In the wind and rain Michigan State dug deep with a third stringer to not just upset the Big Ten east but make the CFP race that much more interesting. Michigan did their part to stay alive but is totally dependent on Penn State for upsetting the Spartans…that assumes the Wolverines take care of business against OSU. What a mess. The west is easier. Iowa’s win over Purdue locked up the division and Northwestern’s win in Madison makes it an outright division crown.
Team of the week: Michigan State – A – Duh. Their defense held OSU to just 132 yards, 46 of them through the air. That unit…outstanding. Two turnovers made it interesting as MSU would have most likely won 17-0 without the two give aways but that is all academic now. Hosting a disappointing Penn State team is all that prevents them from a trip to Indy.
Illinois – D – The Illini defense held Minnesota to just 88 passing yards and 343 total yards, a pretty good effort on the road. Unfortunately the offense had three turnovers. The first came during a nice drive at mid field. The second was a pick within field goal range and the final came late in the game to take a 99% chance of victory to 100% for Minnesota. Disappointing that miscues tanked this team in a winnable tilt.
Indiana – A- – Down 21-3 Hoosiers realized they were playing Maryland and won the rest of the way 44-7. What is crazy is zero points were scored for either team in the fourth. All that action across just three frames. What is this hockey? Congrats to Nate Sudfeld who had a gem with 23/35, 11.0 avg, 4 TD, 0 INT, 91.1 QBR. They get arch-rival Purdue next to try and get a bowl berth.
Iowa – B+ – This was such a strange game. Iowa raced out to a 20-0 lead and the route looked like it was on. Then the PU starting quarterback got hurt and Austin Appleby came in. Appleby is a much better pocket passer than Blough and the shift in styles tripped up Iowa’s defensive game plan. Purdue’s defense also tightened up so a 13 point rally cut it to seven. Iowa regained control again with 2 scores to go up 33-13 before each club alternated a final touchdown late in the game. 40 points is more than enough to win most games and although Purdue got 20 points and a lot of yards, they had to run a ton of plays to get there. They averaged just 5.8 yards per pass and 3.6 per rush. I think without the injury, Iowa just keeps rolling – like I said, strange game.
Maryland – F – Up 21-3 they then turtled (awful pun intended) and when it was all said and done they lost by 19 and gave up 555 yards to Indiana. We know the Hoosiers are vastly improved but come on, where is some heart in your home finale?
Michigan – B – Solid game defensively but where has the running game gone? Just 88 yards as Rudock has had to bail out the offense for the last few weeks. That defense is good enough to beat anybody but without finding more balance, I’m not sure what this UM would do come bowl season without De’Veon Smith returning to form and the OL finding some better run blocking.
Minnesota – B- – Wes Lunt shredded this defense pretty good, UI had more TOP and the Gophers produced just 88 passing yards. It wasn’t pretty but they survived and got to 5 wins. A date with Wisconsin in the finale will determine if UM can end a difficult season emotionally and schedule-wise with an exciting flourish and make a bowl.
Nebraska – Idle
Northwestern – B- – Well we knew points would be hard to come by in Madison so the defense had to step up and five takeaways speaks to that. Justin Jackson had a fabulous day rushing the ball and while Thorson won’t be including this game in any future highlight film of his career, he avoided the big mistake with zero interceptions.
Ohio State – F – Horrible game plan and totally unprepared for the elements. Rare to see an Urban Meyer coached team that shellshocked with zero answers. Seeing how they preform next week in Ann Arbor will go a long way to determining the character of this ball club.
Penn State – C – 28-16 doesn’t look great but it was 21-16 with 8 minutes to go. What is strange is that field goal came deep in UM territory. Penn State could have tied it at 21 if they had gone for it and made a 2pc. The offensive line was pathetic (again) and Hack was tossed around (again). This team just isn’t ready for top-end defenses yet. Their losses to UM, Temple, OSU and Northwestern reflect that. Good luck against MSU.
Purdue – D+ – Purdue fell down big but some key adjustments got it down to a seven point game before the more talented team took over again. I really don’t know what to make of Purdue. With their coach’s record, I was expecting to see a wildly unprepared team out there in person but didn’t get that feeling. I’m not saying Hazell is Bear Bryant, but I do think the lack of facilities, which impacted recruiting, is as big a factor as the coach is in why Purdue has been struggling for the last few years.
Rutgers – C- – Without Army’s miscues (two turnovers and a missed FG) I’m not sure RU pull out this 10 point win. Army outgained RU and even had more passing yards while attempting FIFTEEN! fewer passes. Another ugly game by this outfit.
Wisconsin – F – It is really easy to blame the refs for two touchdowns taken off the board, but at the end of the day, five turnovers is the real reason for the loss. To even be in a position to win is a credit to how amazing this defense is…
As for the Refs…
Paul Chryst had no problem with the invalid fair catch call. That is nobel of him. We see that arm gesture every time there is a short punt. This was a clear case of the spirit versus the letter of the law. If this officiating crew believes in the letter of the law – which clearly they do with the invalid fair catch call – why weren’t there 200 holdings called? After all, there is holding on every play.
As for the “process of the catch” call – well, that was just garbage. He took several steps before falling and still held on to the ball even after rolling around. He was at least five yards in bounds in the end zone before going out. No Northwestern players were showing an incompletion call or celebrating. They know it was six.
Here is my policy for this crew. Fired, no paychecks from the Wisconsin game. It is really simple. Until there is actual financial loss for awful calls, refs don’t really seem to have any incentive in getting anything right.
Gambling Report Card:
- Illinois at Minnesota, UM (-4.5)
A hot start as the Gopher’s nine point home win covers. Glad I stayed away from the O/U. It was 47. I know 55 points were scored but it was just 21-13 at the half. Wasn’t looking pretty there for a while.
- Indiana at Maryland, Points (UM, -2.5), Over (64)
Why the hell was Maryland favored? I said the Hoosiers would win by 21. They ended up winning by 19. The teams combined for 75 points, too. Easy double up.
- Iowa vs Purdue, Points (UI -22.5), Under (57.5)
A split as Iowa just couldn’t quite cover such a massive spread but late scores by both teams pushed the total to sixty.
- Michigan at Penn State, UM (4.0), Over (41.5)
“I’ll take Michigan and the over: 28-14.” Final score…28-16. DOUBLE-UP!
- Michigan State at Ohio State, Over (53, degenerate pick)
I said this was a stay away for multiple reasons. I didn’t realize playing in a monsoon would be one of them. These teams combined for just 31 points.
- Northwestern at Wisconsin, UW (-10), Over (40)
Yikes, a million turnovers and Northwestern’s puitrid offense killed both bets here. A double-down, I guess.
- Rutgers at Army, RU (-4.5)
The ten point win means we won money on something Rutgers did this year? Yay, us!
Week Record: 7-4-0
Season Record: 90-72-0
Big Ten and Counting 