Big Ten Recap: Penn State Finally Gets Its Rival

By Nicholas Jervey on November 2, 2014 at 7:15 am
Kirk Herbstreit as Mark Dantonio: never again.
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Going through Big Ten games each week, I can't help but notice a trend – there are fewer competitive games this year than in 2013, and it may be affecting the quality of play.

In this week's action, five of six games were decided by three touchdowns or more. There were three similar blowouts last week, and three the week before that. There have been 14 blowouts of 21+ points in Big Ten conference games so far this year. In contrast, there were only nine blowouts at this point of the season last year, and only 16 such blowouts in all of 2013.

I can't help but wonder if the blowouts are bad for the conference's perception. Big wins are fun when your team is on the winning side, but blowouts are bad for TV ratings and most neutral observers find them boring.

Nevertheless, Week 10's blowouts had their charm. Where Week 9 was all about vengeance, the one competitive game this week was the re-establishment of a once-abandoned rivalry.

Maryland 20, Penn State 19

Wes Brown ran for a fourth quarter touchdown and Brad Craddock hit a field goal in the final minute of regulation to give Maryland its first win over Penn State since 1961.

Maryland and Penn State played a dreary game, combining for six turnovers and only 411 yards of offense. The Terrapins were on the verge of taking a 14-3 lead in the second quarter on Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil's pick six, but the touchdown was nullified by a bogus roughing the passer call. Yes, Penn State fans, Big Ten refs can screw things up in your favor too.

The Nittany Lions staked a 16-7 lead on Jesse James' touchdown catch in the third quarter, only for Maryland to take a 17-16 lead on a field goal by Craddock and Brown's touchdown run. Penn State retook the lead on Sam Ficken's fourth field goal of the day, but Maryland turned good field position into Craddock's game-winning kick. Christian Hackenberg fumbled the ball away on fourth down to seal the win for the now-bowl eligible Terrapins.

Even though Penn State-Maryland had not been played since 1993, there was bad blood between the teams. The two sides skirmished before the game, and Maryland's captains refused to shake the Penn State captain' hands at the coin toss (Maryland's athletic director later apologized for the snub). The Terrapins drew a penalty, but they made an important point: they don't like Penn State.

For a quarter-century, Penn State fans have yearned for a Big Ten rival. At last, they have Maryland.

Iowa 48, Northwestern 7

Iowa rejuvenated its offense over the bye week, thumping Northwestern at Kinnick Stadium.

The Hawkeyes bulldozed Northwestern in the first quarter, culminating in Ben Niemann's punt block and fumble return touchdown to go up 24-0. Jake Rudock is notorious for his checkdown passes, but Rudock averaged 12.6 yards per attempt against Northwestern's pitiful secondary. By halftime, the game was already over.

Iowa's offense hasn't packed a punch like this since 2010, the last time it scored 30+ points in three straight Big Ten games. Mark Weisman ran for three touchdowns, bringing him just shy of Iowa's all-time touchdown record. He should hit the mark next week against Minnesota.

Meanwhile, Northwestern's offense is in the lurch. The Wildcats' 180 total yards were their fewest since 2007, and they have yet to score 30 points this season. Blame injuries if you must, but Pat Fitzgerald must find a way to pull the Wildcats out of this nosedive.

Wisconsin 37, Rutgers 0

Baby Kill is adorable.
Coach Baby Jerry Kill is adorable. Via @Gingy_P

Showing the form that makes it a perennial contender, Wisconsin used explosive runs and suffocating defense to shut out Rutgers for the first time since 2002.

Both teams had a rough start, going three-and-out on each of their first three possessions. The Badgers blocked a punt to set up their first touchdown, and Corey Clement's 43-yard touchdown run in the second quarter essentially ended the game.

NovaWatch: Did Gary Nova prevent his team from winning? No, but he definitely hurt their chances. Coming back from a knee injury last week, Nova was 5-of-15 for 41 yards and an interception. Only because everyone else on Rutgers' offense failed miserably does Nova escape blame.

The Badgers have put together two dominating wins, and they are likely to make it three in a row against Purdue next week. Unlike the Scarlet Knights, who just want to beat Indiana next week and go to a crummy bowl game, the Badgers are legit.

Nebraska 35, Purdue 14

Don't do it Testudo, that lion has a family!
Maryland choked out Penn State on Saturday.

Nebraska missed several opportunities to break the game open, but it still overpowered Purdue in Lincoln.

The Cornhuskers took an early 7-0 lead, and could have extended the lead if they had not failed on fourth and goal, missed a field goal or fumble away an interception. Austin Appleby made Nebraska pay for the fumble, tying the game at 7 on a scramble. Nevertheless, Nebraska pummeled its way to a 28-7 lead. Purdue scored a touchdown and picked off Tommy Armstrong Jr. to make the fourth quarter interesting, but the Boilermakers' comeback ended there.

Nebraska is glad to be 8-1, but it is concerned about Ameer Abdullah's injury. Abdullah was hurt in a scramble for a fumble in the second quarter, and he left with a mild MCL sprain.

Purdue was not so lucky, losing its top receiver Danny Anthrop for the season with a torn ACL, as well as Frankie Williams and DeAngelo Yancey to undisclosed injuries. The Boilermakers look better than their record; that isn't much solace, but they could use the praise.

Michigan 34, Indiana 10

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

The movable object versus the resistible force: Indiana's defense versus Michigan's offense. In the end, the Hoosier defense was too permeable and the Wolverines won their first game since Dave Brandon "resigned".

The Wolverines stacked the box against the run to neutralize Tevin Coleman, and without Nate Sudfeld to keep them honest the Hoosiers couldn't do anything about it. Jake Ryan and Ryan Glasgow forced fumbles deep in Indiana territory, and Michigan turned both into touchdowns. The last one in the third quarter put the Wolverines up 24-3 to seal Indiana's fate.

Devin Gardner had his first good game since September, throwing for two touchdowns and an interception. He's beaten up to hell, but at least Hoke and Co. are finally calling runs for him and new tailback Drake Johnson.

Indiana has supplanted Illinois as the worst team in the Big Ten. Its defense is laughable, and the offense has scored 30 points only once since September. Bowl dreams are still technically alive, but they are fading.


Next week features Wisconsin bludgeoning Purdue, de facto bowl elimination games in Penn State-Indiana and Michigan-Northwestern, Iowa and Minnesota battling for Floyd of Rosedale, and of course the titanic Ohio State-Michigan State game.

From the Indiana-Michigan game, here is this week's moment of zen.

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