Big Ten Recap: Harbaugh Era Begins, Wolverines Fall in Salt Lake City

UTAH 24, MICHIGAN 17

The 2015 Big Ten season commenced Thursday in Salt Lake City as head coach Jim Harbaugh made his highly-anticipated Michigan coaching debut. Though it was pretty obvious to everyone who the starting quarterback would be, the question was answered when graduate transfer Jake Rudock trotted out for the Wolverines' first offensive series. The problem for Michigan fans? The position looked very much like it has over the last few seasons. Rudock overshot several deep (and open) receivers and threw three interceptions. The UM rushing attack was also stymied, averaging just 2.6 yards per carry. 

The bright spot for the Wolverines? Their defense – especially against the run – was pretty stout. Utah running back Devontae Booker, who has been discussed as a potential Heisman darkhorse, was held to just 69 yards on 22 carries. Coming off an injury-plagued 2014, redshirt freshman (and aspiring rapper) Jabrill Peppers got the start in the Michigan secondary. Peppers got off to a bit of a rough start but eventually settled in and made a few nice plays in the second half. 

Wide receiver Amara Darboh and tight end Jake Butt were easily the best players for the Wolverines' offense; both hauling in eight passes and finding the endzone. Harbaugh raved about Butt in the post-game presser, in his typical eloquent way. 

Tough loss tonight for Father Goose pic.twitter.com/jK6aMMe2fv

— Ryan Ginn (@RyanGinnBSB) September 4, 2015

No. 3 ALABAMA 35, No. 20 wisconsin 17

The Badgers were able to hang around with the Crimson Tide for one half of football, but the Bama running game was too much in the third and fourth quarters. Derrick Henry ran for 147 yards and three scores while averaging over eleven yards per carry. Kenyan Drake added another 77 rushing yards and a touchdown of his own. Robert Foster led the way for the Bama receivers, hauling in four passes for 50 yards and a score.

The Joel Stave-led Wisconsin offense had its moments early on but just couldn't get things rolling. The senior threw for 228 yards, two touchdowns, and a late-game interception. The biggest issue for the Badgers was their lack of a running game. New starting tailback Corey Clement could only manage sixteen yards on eight carries before exiting the game with a groin injury. The usually-reliable Wiscy ground game was held to just forty yards.

NO. 2 TCU 23, MINNESOTA 17

The Gophers were looking to avenge last season's loss to Gary Patterson's Horned Frogs, but two costly first-half fumbles ruined any chance of that happening. Quarterback Mitch Leidner fumbled the ball on the Gophs' second possession which would ultimately lead to a Trevone Boykin touchdown run. After a promising second-quarter drive, Minnesota running back Rodrick Williams Jr. fumbled at the TCU one-yard line; the Horned Frogs recovered in the endzone for a touchback. 

TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin wasn't especially sharp in the opener. Boykin threw for 246 yards and added another 92 on the ground en route to a two-touchdown performance. However, the Heisman contender missed several open receivers – two of which would have gone for scores – and lost a fumble.

TEMPLE 27, PENN STATE 10

The 2015 campaign did not get off to a good start for James Franklin and his Nittany Lions. It wasn't so much the loss to Temple that probably surprised some people, but rather the fact that Temple was clearly the better team.

Christian Hackenberg may be pretty high on the NFL Draft experts' boards, but the lack of development since his freshman season has been startling, and his pocket presence continues to resemble that of a cactus. In his defense, Penn State's offensive line play was abysmal in 2014, and somehow they were even worse on Saturday. Find that hard to believe? Hackenberg was sacked TEN times in the opener. Need a more specific example of their ineptitude? How about Temple's fourth-quarter sack in which TWO defensive linemen were going up against the entire offensive line AND an H-back?

Hackenberg threw for 103 yards, one interception, and added a whopping -59 yards rushing (yes, negative fifty-nine yards rushing). To make matters even worse for Penn State, starting linebacker Nyeem Wartman-White was lost for the season with a leg injury.

NORTHWESTERN 16, NO. 21 STANFORD 6

The Wildcats' defense came to play on Saturday, holding the Cardinal offense to 240 yards and forcing two turnovers. The Northwestern offense was led by redshirt freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson and sophomore tailback Justin Jackson. While Thorson didn't put up huge numbers – 105 yards passing and 68 rushing – he ran for a 42-yard touchdown in the second quarter and, most importantly, didn't turn the ball over. Jackson added 134 yards on 28 carries.

Pat Fitzgerald's defense held Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey in check, as the sophomore rushed for just 66 yards.

Kudos to Pat Fitzgerald and Northwestern. Stanford out Northwesternd Northwestern today.

— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) September 5, 2015

BYU 33, NEBRASKA 28

The most heartbreaking loss of week one undoubtedly took place in Lincoln as Mike Riley's Nebraska debut was spoiled by a BYU hail mary. 

Huskers' quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. led the way on offense with three touchdowns on 319 yards passing. Armstrong's favorite target was Jordan Westerkamp who hauled in seven passes for 107 yards and a score. For BYU, senior quarterback Taysom Hill put up 340 yards and three scores before suffering a season-ending foot injury in the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback Tanner Mangum then took over and ultimately delivered the game-winner. This was the first season-opening loss for the Huskers since 1985. 

NO. 5 MICHIGAN STATE 37, WESTERN MICHIGAN 24

The Spartans' running game was too much for the Broncos on Friday night, as three Sparty backs rushed for over 50 yards a piece. Leading the way was a name Buckeye fans should be familiar with – true freshman LJ Scott from Hubbard, OH. The 233-pound tailback definitely didn't look a freshman in his collegiate debut, rushing for 77 yards on 13 carries. Redshirt freshman Madre London rushed for 59 yards and added a pair of scores while sophomore running back Gerald Holmes tallied another 54 on the ground. Senior quarterback Connor Cook threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns but completed less than 50% of his passes.

The Sparty pass defense didn't look close to what we've grown accustomed to during the previous Narduzzi regime. Western Michigan quarterback Zach Terrell completed 33 of 50 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns.

Photo by www.lansingstatejournal.com

IOWA 31, ILLINOIS STATE 14

The Hawkeyes kicked things off against the No. 2 team in the FCS and defending runner-up Illinois State Redbirds. Iowa's defense shut down the Redbirds' rushing attack, allowing a mere 35 yards on the ground. The Hawkeye offense was led by quarterback CJ Beathard and running back LeShun Daniels Jr. Beathard threw for 211 yards and one score while also adding two touchdowns on the ground. Daniels Jr., a Warren, OH native, rushed for 123 yards.

The score wasn't really indicative of how well the Hawkeyes played. The defense was pitching a shutout until the Redbirds backup quarterback, Jake Kolbe, led their offense to a couple of late fourth-quarter touchdowns.

MARYLAND 50, RICHMOND 21

After a sluggish start, the Maryland offense (and special teams) rattled off 37 unanswered points. Maryland defensive back Will Likely set a new Big Ten record with 233 punt return yards. The previous record, held by Iowa legend Nile Kinnick, was set back in 1939 around the same time Germany invaded Poland.

The Terps' offense was led by senior running back Brandon Ross who rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown on just eighteen carries. Junior quarterback Perry Hills made his first start since 2012. Hills started off slow and was intercepted on Maryland's second drive of the game. He eventually settled in and threw for 138 yards and two scores.

RUTGERS 63, NORFOLK STATE 13

Shortly before Saturday's kickoff, Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood announced the dismissal of the five football players who were arrested earlier in the week. Despite the dark cloud surrounding the program, the team didn't seem to lose focus on the task at hand. After trailing 7-0 early in the first quarter, the Scarlet Knights rebounded with a dominant performance against the Spartans of Norfolk State.

Wide receiver Leonte Carroo caught three third-quarter touchdown passes after his first-half suspension for violating team curfew. Quarterbacks Chris Laviano and Hayden Rettig both played well, as there was a total of just two incomplete passes between the two of them. Rettig threw for 110 yards and one score while Laviano – after serving a first-half suspension of his own – managed 138 yards and three touchdowns. It will be interesting to see how the quarterback situation is handled next week against Washington State.

ILLINOIS 52, KENT STATE 3

After Friday night's scheduled showdown was postponed due to lightning, the Illini dominated the Golden Flashes on Saturday instead. The start of the Bill Cubit era featured a much-improved, opportunistic defense that forced four turnovers while holding the Kent State offense to just 59 yards rushing.

On the other side of the ball, Junior quarterback Wes Lunt tossed four touchdown passes and senior tailback Josh Ferguson rushed for 76 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns. When the game got out of hand and some of the younger players began to see the field, true freshman running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn added 43 yards on the ground and a touchdown of his own.

Illinois w/52 points vs. Kent State w/6 minutes left. Illini never topped 50 points in 3 years under Tim Beckman

— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) September 5, 2015

INDIANA 48, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 47

After suspending nine players for the season opener, the Hoosiers were barely able to fend off the Salukis of Southern Illinois – surviving only after a failed two-point conversion attempt. The Indiana defense gave up a whopping 659 yards as the Hoosiers found themselves down 32-21 at the half.

Offensively, the Hoosiers looked to be in mid-season form. Senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld threw for 351 yards and a score. Running back Jordan Howard, a transfer from UAB, rushed for 145 yards and three scores in his Hoosier debut. While the suspensions definitely played a part in their performance, head coach Kevin Wilson has a lot of work to do on the defensive side of the ball.

Overall, it's difficult to ignore the Big Ten's struggles to begin the 2015 campaign. While a 7-5 record may not sound especially awful, you have to consider the quality of the opponents as well; such as Indiana barely squeaking by an FCS squad. Purdue squares off against Marshall on Sunday and of course the Buckeyes will be in Blacksburg Monday night, so there's still a chance for the conference to save face. 

Bottom line? The Big Ten needs to perform better, especially in its more prominent non-conference matchups. We will certainly be seeing lots of tweets like this in the weeks to come. But hey, things worked out pretty well after last season's rough start, wouldn't you say? 

We just learned a lot tonight. There are two things in this world... The #SEC and everyone else.

— Greg McElroy (@GVMcElroy) September 6, 2015