin to 227 yards, including 51 rushing on 31 attempts.

Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz completed 16 of 35 passes for 176 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also lost a fumble.

Iowa managed 146 yards total offense, including 52 on the ground. Petras finished 14 of 23 for 94 yards. Drew Stevens got the final points with a 44-yard field goal with 2:56 left.

Iowa’s special teams set up the other first-half score for a 14-10 lead at the break, despite the Hawkeyes being outgained 164 yards to 79.

The Hawkeyes turned a blocked punt into their first score, needing two plays to cover 17 yards. Petras hit tight end Sam LaPorta for 13 yards and freshman Kaleb Johnson went off left tackle to put Iowa up 7-3.

DeJean extended the lead to 14-3, jumping a Mertz pass in the right flat and returning it 32 yards with 1:58 left in the half.

Mertz answered with a 51-yard touchdown to Keontez Lewis.

The Badgers capitalized on a turnover for a 3-0 lead, recovering a Petras fumble at the Wisconsin 49 to set up Nate Van Zelst’s 32-yard field goal.

–Field Level Media

Quarterback Spencer Sanders came on late in the third after Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy benched his son and helped the host Cowboys beat visiting Iowa State 20-14 on Saturday in Stillwater, Okla.

The Cowboys (7-3, 4-3 Big 12) used an eight-play drive early in the fourth quarter to take the lead for good. Sanders passed 14 yards to Jaden Nixon for the go-ahead touchdown with 9:18 remaining.

Sanders, who had been dealing with an injury, might have missed his second consecutive game, but he was summoned after Gunnar Gundy, who made his first career start, was removed.

Sanders finished 9-for-13 for 84 yards as the Cowboys won for just the second time in their last five games. Gundy went 5-for-12 for 103 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions.

Quarterback Hunter Dekkers was 28-for-42 for 274 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions for Iowa State (4-6, 1-6), which was trying to win back-to-back games for the first time since a 3-0 start to the season.

After a fourth-down stop in Iowa State territory in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys tacked on Tanner Brown’s 40-yard field goal with 4:19 to play.

After both teams punted, the Cyclones reached the Oklahoma State 23 before a fourth-down sack sealed the outcome with less than 30 seconds to play.

Neither team had much of a ground attack; Iowa State finished with 59 rushing yards and Oklahoma State with 57.

Iowa State opened the second half with a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, scoring on Jirehl Brock’s 1-yard run.

Oklahoma State opened the scoring on Brown’s 37-yard field goal in the second quarter.

A special teams play turned momentum when Iowa State’s Darien Porter blocked a punt. The Cyclones needed to go only 9 yards for a touchdown, with Dekkers hooking up with Sean Shaw Jr. on a 4-yard scoring play for a 7-3 lead.

The Cowboys had a quick response. Gundy’s pass to John Paul Richardson turned into an 83-yard touchdown on their second snap of the next possession.

Oklahoma State led 10-7 at halftime, with Iowa State limited to 116 yards of total offense. Jace Gilbert of the Cyclones missed on a 41-yard field-goal attempt in the last minute of the first half.

Oklahoma State had just six first downs in the opening half.

–Field Level Media

Nakia Watson rushed for 116 yards and three touchdowns, and host Washington State’s defense smothered Arizona State until late in the game in its 28-18 win Saturday in Pullman, Wash.

The Cougars (6-4, 3-4 Pac-12) gained bowl eligibility with their sixth win.

Washington State quarterback Cam Ward completed 22 of 37 passes for 219 yards and one touchdown. The Cougars amassed 356 total yards to 333 for the Sun Devils, who didn’t reach triple digits until the midpoint of the third quarter.

Xazavian Valladay ran for 134 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, but Arizona State (3-7, 2-5) had little passing to help him out until it was too late.

Quarterback Trenton Bourguet, who was making his third start after taking over for Emory Jones, completed just 3 of 10 passes for 26 yards, often under heavy pressure. Bourguet left with a leg injury late in the second quarter and was replaced by Jones, who went 15-of-23 passing for 186 yards and two touchdowns.

It was Valladay’s sixth 100-yard effort this season and the 20th of his career in 49 games. He added another 55 yards on six catches.

The Cougars took a lopsided 28-0 lead into halftime, but the Sun Devils tried to make it a game late in the third quarter. Jones connected with Jaylin Conyers for a 47-yard pass play to break the shutout with 51 seconds left in the quarter.

About midway through the fourth, Jones missed an open receiver in the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 7, but Valladay capped a four-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:10 left to play to make it 28-12.

The Sun Devils capitalized when the Cougars failed to convert a fourth-and-1 with just over two minutes left at the Arizona State 37. A 35-yard pass to Valladay set up a 9-yard scoring toss to Elijhah Badger to make it a 28-18 game.

Watson had a 22-yard burst late in the second quarter to set up his third touchdown, a career high, and the Cougars’ fourth of the day. He capped the 13-play, 75-yard drive with a 2-yard run, and Dean Janikowski’s second extra point made it 28-0.

Earlier, Watson scored from 2 yards out with 6:31 left in the first quarter, and again on a 5-yard rush with 7:43 left in the second. In between, Ward underhanded a pass, barely more than a handoff, to receiver Leyton Smithson as he went by on a sweep for a 2-yard score late in the first.

–Field Level Media

John Rhys Plumlee ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to lead No. 22 Central Florida to a 38-31 victory over host No. 17 Tulane in American Athletic Conference play on Saturday in New Orleans.

Plumlee rushed for 176 yards, including touchdowns runs of 67 and 9 yards, on 18 carries and went 17-for-30 passing for 132 yards. Javon Baker had five receptions, including an 8-yard touchdown, for 54 yards for the Knights, who have won eight of their past nine games.

Michael Pratt went 23-for-39 passing for 236 yards and three scores for Tulane. Tyjae Spears ran for 130 yards on eight carries and Jha’Quan Jackson had five receptions for 95 yards for the Green Wave, who ended their five-game winning streak.

Central Florida (8-2, 5-1), Tulane (8-2, 5-1) and two-time defending league champion Cincinnati (8-2, 5-1) are tied atop the American Athletic Conference standings. The top two teams will meet in the title game on Dec. 3. Tulane closes the regular season on Nov 25 at Cincinnati, which lost to Central Florida on Oct. 29.

Leading 24-14 at halftime, Central Florida extended its lead to 31-14 on Plumlee’s 9-yard run that capped an eight-play, 83-yard drive with 8:58 left in the third quarter.

Valentino Abrosio’s 23-yard field goal pulled the Green Wave to within 31-17 with 3:41 left in the quarter before Pratt’s 2-yard scoring toss to Reggie Brown made cut the margin to seven with 11:39 left in the game.

Isaiah Bowser’s 1-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, made it 38-24 with 3:32 to go before Tulane capped the scoring on Pratt’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Shae Wyatt with 1:46 remaining.

After Plumlee’s 47-yard run set up Colton Boomer’s 25-yard field goal on the Knights’ first possession, Plumlee’s 67-yard touchdown run on Central Florida’s next possession extended the lead to 10-0 less than five minutes into the game.

Tulane trimmed the lead to 10-7 on Pratt’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Duece Watts on its ensuing possession. But Central Florida countered when Bowser scored on a 2-yard run to make it 17-7 with 2:24 left in the opening period.

–Field Level Media

Emmett Morehead threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns as Boston College upset No. 16 North Carolina State 21-20 on Saturday night in Raleigh, N.C.

Morehead connected with Joe Griffin for a 2-yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds left and Connor Lytton kicked the decisive extra point.

Morehead completed 29 of 48 passes with two interceptions for the Eagles (3-7, 2-5 ACC) as they snapped a four-game slide. The Eagles also broke a 15-game losing streak to ranked opponents.

Zay Flowers was Morehead’s top target as he hauled in seven catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

To add another layer to Boston College’s shocking victory, the Eagles won while rushing for minus-one yard on 23 carries.

NC State (7-3, 3-3) saw its 16-game home winning streak at Carter-Finley Stadium come to an end. Had the Wolfpack won this game, the streak would have set a new program record.

Boston College trailed by as much as 13 points. They moved ahead with a 12-play, 69-yard drive that took two minutes and 33 seconds. The drive was capped off by Morehead’s short touchdown pass to Griffin.

NC State tried to respond, but threw an incomplete pass and was then flagged for an illegal forward pass that was caught by a Boston College defender.

NC State scored on each of its first two drives to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. MJ Morris — making just his second career start — found Trent Pennix Jr. for a 27-yard score, and then Morris had a 10-yard scamper for the second touchdown.

Morris finished with 135 passing yards while completing 12 of 24 passes. He also rushed for 22 yards. Michael Allen paced the rushing attack for NC State with 77 yards on 14 attempts, while Jordan Houston rushed for 71 yards on 14 touches.

After a Boston College score, NC State’s Christopher Dunn connected on a pair of field goals — from distances of 30 and 45 yards — to put the Wolfpack up 20-7. With the second kick, Dunn became the ACC’s career leader in field goals made with 89.

–Field Level Media