Last night was great and awesome and it was nice to see No. 4 Texas A&M fall during the afternoon hours. Week ten in the conference featured some noteworthy performances by the league's top ball-carriers and what in the hell is going on with the Michigan State Spartans?
No. 3 Michigan 59, Maryland 3
The Michigan offense did pretty much whatever it wanted to do against the Terps on Saturday. Wilton Speight threw for a career high 362 yards and a pair of scores while De'Veon Smith ran for 114 and a trio of touchdowns. Jehu Chesson hauled in five passes for 112 yards and a score while Amara Darboh also found the endzone.
All in all, the Wolverine offense amassed 660 yards and got out to a 35-0 halftime lead that D.J. Durkin simply wasn't going to overcome against one of the nation's top defenses.
November 5th, 2016: Speight->Peppers->Speight->Chesson Trick play works beautifully against Maryland, as the Wolverines end up winning 59-3. pic.twitter.com/QKNJdhth9z
— Michigan Moments (@GoBlueMoments) November 6, 2016
The Terps used three quarterbacks with senior Caleb Rowe seeing the bulk of the playing time. Rowe completed 12 of 23 passes for 203 yards but was picked off twice by safety Delano Hill. The Maryland ground game was unable to get anything going, rushing for 78 yards on 38 carries.
No. 12 Penn State 41, Iowa 14
Penn State was shockingly ranked 12th in the first College Football Playoff Rankings, but maybe that wasn't quite as silly as some thought. The Nittany Lions routed Iowa yesterday and continue to be one of the hottest teams in the country. How strange is it to see a Penn State squad that has a competent offense and non-statuesque quarterback?
It was the Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkely show in Happy Valley as the duo accounted for all but one of the Nits' scores. The sophomore quarterback threw for 240 yards and two scores while adding another 40 yards and a touchdown with his legs. Barkley rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown and added another score on his lone catch of the day—a 44-yarder.
FINAL: Penn State 41, Iowa 14
— Josh Moyer (@ESPNJoshMoyer) November 6, 2016
Saquon Barkley has 211 total yards (167 rush, 44 rec) and nearly outgains Iowa's entire offense (234). pic.twitter.com/wgui2i7PXl
Iowa's offense was bad and Kirk Ferentz should feel bad. C.J. Beathard threw for 204 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but the ground game just couldn't get it going. Akrum Wadley, LeShun Daniels Jr., and Beathard combined for just 30 yards on 26 carries. That is a problem.
No. 8 Wisconsin 21, Northwestern 7
The Badgers didn't need a whole lot from their quarterbacks as the offense relied heavily on senior tailback Corey Clement. Freshman Alex Hornibrook and senior Bart Houston combined to go 13 of 22 for 143 yards through the air. Clement ended the day with 32 carries for 106 yards and a score. Jazz Peavy chipped in with a 46-yard rushing touchdown as well.
The Badger rush defense was stout as the Wildcat running game was held to just 39 yards on 19 carries. Justin Jackson could only manage 42 yards on the day while Clayton Thorson recorded negative yards thanks to a pair of sacks. Wideout Austin Carr followed up his eight-reception performance against the Buckeyes with a 12-catch showing against the Badgers. The senior recorded 132 yards and a touchdown on the day. At some point, you gotta think someone may start covering him.
Illinois 31, Michigan State 27
It honestly still feels weird to see Michigan State this bad, and losing to Illinois is taking it to a whole different level as Sparty has now fallen in seven straight games.
Tyler O'Connor and Damion Terry were back under center for the Spartans after Brian Lewerke suffered a broken tibia last week against the Wolverines. O'Connor threw for 265 yards while Terry added 50 yards and a touchdown. Gerald Holmes led the way on the ground with 78 yards and a score. L.J. Scott added 50 yards on 14 carries.
Eastern Michigan currently has as many wins as Notre Dame and Michigan State combined.
— Alejandro Ziga (@ByAZuniga) November 5, 2016
Lovie's Smith Fighting Illini were led by freshman quarterback Jeff George Jr. and junior tailback Kendrick Foster. George threw for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Foster rushed for 146 yards and found the endzone twice.
If the Spartans lose at home next week to Rutgers, then East Lansing may very well burn to the ground.
| Team | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 9-0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ohio State | 8-1 | 2 | 2 |
| Wisconsin | 7-2 | 3 | 3 |
| Penn State | 7-2 | 4 | 5 |
| Nebraska | 7-2 | 5 | 4 |
| Minnesota | 7-2 | 6 | 7 |
| Iowa | 5-4 | 7 | 6 |
| Maryland | 5-4 | 8 | 8 |
| Northwestern | 4-5 | 9 | 9 |
| Indiana | 5-4 | 10 | 10 |
| Illinois | 3-6 | 11 | 12 |
| Michigan State | 2-7 | 12 | 11 |
| Purdue | 3-6 | 13 | 13 |
| Rutgers | 2-7 | 14 | 14 |
Minnesota 44, Purdue 31
The Gopher ground game led the way against the Boilermakers as Tracy Claeys' hopes for a Big Ten West crown may now depend on upcoming road trips to Lincoln and Madison.
Mitch Leidner threw for 231 yards but the senior added 74 yards and two scores on the ground. Rodney Smith led all ball-carriers with 24 carries for 153 yards and a trio of touchdowns. Rashad Still led the way through the air with four receptions for 87 yards.
David Blough put up big numbers again for the Purdue passing game. The sophomore threw for 391 yards with four touchdowns and a pick. Two Boilermaker wideouts topped the century mark as Cameron Posey went seven for 128 yards and DeAngelo Yancey hauled in four passes for 126 yards. Both had big plays on the day with Posey scoring from 89 yards out and Yancey finding the endzone on a 60-yarder.
Indiana 33, Rutgers 27
This was obviously the game that the entire nation was watching on Saturday, and the Hoosiers narrowly survived after turning the ball over four times. Richard Lagow threw for 394 yards and three scores but was picked off twice. Devine Redding rushed for 73 yards and a score while Zander Diamont added 56 and also found the endzone.
Giovanni Rescigno continues to look like a mostly serviceable quarterback for Chris Ash and the Scarlet Knights. The junior completed 19 of 36 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown and added another score on a short rush. Jawuan Harris and Andre Patton piloted the Rutgers' aerial attack as Harris led all wideouts with 118 yards while Patton added 91 yards and a score.
Next week there's not a whole lot to get too excited about. Ohio State travels to Maryland to do battle with a familiar foe in D.J. Durkin. Michigan makes its way to Iowa while Indiana will host Penn State. The week's most intriguing matchup may be in Lincoln when the Gophs come to town.
Urban Meyer indicated that he didn't see last night coming for the Buckeyes. Neither did an old friend of ours.
