Iowa’s offense produced 3 points…that’s less than Iowa’s defense produced, less than OSU’s defense produced, less than OSU’s offense produced, and less than the number of turnovers Iowa had. Launch the Ferentz’s into the sun, please, for the love of god.
Team of the Week – Rutgers – A – This award is all about overcoming adversity and keeping bowl hopes alive. In a massive “not a must win but we really, really need it” game, RU came out flatter than can of New Coke your uncle has held onto since 1982 and yet, they clawed back from that 14-0 deficit to win the game and get to 4-3. It was also their first league win at home in eons. Last but not least, that shaky RU offense managed to put up some nice numbers, including Samuel Brown V’s workman like 101 yards on a grind it out 3.6 yards average.
Illinois – Off
Indiana – D- – Yet again IU is close but comes up short. This time they blew a 14-0 lead thanks to 11 straight possessions that yielded no points. Worse, their lone turnover was a pick-six. Indiana is in their own way a slightly better offense and slightly worse defensive version of Iowa. That wasn’t meant to be a compliment to either IU or UI. There just isn’t enough punch there and it shows as Rutgers was able to grind out that victory.
Iowa – F———– – Pathetic coaching. Refusing to recruit a quarterback or take one from the transfer portal resulted in the incredibly nice and graceful Spencer Petras to trot out on the field every Saturday when he is clearly over his head. Then at half they switch to Alex Padilla, who the staff claims practices great. Well, considering he couldn’t handle his first snap and the timing was off, it is safe to say he has never taken first team reps and isn’t used to that center exchange. Incompetent coaching. Fire Barta and the Ferentzes, ASAP.
Maryland – A- – More yards and points given up by UM than they were expecting Northwestern to achieve but some major takeaways: 1) Earliest bowl eligibility clinched in a long, long time. 2) Second straight bowl. 3) Survived Billy Edwards Jr.’s first start as Taulia Tagovaila recovers from getting banged up last week. This was an important game for UM’s development as a program and they got the victory. Well done Terps!
Michigan – Off
Michigan State – Off
Minnesota – F – Taking on the Nittany Lions in a whiteout shorthanded was never going to be easy, but I’m sure Fleck and the gang expected their defense to play a tad better than it did during the 45-17 rout. My sleeper pick is all but finished now with a 1-3 league mark. The new target is, can this team make a bowl? They are 4-3 and need to get two wins out of this remaining slate: Rutgers, at Nebraska, Northwestern, Iowa, and at Wisconsin. RU has an identical 4-3 mark, Nebraska has been playing better post Frost, Northwestern is dreadful, Iowa can’t score, and Wisconsin has two great games and one clunker post Chryst. If you are Minnesota you are banking on that Northwestern win and…somebody. As the injuries have mounted the margin of error for Minnesota has gotten more and more narrow. Things may actually get worse before they get better up in the twin cities.
Nebraska – Off
Northwestern – D+ – Well it took over half the season but we finally have a quarterback for the Cats. Brendan Sullivan didn’t play well enough to get the win with those two picks but he did show some flashes as he was able to use his athleticism to cover up some of the flaws the NU offensive line has. With the anemic Hawks next, NU has to be legitimately optimistic of notching a second victory of the season with Sullivan getting another week worth of reps.
Ohio State – A+ – Took care of business against a wounded duck. Not a lot was learned, but they dropped the most points Iowa has given up since 1995 so it ain’t nothing. Even though Iowa’s offense is a disaster, there has to be a confidence boost from six takeaways and humiliating the already horrible Hawks. The ultimate tune up for the home stretch.
Penn State – A – It took a bit to get going and there were some boo birds, but Penn State sorted a lot of issues out in their beat down of Minnesota. The same thing we’ve been asking for years though is…why can’t the coaches and Sean Clifford put up these games against top teams? Clifford went 23/31, 295 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT but it was Minnesota. Will he do that against Ohio State? History says no, but Penn State fans will watch and hope that this is the year it clicks for him against a powerhouse.
Purdue – F – If you keep winning, you can win the division. Nope, not enough motivation. You are taking on a team that has beaten you for about 100 straight games. Nope, not enough motivation. Purdue just went through the motions in that first quarter and by then it was too late. Down 21-0 after one and 21-3 at half was too big a hill to climb. Three Aiden O’Connell picks resulted in 14 points (one pick-six, the other a UW drive). Why? Why did Purdue come out so soft and sleepy? I have no answers…so that usually means the coaches done screwed up!
Wisconsin – A+ – Not quite back in the title race but a solid win against a team with a winning record is a huge confidence boost. Badgers looked great in that first quarter, racing out to a 21-0 lead and the offense was more than game as they put up 28 points (7 were on a pick six). The defense gave up two fourth quarter touchdowns but by that point it was 35-10 so the scores did little than make the final score look a little more reasonable. They would need a ton of help, BUT, if Wisconsin plays like this the rest of the way, they will put a lot of pressure on Illinois in the western race.
Game of the Week – Despite some of the sloppiness as both teams were breaking in new starters, Maryland and Northwestern put in a fun back-and-forth game.
Why Did I Watch This? Award – I fast forwarded most of the second half of Iowa-Ohio State and I’m a diehard fan! Why the hell would anyone else watch this full game?
Gambling Report Card:
- Indiana at Rutgers – Points (RU-3.0)
That 14-0 lead had me feeling good. The rest of the game did not. Rutgers scored a huge win and IU costs me money for about the eight millionth time doing this blog.
- Iowa at Ohio State – OSU (-30.0)
That was easy. OSU bombarded the Hawkeyes and won by 44 points.
- Northwestern at Maryland – STAY AWAY
I said with Taulia Tagovaila I liked UM’s chances of covering but without him there was too much of a risk. I feel good staying away as the Terps did win but would not have covered the spread.
- Minnesota at Penn State – PSU (-4.0)
Yes I got the win but I’m kicking myself for not taking the over!
- Purdue at Wisconsin – Points (UW -2.5)
Whelp, so much for that pick. UW was up 21-0 after fifteen minutes and never looked back. Thought Purdue was due in the series and the better team. Clearly I was wrong.
Week Record: 2-2-0
Season Record: 45-31-2
Big Ten and Counting 