The Big Ten felt a little ACC-ish last Saturday, no? We had an officiating gaffe create an upset, we had a team we thought we knew (PSU) flat line and a team we had left for dead (Illinois) go full beast mode. We also got Wisconsin ranked again (finally) to push our little league’s number of ranked teams to six – tops in the nation. All in all a fun weekend for almost everyone, except those affiliated with Michigan State.
Team of the Week: Northwestern – A – Sometimes it isn’t about how you played but who you played and that is where the Wildcats come in. A shaky 1-2 performance over the last three games before their bye had people fleeing the ‘Cat bandwagon. Meanwhile Penn State had seemed to correct their heading with a stomping of Illinois to get to 7-2. When starting NU quarterback Clayton Thorson went down with injury in the first quarter, it seemed like all systems go for a Penn State triumph except it didn’t happen. Zack Oliver played well enough to generate a 13-0 lead. When the Lions closed the gap, Solomon Vault had an electric return to restore the two score lead and result in a 20-7 halftime lead. Penn State made adjustments and looked much better in the second half, eventually pulling ahead 21-20 but NU’s relentless defense kept the Lions off the board the rest of the fourth, allowing the offense to find a way to hit a late field goal for the win. 10 points from special teams is huge, especially when you are playing a defense as strong as Penn State’s without your starting quarterback. Huge gut-check win for Fitz’s gang.
Illinois – A+ – They took out some anger on the hapless train wreck of Purdue. 595 yards, 382 rushing, +2 in turnover margin, 48 points, 5 wins and looking good for a bowl if they keep playimg like this. The running game paved the way with both Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Josh Ferguson averaging over 11 yards a carry and they combined for 28 carries. What a beat down.
Indiana – B- – It is really hard to knock off teams that are fundamentally sound like Iowa. Iowa won time of possession, turnover margin, yardage, third down percentage and of course in the score. What Indiana does well though is move the ball and put up points, keeping them in games. Jordan Howard had a great day rushing the ball and 27 points is no joke. Unfortunately Iowa did the little things to win and the Hoosier defense isn’t good enough yet to pull off these upsets. I do think Kevin Wilson deserves another year though. His Indiana team is downright scary offensively. They feel close to a breakthrough eight or nine win season.
Iowa – B+ – As stated in the Indiana grade, Hawks don’t beat themselves and that makes it difficult to knock them off. Zero turnovers for Iowa against Indiana and some long drives to chew clock and score points was also impressive. The biggest key for Iowa’s run though has been finishing games. They find a way to get a stop or score some points late in games to seal the deal.
Maryland – B – Another fine effort by the Terps. The problem is they don’t have a quarterback. While Perry Hills and Caleb Rowe combined for 13/34, 204 yards, 6.0 attempt isn’t awful, it was un done by yet two more interceptions. Whoever gets the UM gig better pray Dwayne Haskins is the real deal.
Michigan – A – I think the most amazing thing about their blowout over Rutgers was that the Scarlet Knights scored 16 points. UM held them under 100 passing yards! Huge day for Jake Rudock and Michigan enjoyed a home cooked meal against the worst team in the east.
Michigan State – D – Harsh grade, maybe, but deserved. The defense was torched pretty good even before the furious comeback rally. That begs the question why when your best player is Connor Cook – and he is probably the best quarterback in the league – you run it three times with a five-point lead to try and ice the game? They never should have been in the position for the controversial (*cough* incorrect *cough*) call. I put this one on the defensive secondary, a struggling unit all year, and the coaching staff for getting too cute. Dance with the girl your brought, in this case, Connor Cook.
Minnesota – B – A gritty performance at Ohio State ended up falling a tad short, but a good game by the Gopher’s. The defense played well again, keeping the explosive Bucks from spinning the score board like a slot machine. Offensively, Mitch Leidner had another nice day throwing the ball but the running game never developed. I am curious about the decision for an onside kick down 14-21 with plenty of timeouts and time left. Perhaps the defense was just so gassed the Gopher coaches knew they needed the create an extra possession through special teams.
Nebraska – B- – Winning masks a lot of symptoms but doesn’t cure the disease. Huskers’ issues were in full force this week again. Almost 500 yards of offense allowed, 2 turnovers, allowed 8/14 on third down. The offense saved the day but the defense is just not up to Big Ten standards yet. Until it is, NU won’t be a very reliable outfit.
Ohio State – B – Pretty clear J.T. Barrett just makes this team sizzle. It was a solid effort against a talented Minnesota team but I’m still surprised they gave up 281 passing yards.
Penn State – C- – Oohff, where to start on this one. Terrible day on third down, Christian Hackenberg laid another egg and the coaching time management was terrible. It is a testament to the defense that they managed to nearly win the game. Franklin’s awful use of timeouts late though is inexcusable. I think the gaffe was enough to makes his seat warm again. The way this talented (on paper) team is routinely out coached is infuriating for us football purists.
Purdue – F – Of course after announcing Hazell would be back they get blown out…at home…to Illinois. He is now 6-27 (2-19) in his career. Not that I have to make that record look any worse than it is, but three of his wins are against FCS teams so he is really 3-27 (2-19) against FBS clubs.
Rutgers – F – 3/13 on third, 225 yards, 97 passing yards, -1 turnover margin, lost TOP by six minutes. At 3-6, I don’t see how this team makes a bowl (Nebraska, Army, Maryland remain) and if they fail to play 13, I don’t see the point of retaining Flood with how much of a headache he has been this year.
Wisconsin – B – With Corey Clement not making the trip, the UM game became a lot closer than it should have been. The good news is they survived and advanced. Badgers host Northwestern next week and if CC can go, watch out. Otherwise it will take a gritty, total team effort to take down the resourceful Wildcats.
Game of the Week – I’m sorry, that officiating blunder left too bitter a taste in my mouth so I’ll give it to the back and forth Northwestern-Penn State game that NU pulled out with a late field goal.
Why did I watch this? Award – Illinois was up 27-7 and Michigan was up 35-16 at the halftimes of their games. Did anyone really stick around for the second half of either?
Gambling Report Card
Oops, didn’t do a column. I was traveling for a wedding and just couldn’t find time in the schedule to do one. My bad. Although based on last week’s rough outing, perhaps a week off to re-set the systems could do me some good.
Week Record: 0-0-0
Season Record: 76-64-0
Big Ten and Counting 