Hey everyone, sorry I am packing my grades, preview, and gambling guide all in one crazy Friday. I was horribly sick all week and finally feel up to getting out of bed. The good thing is by getting a cold this early in the season, I’m probably good for the rest of winter. That’s how science works, right?
Team of the Week – Wisconsin – B+ – I don’t know how many times I have written this but sometimes being the team of the week isn’t about how you look but the magnitude of the win. Outside a few moments the offense was terrible against Nebraska. A fourth quarter lead was blown in a rare moment of the defense looking vulnerable and yet the Badgers found a way to overcome those moments and several special teams gaffes to beat Nebraska. While UW still doesn’t control their destiny (Nebraska needs to lose another league game and Wisconsin has to win out) they do grab a huge tiebreaker win over the Cornhuskers.
Illinois – C- – The Illinois-Minnesota game was one of the strangest games of the year. Entering the UI defense was keeping a third-stringer led offense in the thick of things with a 21-14 score. The final? 40-17. I think the depth of Minnesota and experience of a senior QB-led offense against Jeff George Jr. finally corralled this game for Minnesota but Illinois showed a lot of moxie on defense, holding UM to just 283 yards. Unfortunately, Illinois only had 245 yards and 89 of those were on the ground as Minnesota forced Illinois to beat ’em through the air.
Indiana – A – I’ll admit the improved defense took a step back in this one but the A comes from some fantastic coaching and offense. As an Iowa fan who has to watch the most stubborn coaching staff in the league (possibly nation) blindly line up the exact same every week I have a soft spot (envy) for coaches who are willing to toss out previous strategies for the sake of winning over philosophy. That is what Kevin Wilson did in rotating QBs Richard Lagow and Zander Diamont to rack up the rushing yards. Lagow is a passer and Diamont is a rusher. The result: 34 first downs, 9/14 on third, 650 yards, 414 rushing yards, 7.3 yards per carry. Diamont was joined by Devine Redding and Tyler Natee as backs to go over 100 rushing yards.
Iowa – Idle
Maryland – B – The UM offense was solid again with a healthy Perry Hills but they lost the turnover margin -2. Turnovers killed this team a year ago. During their 4-0 start they had tremendous ball security. This team isn’t quite good enough to overcome mistakes like that yet. Ty Johnson, though. Wowza. I don’t know what is more exciting. The fact that he is only a sophomore so we get to continue to watch his development or that Maryland is off Iowa’s schedule until 2018 so if he goes to the pros early, I won’t have to see him torch Iowa.
Michigan – B – Honestly, I think Michigan felt the game was over at half with a 27-10 lead. MSU showed a lot of heart in the second half. If there is any concern for this UM team, their lack of rushing cropped up again. I know 192 on 42 carries as a team works out to a respectable 4.2 yards per carry and 3 rushing TDs was nice but Eddie McDoom had 53 yards on 2 carries. If you take out the freshman wide receiver’s two explosive plays, Michigan was held to 139 yards on 40 carries. That is a tad under a 3.5 average against a banged up defense that has been hemorrhaging yards all year.
Michigan State – C – This was MSU’s Alamo. In a lost season they tried to rally for one last moment of glory against their rival. They did some good things as a result. Lj Scott had a nice day rushing the ball and the defense played with a ton of heart in the second half. Unfortunately, the Mexicans had overwhelming numbers and firepower in that battle against the Texans. Michigan had overwhelming numbers and firepower by being the healthier team overpowered the Spartans by the end of the day.
Minnesota – B – The best part of Minnesota’s win was their defensive scheme. They locked down the Illini rushing game and forced a Jeff George Jr., a young third string QB, to beat them through the air. He didn’t throw any picks but the 16/34, 156 yards, 4.6 avg, and 1 TD day wasn’t enough for Illinois to pull off the upset as the Gophers stay right in the thick of the Western race since they have yet to play either Nebraska or Wisconsin.
Nebraska – B – NU showed a lot of grit on the road, holding Wisconsin’s offense to an anemic 337 yards and making the passing game useless. Nebraska’s offense was also tied down but they found just enough to get the game tied in regulation. What this team has done is nothing short of incredible. I’ve talked at length about Wisconsin overcoming a million injuries on defense. Nebraska has had a rash of injuries on offense and yet continues to find ways to compete. These two teams are such an incredible story compared to teams faltering with fewer injuries (Iowa) or unable to show any depth in face of injuries (Michigan State).
Northwestern – A – How many teams are shut out 10-0 in the first quarter at the Shoe and end up losing the game 40 something to 14? A ton, I bet. Not this scrappy Northwestern team. The growth of Clayton Thorson this season has been remarkable. He put up 300 yards in all purpose yards against the Buckeyes and nearly guided them to a massive upset. Let’s also give some love to a defense that was on fire all day. Plus Austin Carr is kind of a good receiver.
Ohio State – B+ – This was a strange game for OSU. They looked so sharp jumping out to a 10-0 lead but lost the remaining quarters 20-14. Yardage wasn’t too shabby with 431, 23 first downs, and 10/17 on third all point to a good day on offense but they were held to just 24 points. Still, I think OSU goes into some mid-season swoons. We’ve seen this in the past dating back to Jim Tressel. When you are so much more talented than everyone else in the league you sometimes day dream a bit and have closer than expected games.
Penn State – A – I was worried about a hangover and that seemed to be true…for a half. Although tied at 17 when the band came out, PSU dominated the second half winning it 45-7. Trace McSorley had another gem and Saquon Barkely hit the 200 yard mark for the second time this season. This well oiled machine looks to keep the solid play rolling at home against Iowa as they have a real shot to end the season on an eight game winning streak.
Purdue – D- – Tempting to give Purdue an F but they were tied at the half and David Blough had another game in which he was forced to do it all and still played alright. It will be interesting to see if he goes the route of the last two PU quarterbacks and plays for an SEC team next year. Chad Kelly is a senior at Ole Miss…hmm.
Rutgers – Idle
Western Michigan – A – Western has built a blueprint of a solid rushing game to rack up the time of possession and let Zach Terrell carve up defenses when the opportunity strikes. Against Ball State, Terrell was full gunslinger and racked up 367 passing yards, 3 scores to 0 picks, yet the Broncos scored too quickly to amass much TOP and the Cardinals actually held the ball longer. Guess it didn’t matter much. Western won 52-20.
Game of the Week – The Northwestern at Ohio State game was a fun one, but come on, a top 10 battle that went to overtime? Wisconsin’s triumph against Nebraska gets the GOTW honors.
Why Did I Watch This? Award – Penn State and Purdue were tied at 17. Hot damn I was thinking, this could be a crazy result. Nope, the Lions adjusted at the half and won the third frame 24-7 to blow the game open en route to a 38 point win.
Gambling Report Card:
- Illinois vs Minnesota, UM (-9)
Well entering the fourth quarter this one wasn’t looking too hot. Thankfully those wily Gophers dominated the final quarter to win 40-17, appearing to cover easily – but trust me, there was sweat involved in this one.
- Indiana vs Maryland, Points (Indiana, -3.5)
I thought with a healthy Perry Hills Maryland would be able to move the ball and put up a ton of points. They did move the ball and did put up a ton of points. Unfortunately, UM didn’t bring any defense and lost by six.
- Michigan at Michigan State, UM (-24.5), Over (52.5)
Well MSU helped me out. Once it became clear that Michigan wasn’t going to cover, an 18 point fourth quarter, 13 of which was scored by MSU, got us to 55 points to earn a split.
- Nebraska at Wisconsin, UW (-9.5)
Not gonna lie, when it got to 17-7 I was feeling really good about myself. Still, as a Wisconsin grad, I will gladly give up some money at the book if it means a win on the field.
- Northwestern at Ohio State, Points (OSU -27.5)
This sort of felt like taking candy from a baby. Northwestern had been so hot the last few weeks and OSU so flat that it seemed like the Cats were poised to keep it close. Did I expect 4 points? Nope, but either way I’ll cash that winning bet.
- Penn State at Purdue, Stay Away
Yup, I told people to stay away. The fear of a hangover scared me off this one. When it was tied at 17 I felt good keeping that money in my pocket.
- Western Michigan at Ball State, No Pick
With this game being played Tuesday, I said I would do a supplemental. Guess what, with getting sick on Monday and Tuesday being one of my worse days, I totally forgot. I will not let it happen again, I swear. Too much easy money out there betting on these Broncos.
Week Record: 3-3-0
Season Record: 52-65-0
Big Ten and Counting 