Northern Illinois locks MAC berth, remains perfect

TOLEDO, Ohio — Jordan Lynch rushed for three touchdowns and 161 yards to lead No. 20 Northern Illinois over Toledo 35-17 on Wednesday, securing a fourth consecutive trip to the Mid-American Conference title game.

Lynch's third touchdown, a 1-yard dive into the end zone, capped a 99-yard drive that stretched the lead to 28-17. The Huskies started the fourth quarter backed up against their end zone, clinging to a four-point lead.

But Lynch ran for 62 yards on seven carries during the drive, the big play coming when he scrambled out of the end zone to pick up a first down.

The Huskies (11-0, 7-0) extended their 24-game conference winning streak and are off to the best start in school history.

Northern Illinois is still in the hunt for a second straight Bowl Championship Series appearance after playing in the Orange Bowl last season. The Huskies are 16th in this week's BCS rankings.

Terrance Owens threw two touchdown passes for Toledo (7-4, 5-2).

Rutgers meeting: Rutgers athletic director Julie Hermann met with the family of a former football player who left the team after claiming a coach bullied him and limited his playing time.

Hermann had a meeting with parents of Jevon Tyree to clarify misunderstandings and resolve the issues relating to Tyree's experience at Rutgers.

The state university of New Jersey announced Wednesday that the school's general counsel, John Farmer Jr., will review the incident and any subsequent actions taken by the athletics department.

Clarice and Mark Tyree met with Hermann, who did not issue any comment in the statement released by Rutgers after the meeting. A telephone call to the Tyree family Wednesday night went unanswered.

The meeting seemed necessary after the sides had conflicting stories about whether Hermann spoke to them. Hermann said she had talked to Mark Tyree by telephone. He said it never happened.

Tyree left the team Nov. 6 after alleging that defensive coordinator Dave Cohen coach verbally abused him and threatened to head-butt him during a spring study hall session. The player said the assistant then treated him unfairly once the season started.

Ohio State: All-Big Ten cornerback Bradley Roby, a fourth-year junior, will join the seniors in playing their final home game Saturday against Indiana and will make himself available for the NFL draft in the spring, coach Urban Meyer said.

Oklahoma: Freshman Trevor Knight will start at quarterback in place of Blake Bell (concussion), ESPN reported, but he will be without two key offensive players Saturday against Kansas State. Running back Damien Williams and receiver Lacoltan Bester are suspended for at least the K-State game, cbssports.com reported. No reasons or length of suspension were given.

South Carolina: SEC rushing leader Mike Davis (ankle, shoulder, ribs) will not start Saturday against Coastal Carolina, allowing sophomore Shon Carson to get his first career start. Carson rushed for 102 yards in relief of Davis, who gained 54 against Florida.

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Virginia State: The school hired a lawyer to investigate the fight that led to the cancellation of the CIAA championship game and to VSU being banned from postseason play. Sports and entertainment attorney Robert Clayton of the Washington, D.C., law firm Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP will lead an investigation that should take no more than two weeks to complete. Winston-Salem State quarterback Rudy Johnson has said as many as six VSU players attacked him at a luncheon Nov. 15, the day before the scheduled game. VSU running back Lamont Daniel Britt is charged with misdemeanor assault inflicting serious injury.

Obituary: Frank Lauterbur, who coached Toledo to two undefeated seasons before taking over at Iowa for three seasons in the early 1970s, died at a Toledo-area nursing home. He was 88.

USF men begin NCAA soccer play

TAMPA — Courtesy of its 6-5 penalty-kicks victory over UConn to win the American Athletic Conference tournament Sunday, the USF men's soccer team enters NCAA play for a seventh consecutive season at 7 tonight against host North Carolina (8-5-5).

USF (8-3-9) has surrendered only one goal in its last five matches, led by goalkeeper Brentton Muhammad. USF coach George Kiefer is in the NCAA tournament for a 12th time as either a coach or assistant.

Times staff writer Joey Knight contributed to this report.