This was an insane week of football. Sure you had the North Carolina@Florida State finish and the Tennessee@Gerogia dueling Hail Marys but the Big Ten did their part, too. Four of the league games were single score affairs and two went into overtime. Let’s hand out some grades.
Team of the Week – Indiana – A – The Hoosiers are in the Big Ten East meaning after the Wake Forest loss and sitting at 2-1 they were facing a schedule that included MSU, OSU, and Michigan. Worse, a cross-over date with Nebraska added to the strength of schedule. It wasn’t hard to imagine all four being losses, meaning the margin of error was razor thin for Indiana to make a bowl. How did IU respond to this dire projection? They beat Michigan State to win the Old Brass Spittoon for the first time since 2006 and just the third time in the 21st century.
Let’s start, oddly, with the Hoosier defense. This unit is drastically improved from last year. They held MSU to just 21 points and in overtime forced them to lose seven yards before missing the kick, paving the way for the victory. While MSU was able to rack up yardage, the Indiana defenders were solid on third down, holding MSU to just 4/15. They also had a takeway to help the cause.
Offensively Indian was their usual self…in the second half. After a scoreless first, they put up 21 points, 14 in the fourth quarter, to battle back from a 7-0 hole and then in overtime did just enough with a field goal to win. Devine Redding had a hundred rushing yard day on a solid Spartan defense and Richard Lagow bounced back from a brutal day against Wake to have 276 yards and 2 scores to one pick with a bonkers 10.6 yards per average. Awesome stuff from Bloomington.
Illinois – C+ – The last time we saw Illinois they were getting hammered by Western Michigan but Lovie’s gang came out of the bye week with a great plan of attack. They were up 13-10 at half and pushed that mark to 16-10 heading into the fourth. Unfortunately the Huskers dominated the final quarter putting up 21 to ultimately win by two scores, 31-16, but the improvements were there, especially on a defense that had been giving up points at will. Offensively I was impressed with Illinois’s running attack that put up 124 yards on just 21 carries for a 5.9 average, especially Reggie Corbin’s solid day.
Iowa – F – Coming into this season Iowa was considered to have the best OL in the Big Ten West, possibly the best in the league, and one of the top lines in the nation. This unit has been a massive disappointment and it is killing this team’s offensive potential. Iowa’s running backs combined for a pathetic 107 yards on 31 carries (3.45 average) but it is even uglier when quarterback C.J. Beathard’s rushing is factored in. Due to these “rushes” mostly being sacks, Iowa’s running day was 79 yards on 41 carries – a 1.9 average. Not to be outdone, the defense gave up 38 points and 362 yards to what had been one of the worst offenses in the entire nation heading into the game.
Maryland – A+ – I suppose a really mean grader could ding Maryland for 2 turnovers, 11 penalties (92 yards), just 96 passing yards, and 5/12 on third down but that grader would be an idiot! The Terps had a massive day rushing the ball with 400 yards on 46 carries for an 8.7 average. Ty Johnson gets the stat line of the week: 7 rushes, 204 yards, 29.1 avg, 2 TDs, and a long of 76. That is some Forrest Gump running right there. Oh by the way, the defense gave up 205 total yards and 10 rushing yards. That is pretty stunning so I’ll repeat that. The defense gave up TEN (10!!!!!!!) rushing yards. Awesome day for the crab cake eaters. For the record, I absolutely love crab cakes so this was the furthest thing from an insult.
Michigan – B- – Defense was amazing. Let’s get that out of the way right off but this team’s offensive issues were exposed and that has to be terrifying knowing that they only have a limited time before taking on Ohio State. The limp rushing attack returned with 130 yards on 44 carries (3.0 average) and Michigan’s kicking game was inept with three missed field goals. Remember, this was done against a Wisconsin team missing a plethora of pieces. A full strength Wisconsin team may have had enough in them to win. A sigh of relief from Ann Arbor no doubt, but this wasn’t the performance they were hoping to get to springboard them through the rest of the season.
Michigan State – C- – The Michigan State offense moved the ball well enough but they say the devil is in the details and MSU struggled in the finer points of the game. First, awful on third down. Second, two missed field goals, including one in overtime. Lastly 11 penalties for 98 yards is a good way to lose in an extremely tight game. So is the season over? Surprisingly, not quite. If they win out, they will be 7-2 in the Big Ten and would get head to head wins over Michigan and Ohio State. UM and OSU obviously play each other so one will have a second league loss. You can bet your butts East Lansing will be pulling for the Badgers to upset Ohio State in Madison on the 15th.
Minnesota – B – The Gophers played a really solid game, limited to just 1 turnover (though did lose this measure -1), dominated time of possession 36:49 to 23:11, and rushed for 228 yards. All great things but it wasn’t enough. Why? Well too many scoring drives ended with three points as Emmit Carpenter hit all four of his field goals with the long only 46 yards. Since the endzone plus the snap is 17 yards, that means all those drives ended inside the 30. The other problem is the defense was okay but had lapses. The most glaring was on the final drive that allowed Penn State to tie the game. They also looked gassed on the PSU possession of overtime where the Lions ran it in on the very first play. I’m not sure why they would be tired though, since UM dominated T.O.P as I mentioned above. Lastly the penalty bug hit this team again as they were flagged 8 more times for 83 yards. This team is 109th in penalties per game and 106th in penalty yards per game. They aren’t talented enough to survive gaffes like that. Still, some encouraging things to take with them for the rest of the season and with Nebraska and Wisconsin having a tougher league slate than Minnesota, dropping this game didn’t destroy the dream of making a run to Indy.
Nebraska – B- – One of the hallmarks of a good team is winning games when you don’t play your best. That’s what Nebraska did against Illinois. The Illini defense kept Nebraska in check for three quarters but there is a reason this is a four quarter game. Two turnovers and a missed field goal reflect some of the sloppiness Nebraska had against a tougher than expected Illinois club but as Al Davis would have said, “Just win baby” and that is what Nebraska did in a sleepwalking type game.
Northwestern – A- – In the Iowa grade I did a pretty good job of breaking down the stats so I don’t really need to explain too much here other than to say why I gave the Wildcats an A- instead of an A. The kick coverage was awful. On kick returns, NU gave up 139 yards on 4 returns with a long of 57. As for punt coverage, NU gave up 115 yards on 5 kicks. To put that into perspective, the Wildcat defense gave up 283 yards. The Northwestern special teams gave up 254 yards. Can’t do that again.
Ohio State – A+ – I generally have a rule not to give an A+ for playing small programs or weak ones and Rutgers qualifies as a weak one so to get that plus you know something amazing happened. OSU looked great on both sides of the ball as they racked up 669 yards, 410 of them on the ground. They held Rutgers to just 9 first downs, 116 yards, and a bonkers 3/16 for 33 yards through the air. Out-freaking-standing. J.T. Barrett’s Heisman candidacy took another step forward with an Abe Lincoln thanks to 4 TD passing scores and over 300 all purpose yards.
Penn State – B+ – Gutty, gutty performance by QB Trace McSorely who had 335 passing yards as well as a team leading 73 rushing yards in the comeback victory. Also a round of applause to kicker Tyler Davis, nope not the big #99 specialist, but the placekicker who drilled all three of his field goals including a gut check one in the final seconds to force the game into overtime. The win doesn’t cure all the issues with this team or cool Franklin’s seat at all in my opinion, but it does make the week more enjoyable for people in western PA.
Purdue – F- – Leading rusher Markell Jones had 23 yards on 12 carries. As a team Purdue had 10 yards on 27 carries. That is a 0.4 average. I think that sums up the day Purdue had in their 50-7 loss.
Rutgers – F – The numbers are crazy so I’ll just repeat the RU day on offense: 116 yards of and 3/16 passing for 33 yards. Obviously the talent gap was massive so I will focus on the positive. Rutgers was only trailing 6-0 after the first quarter. They showed some early scrappiness which shows a lot of heart. Usually in blowouts like this it is over after the first with the favorite up sometimes as much as 28-0 but the Scarlet Knights weren’t going down with out some fight in ’em. I like that.
Western Michigan – The honorary Big Ten members have that 2-0 record in league thanks to wins over both Illinois schools but in their quest for a MAC title they took a big step forward by demolishing rival Central Michigan 49-10 on the road. They did it thanks to an impressive rushing attack that racked up 254 yards. A wise veteran quarterback in Zach Terrell went 15/21 for 170, 3 scores, and 0 picks. Lastly 11/14 on third down is incredible. Well done Broncos and keep rowing that boat.
Wisconsin – B+ – There is no Big Ten team as banged up as Wisconsin and no team with as much character to go on the road, have zero offense, and still nearly pull off an upset. Hats off to the staff, especially DC Justin Wilcox. One thing to remember is the Michigan State scenario. If UW loses to Ohio State, which based on odds is the likely out come, the Badgers can still finish 7-2. That would mean wins over everyone in the west. With all western teams but Nebraska having a loss already, the Badgers would be in great shape. Plus the Huskers have a road trip to Columbus so if the Badgers drop the OSU game in two weeks, they remain the western favorite.
Game of the Week – The Michigan-Wisconsin game was a defensive gem with strange moments, especially all the missed UM field goals, to have viewers thinking the Badgers were going to pull off an insane magic trick and win despite the offense being stuck in mud all day.
Why Did I Watch This? Award – You saw the yards above for Rutgers and Ohio State. Yeah, zero reason to sit through that one, especially once it was 30-0 at the half.
Gambling Report Card:
- Indiana vs Michigan State, MSU (-6.5)
Whelp, off to a fantastic start thanks to Indiana’s overtime win.
- Illinois at Nebraska, NU (-20), Over (52.5)
Yikes, I’m pulling a Purdue at the sportsbook this week as the 31-16 win by the Huskers whiffed on both bets.
- Iowa vs Northwestern, points (UI -13.5), Under (43.5)
Earn a split but somehow the worst scoring team in the Big Ten put up 38 and the teams demolished the over as they put up 69 combined.
- Maryland vs Purdue, UM (-10)
Every little bit helps this week as the Terps 43 point dismantling of the Boilers easily covered.
- Michigan vs Wisconsin, UM (-11)
Fun fact, Michigan missed three field goals. Those nine points would have come in handy for gambling purposes.
- Minnesota at Penn State, Points (-2), Over (56)
Another fun fact, some sportsbooks allow overtime to be factored in for the over and some don’t. It doesn’t matter though because in a delightful slap in the face the teams combined for 55 after the OT period that Penn Stat won…by 3. Been one of those weeks.
- Ohio State vs Rutgers, OSU (-38)
Ah yes, literally the only team I have been getting right betting on this year. Thank you Buckeyes!
- Western Michigan at Central Michigan, WMU (3.5), Over (57.5)
A…a…a double up?!?!?!?!?! Western Michigan’s 49-10 win polishes up the turd of this week for my bets just a little bit. So to recap, the only teams that I know how to bet on are Ohio State and Western Michigan. Awesome.
Week Record: 5-7-0
Season Record: 36-42-1
Big Ten and Counting 