The Big Ten had four top ten teams in action against unranked team and went 3-1. That’s right, Michigan State took advantage of Michigan’s struggling offense, John O’Korn starting, and weather to steal a win in Ann Arbor, completely altering the race in the east.
Team of the Week – Michigan State and Purdue – A+ – Woah, a first. Co-teams of the week! I was hesitant to give MSU the nod two straight weeks in a row, but come on, they deserved it and what Purdue did to Minnesota was downright dirty.
Starting with the Spartans, they had a flawless game plan. Score early before the rain came, play salty defense, win the turnover margin, and avoid a back-breaking big play. They scored all 14 points in the first half, they allowed just 10 points, had five takeaways and a +5 on the day in turnover margin, and outside of Michigan’s lone TD drive where they had two plays over 15 yards, MSU shut down their chunk plays. I won’t go too much into MSU’s offense because like last week it, well, it scored more than their opponent. I’ll leave it at that.
Now onto Purdue! Was it a flawless game? No. They had 4 giveaways, more penalties and yards, were gashed on the ground, and lost the old TOP battle, yet they won. Why? Gutty, gutty performance. They kept hanging around and when they fourth quarter started were only down 14-13. They then exploded in a 18 point final quarter to get their first league win. What I loved was the passing game was relentless. Elijah Sindelar came in and torched the Gopher defense. The Ja’Whaun Bently pick-six to seal the victory was also a thing of beauty.
Illinois – C- – Yes, the 45-16 final is ugly but when you dive into the stats, Illinois still did some good things in this game. They put up 446 yards, 200 of it on the ground, against a solid Iowa defense. Jeff George Jr. had some nice flashes and his arm strength is amazing. He just needs to stop gambling and cut down on his interceptions to be a good quarterback in this league. Finally Mike Epstine was running all over the Hawks before his injury. He is a bona fide play-maker. Illinois has some pieces, they just need to fine tune a few things and become deeper as a program but the foundation is there.
Indiana – A – Not much to learn in a rain soaked game against FCS Charleston Southern but Peyton Ramsey did have a nice game and the defense was outstanding giving up just 134 total yards and not a single passing yard.
Iowa – A – Okay, fine, yes, it was against Illinois BUT, 45 points, 441 total yards, and a nice days by Nathan Stanley and Akrum Wadley at least suggest that this offense can turn the corner. The proof will be next week in Evanston but it is at least an encouraging sign.
Maryland – Incomplete – Playing with your fourth string quarterback? Nope, sorry. Maryland would have found it difficult to beat anybody with all their injuries this week, let alone at Ohio State.
Michigan – F – All you need to know about this one is John O’Korn was asked to pass the ball 35 times in a driving rain storm. The game plan was beyond idiotic. Don Brown’s defense is amazing, but when is Harbaugh’s offensive guru status going to kick in and score some points? Ideally with a quarterback he recruited because currently he’s started an Iowa grad transfer, a Hoke recruit, and a Houston transfer (that transferred during the Hoke era).
Minnesota – C+ – This is the second week in a row that Minnesota plays some fine football but just can’t get over the hump. The problems right now are two issues on offense. The first is the passing game isn’t giving them enough and the second is they are putting up yards but not finishing drives for enough points. In other words, the Gopher offense is either feast or famine. In the drive chart against Purdue, their average scoring drive was 9 plays and 60.33 yards. Their average punting drive was 4.4 plays and 10.14 yards. It is hard to flip the field when you either score or go 3 and out. Not all punts are created equal. Remember, a punt after a 25 yard drive and pinning your opponent isn’t the same as going 3 and out at your own twenty.
Nebraska – D – Let’s start with the positives, the NU offense had an okay day against a really good defense. They produced 17 points, were serviceable through the air, and Devine Ozigbo had another hundred yard day. The problem, the new-look 3-4 struggled against another rushing attack. Freshman phenom Jonathan Taylor had 249 yards and as a team Wisconsin dropped the hammer with 353 rushing yards on 49 carries.
Northwestern – F – The defense held up adequately for some stretches but this is about the offense. Justin Jackson is their best player and against elite teams he can’t get any running lanes. Jackson was held to just 66 yards on 16 carries. Quarterback Clayton Thorson is a nice complementary player but he isn’t good enough to shred Penn State’s defense so Northwestern is in a real bind offensively when they square off against the upper crust of this league right now.
Ohio State – A – Obviously Maryland was in a huge hole with an alarming rate of injuries slowly derailing their season but this isn’t a pity party and Ohio State showed no quarter. J.T. Barrett continued his post-Oklahoma hot streak with 261 passing yards, 3 TDs, 59 rushing yards (on just 8 carries), and a rushing TD to go along with the superb passing day. Buckeyes are firing on all cylinders right now.
Penn State – A – Defense was outstanding again and Penn State’s offense found ways to score against a team selling out completely to slow down the running game of Saquon Barkley. In the end it didn’t matter as the two Penn State quarterbacks who played connected on 29 of 41 passes with nine Nittany Lions catching two or more passes on the day. Trace McSorley might get lost a tad with the Heisman buzz for Barkley but he is a lethal quarterback.
Rutgers – Idle
Wisconsin – B+ – Defense played very well in the second half, allowing just 7 points and the running game was on fire with 353 yards and a bruising 49 carries ran with Jonathan Taylor continuing to be the best freshman back in the league as he ran all over the Bucks. The passing game concerns keep this from being an A game. Hornibrook was just 9/17 for 113 yards, a TD, and an INT. That is simply not good enough for a title contender.
Game of the Week – The tension in the Big House was felt even through the television as the in-state rivals battled it out on a rain soaked evening in Michigan.
Why Did I Watch This? Award – Speaking of rain soaked, Indiana’s non conference win over a FCS team during a driving rain storm was a lot less dramatic.
Gambling Report Card:
- Illinois at Iowa, Iowa (-16.0), Under (42)
Start with a split as Iowa’s 45 points crushed the under but as I expected, Iowa would be able to roll the struggling Illini and cover the three-score spread.
- Maryland at Ohio State, OSU (-30.0)
In hindsight I should have taken the over, too. Nevertheless, OSU destroyed the MASH unit Terps, 62-14 to easily cover.
- Michigan vs Michigan State, Points (UM -10.5)
In hindsight, I should have taken the under, too. Nevertheless, the Spartans didn’t just cover but they won outright in this rivalry road game.
- Minnesota at Purdue, Points (PU -3.5)
Whelp, the improved Boilermakers are officially costing me cold hard cash. I’ve been wrong about them against Louisville, Ohio, and Minnesota. I also trusted them and had them cover against Michigan recently. Thanks for nothing.
- Nebraska vs Wisconsin, UW (-10.5)
I said they would win by two touchdowns and I was right…but I also short changed Wisconsin as they actually ended up winning by 21 in Lincoln and adding to the firestorm circling Mike Riley.
- Northwestern vs Penn State, PSU (-13.5), Over (52)
Arrgh, a split thanks to Penn State winning by 24 but the Wildcats defense held Penn State to just 31 points and then PSU’s defense returned the favor by holding NU to seven measly points.
Week Record: 5-3-0
Season Record: 50-52-0
Big Ten and Counting 