Kansas thwarts Iowa St.'s bid for Big 12 North title

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- For the second straight year, Iowa State let a berth in the Big 12 title game slip away in overtime.

Scott Webb kicked a game-winning 34-yard field goal to give Kansas a 24-21 victory on Saturday, and prevent the Cyclones from advancing to the conference championship for the first time.

Instead -- just like last year -- Colorado will represent the North Division. The Buffaloes (7-4, 5-3) were clobbered 30-3 by Nebraska on Friday, giving Iowa State (7-4, 4-4) a chance to win the division by beating Kansas.

But now the Cyclones, who blew a 14-3 lead and failed on a field-goal attempt in overtime, will go to a lesser bowl after seeing their four-game conference winning streak snapped. Colorado lost to Iowa State 30-16 earlier this season and will be a heavy underdog to No. 2 Texas in Houston next week. The Longhorns beat the Buffs 42-17 on Oct. 15.

The Cyclones, who tied Colorado for the North title last year after losing to the Buffaloes in the regular season, missed an opportunity to play for their first outright conference championship in 114 years of football.

Iowa State failed to score on its only overtime possession when Bret Culbertson was wide on a 41-yard attempt. The Jayhawks (6-5, 3-5) then set up Webb's third field goal of the day.

Division I-AA playoffs S. Illinois 21, E. Illinois 6

Arkee Whitlock ran for three touchdowns Saturday and Southern Illinois' defense kept Eastern Illinois out of the end zone as the Salukis won in Charleston, Ill., in the first round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

Southern Illinois (9-3) moves on to face Appalachian State (9-3) in the second round next Saturday.

The Salukis are making their third straight appearance in the playoffs, and Saturday's outcome was strikingly different from a year ago when they were ranked No. 1 and then upset in the opening round by Eastern Washington.

Whitlock scored on a 6-yard run in the first quarter to cap a 70-yard drive after Eastern Illinois' Zach Yates opened the scoring with a 32-yard field goal.

Whitlock scored from 5 yards out in the third quarter, capping a 76-yard march.

Tyler Wilke's 34-yard field goal early in the fourth cut the Salukis' lead to 14-6. But Whitlock added a 3-yard scoring run with 5:33 to go that capped a short 26-yard drive after Eastern had thrown an incomplete fourth-down pass on a fake punt.

Whitlock finished with 89 yards rushing on 23 carries for the Salukis. Vincent Webb gained 80 yards on 17 carries to lead Eastern, which finished 9-3.

-- From wire reports