B1G Recap: Don't Remove Your Helmet In Disgust

By Nicholas Jervey on October 19, 2014 at 7:15 am
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Week 8 in the Big Ten was like a diet soda: enjoyable, inconsequential, and filling.

The first two Big Ten teams became bowl eligible, and nobody is yet eliminated from contention. At this point in the year, hope overcomes all pessimism. Although none of the games had a major impact on the divisional standings, now is when games start to matter more.

Maryland 38, Iowa 31

Iowa fans were a bit cocky heading into this game. They forgot one essential thing; with Kirk Ferentz coaching your team, you should not be overconfident about a win.

The Hawkeyes started off by doing the worst thing possible: they took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. That prompted the offense to stagnate, and when Maryland fought back to take the lead they had no response. Stefon Diggs had a productive day (9 catches, 130 yards), C.J. Brown paced the Terrapins on the ground and Will Likely had a back-breaking pick-six in the fourth quarter to give Maryland a 31-21 edge. One insurance touchdown later, and Maryland had its best win of the season.

Iowa's conservative, vanilla “horizontal offense” failed them, as Jake Rudock didn't complete a single pass to a wide receiver in the first half. Despite being handed a cake schedule, the Hawkeyes have now blown two games. In the midst of an infuriating season, I hope Iowa fans can laugh at the thick irony of turtling up against the Terrapins.

I'd also like to thank referee Dave Witvoet for doing his best to liven up a noon game. Most officials would simply penalize a player for removing his helmet on the field, but Witvoet understands that "removing a helmet in disgust" has more flair.

Minnesota 39, Purdue 38

For the first time in Jerry Kill's tenure at Minnesota, the Golden Gophers overcame a halftime deficit to squeak past Purdue.

Purdue's offense surprised everyone and blasted Minnesota in the first half. Raheem Mostert had 100 rushing yards after two carries, and Austin Appleby's second touchdown pass put the Boilermakers up 31-20 at the half.

Minnesota made a sloppy comeback, chasing points too soon and erring on special teams. Even so, the Gophers narrowed it to 38-36 by the end of the third quarter and took the lead on Ryan Santoso's 52-yard field goal. On Purdue's final drive, Cedric Thompson intercepted Appleby to preserve the win.

At 3-5, Purdue shows signs of life. It's too late to salvage the season, but at least they have their quarterback of the future in Appleby, who has been routinely competent ever since replacing Danny Etling. How on earth did Appleby not win the starting job in the offseason?

For Minnesota, it's an exciting win with worrying implications. A team like Purdue shouldn't give Minnesota this much trouble, and when David Cobb and Mitch Leidner couldn't run, they looked like a mediocre team. Even so, they are one of 16 one-loss Power 5 teams, on the verge of being ranked, and bowl eligible for the third straight year.

No. 19 Nebraska 38, Northwestern 17

In its first three years, the Nebraska-Northwestern game (also nicknamed the Battle for NU) was fiercely competitive, with three contests decided by a combined seven points. This one wasn't so close, as the Cornhuskers outclassed the Wildcats down the stretch.

Tommy Armstrong and Cardale Jones should compare notes.
Air Armstrong

Each team made a fashion statement: Northwestern with its alternate Gothic jerseys, Nebraska fans by taking over Ryan Field. Northwestern's Justin Jackson made his own statement with two touchdown runs, and the Wildcats defense contained Nebraska en route to a 17-14 halftime lead.

Nebraska's Blackshirts adjusted in the second half, shutting out Northwestern and limiting them to 30 yards of offense. Ameer Abdullah broke free for 146 rushing yards and four touchdowns, and Tommy Armstrong made you believe a large man could fly.

It's a tough loss for Northwestern, which had showed some fight after a rough start to the season. Beyond the emergence of freshman running back Justin Jackson (who would be performing like Abdullah or Melvin Gordon if he had a better offensive line), not much is going well. To make a bowl, the Wildcats have to sweep Michigan, Purdue and Illinois or else pull an upset. As for the Cornhuskers, this finally looks like the year Bo Pelini loses fewer than four games.

No. 7 Michigan State 56, Indiana 17

B1G Power Rankings, Week 8
School W-L Rank Prev
Ohio State 5-1 (2-0) 1 1
Michigan State 6-1 (3-0) 2 3
Maryland 5-2 (2-1) 3 11
Nebraska 6-1 (2-1) 4 6
Wisconsin 4-2 (1-1) 5 5
Minnesota 6-1 (3-0) 6 4
Iowa 5-2 (2-1) 7 2
Purdue 3-5 (1-3) 8 8
Northwestern 3-4 (2-2) 9 9
Illinois 3-4 (0-3) 10 10
Rutgers 5-2 (1-2) 11 7
Michigan 3-4 (1-2) 12 12
Indiana 3-4 (0-3) 13 13
Penn State 4-2 (1-2) 14 14

Indiana fought tooth and nail, but Michigan State turned on the jets and pulled away in the second half.

After losing two quarterbacks against Iowa last week, the Hoosiers were forced to start true freshman Zander Diamont. He was ineffective, but Indiana made the most of its first few drives, and Shane Wynn made the Spartans look silly on a 75-yard reverse. Against all odds, Indiana held a 17-14 lead after 20 minutes. 

This was about the time Michigan State started stabbing everything in sight. Three straight touchdown drives let the Spartans put the game out of reach by halftime, and then Mark Dantonio added three more in the fourth quarter for good measure.

Here's a fun debate: who had the better 56-17 win, Michigan State or Ohio State? True, Rutgers is better than Indiana and the Buckeyes put them away sooner. But the Spartans outgained the Buckeyes 662-585, held the Hoosiers to 11 passing yards and won on the road.

I suppose it doesn't really matter. If both teams take care of business until Nov. 8, the winner of that game will be the Big Ten's anointed playoff contender.


That's all for Week 8. Don't miss Week 9 in the Big Ten, which has Rutgers-Nebraska, Maryland-Wisconsin, Minnesota-Illinois and Michigan-Michigan State going for it.

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