And poof, just like that Michigan’s season has been made pointless and the Jim Harbaugh hot seat watch is in motion.
Team of the Week – Ohio State – A+ – A completely dominant performance sends the Buckeyes to Indy and keeps their “playoff” hopes alive. Dwayne Haskins shredded Michigan with his arm en route to 396 yards and a whopping 6 touchdowns. The special teams got into the act with a blocked punt for six and the defense played a phenomenal three quarters before some cosmetic scores late made Michigan’s final somewhat respectable. I’m still dumbfounded, though. 62 points, wowza.
Illinois – D+ – Stats wise, Illinois looked good but they fell victim to the classic Northwestern bend but don’t break. All those yards UI generated produced just 16 points thanks to three field goals and one touchdown. While it would be easy to mock Illinois for bringing Lovie Smith back, it is important that they keep the offensive staff together because that side showed genuine growth. Next up, getting some defense into the mix.
Indiana – D – The stats make it look like the Hoosiers were right in this thing and perhaps could have even won, after all IU did have more yards. The problem is when those yards came. Indiana’s two fourth quarter touchdown drives were 79 and 90 yards. Getting those extra 169 yards late in the game padded the stat sheet and the scores gave Indiana a chance at an onside kick with a little over a minute to go but ultimately it proved to be too little, too late as Indiana needed to play with that edge to start the game, not find it late.
Iowa – B- – Well a questionable fake field goal prevented a 15 point lead from becoming an 18 point lead late in the third quarter and the defense was gashed plenty but the Hawks made some big plays late, including a 4th and 8 to keep the winning drive going, they ran the bell extremely well (especially Mekhi Sargent with 173 yards and a score), and won the turnover margin 1-0. This was far from the prettiest win but after so much heartache in close games, Iowa finally won a nail-biter in 2018.
Maryland – F – A bowl was on the line but Maryland came out horribly flat. The running game did nothing with just 74 yards on 36 carries and the Terp defense gave up big play after big play. I still think Matt Canada could be a good coaching candidate but whoever gets the job has a lot more to fix than I think Maryland fans would care to admit. UM’s bread and butter jet sweep action was bottled up far to many times (Iowa, MSU, and PSU, to name a few) and the defense really struggled during this four game losing skid to end the season.
Michigan – F – Horrible all the way around but the biggest most horribl-iest thing Michigan did was refuse to adapt defensively. I get it, Don Brown likes to put his linebackers close to the line. Unfortunately that leaves you open to the short, the quick, and the crossing style routes and when you have an accurate quarterback like Haskins and a speedster like Paris Campbell you are going to get the day Michigan experienced.
Michigan State – D+ – Well they won so let’s get that out of the way. Other than that, the MSU 14-10 victory over Rutgers was brutally ugly. Sparty looks and feels like the worst 7-5 team in the country. I’m sure someone will enjoy getting to face this wretched offense in a bowl. You need like 20 hours to prepare for MSU not 20 days.
Minnesota – A+ – Gophers broke the Axe streak and got to six wins and a bowl all in one glorious afternoon. For such an injury plagued season combined with a disaster defensively the Gophers found a way to make a 13th game. To recap, on defense they canned their DC and have played better. On offense they have been riding freshman RB Mohamed Ibrahim to glory. Based on how young this team is and how much they have improved over the course of the season, it is not a stretch to say Minnesota is one of the most improved teams in the nation. When they lost three straight to fall to 3-3 (0-3) and then lost to Illinois to be 4-5, I think a lot of people left them for dead and now they are bowling. What a remarkable turnaround.
Nebraska – C+ – Down 28-13 in the fourth quarter, Nebraska showed a lot of moxie coming back to tie that game. Adrian Martinez finished off a strong debut season with 260 more passing yards and 76 more rushing yards. Just not quite enough there defensively for Nebraska yet, especially up front, but they know that and will work to fix it in the off season but clearly the pieces are there on offense for NU to go off next year, sniff around for the division, and make a bowl game.
Northwestern – B+ – A rather ho-hum win over Illinois but that’s where Northwestern is now as a program. They are so much better than UI knocking them off no longer registers much fanfare. They used some great defense and Isaiah Bower’s physical running style (166 more yards) to knock off their in-state rival. Now off to Indy where they face tough odds but NU’s defense can keep them in games so there’s at least a chance for the Cats against the Bucks.
Penn State – A – Trace McSorley wrapped up a phenomenal career with an efficient 12/22, 230 yards, 1 td, 0 INT senior day but the day Miles Sanders had was also amazing: 128 yards rushing on just 14 carries. Oh, the defense was also dominant. It is weird to think this era of PSU football will end with just one league title and a Fiesta Bowl win. No “playoffs”, no Rose Bowl triumph, probably not even a top-5 finish (unless something bonkers happens this bowl season to boost PSU). For as dominant as the McSorley period was, it just wasn’t enough to get the Lions into a more national / elite stage.
Purdue – A – What a week! Beat your rival? Check. Make a second straight bowl? Check. Keep your coach? Check. Also, how about the Rondale Moore show? 12 catches, 141 yards, and 2 TDs against Indiana. That is one amazing freshman.
Rutgers – D- – And yet Chris Ash is coming back. At least I know who will finish dead last in the league next year…
Wisconsin – F – This game was 37-7 at one point. UW lost the turnover battle 4-0. UW trailed time of possession by 10 minutes. It was a complete system failure. A real Chernobyl of a game by the Badgers.
Game of the Week – A great environment in Kinnick as both Iowa and Husker fans were treated to a wonderful Thanksgiving football feast. There was the dramatic NU comeback only to be topped by Iowa’s dramatic game-winning drive. The fact that Iowa’s Miguel Recinos got to redeem himself for a missed kick earlier in the game with a walk-off field goal on his senior day was extra special. Even the rain held off until three minutes to go in the third quarter. What a fun game and now I am so glad to see it go. Back to Minnesota in the finale, baby. Eat it Delany!
Why Did I Watch This? Award – Here are some combined stats: 528 yards, 5 turnovers, 3.35 average per carry, 27 of 62 passing, and 24 measly points scored. Ladies and gentleman, this is what you get when Michigan State and Rutgers face each other.
Gambling Report Card:
- Illinois at Northwestern, Under (58.5)
I was worried all week that Illinois would either get blown out like the Iowa game or keep it close so I went with the safe option: NU’s defense to keep the game in check and the under worked extremely well as the teams combined for just 40 points.
- Indiana at Purdue, PU (-3.0)
Played it safe again by taking the more explosive offensive team at home. They never did run away from the Hoosiers but Purdue did do enough to win by seven and give us another winner.
- Iowa vs Nebraska, UI (-7.5), Over (52.0)
Got a nice split to keep things going. Yes Iowa blew the lead and didn’t cover but the two teams combined for plenty of points before the rain arrived and added up to 59 for the game.
- Maryland at Penn State, Points (PSU -12.5)
SWING and a miss. I thought with a bowl on the line Maryland would be the more energized team but the more talented Nittany Lions kept them in check during their 35 point rout.
- Michigan at Ohio State, UM (-4.0)
So much for UM being the more complete team. Safe to say they were the worst coached team in this game. Worst prepared, too. Ugly.
- Michigan State vs Rutgers, Points (MSU -24.5), Under (37.0)
I mean what a dumb spread. The Spartans lack the ability to even score 25 points. As expected this game was a low scoring mess that Michigan State won by only four points and added up to just 24 points scored between the teams giving us an awesome double up.
- Minnesota vs Wisconsin, Over (54.0)
Nope…Wisconsin’s lousy day wasn’t lousy enough as it turns out. Minnesota won 37-15 which adds up to just 52 points so an extra Gopher score would have done trick. Ironically Wisconsin missed a field goal early in the first half. Poop.
Week Record: 5-4-0
Season Record: 69-62-1
Big Ten and Counting 