It was a wintry week 12 across Big Ten country as several games were impacted by the cold rain, sleet, and snow. This week's slate didn't feature the most exciting schedule, but there was a big one in Madison and the stage is officially set for the 2017 Big Ten Championship Game. .
The Buckeyes and Badgers have been on a collision course for a few weeks now, and the conference's top teams are all set to square off in Indianapolis on Dec. 2. The Nittany Lions, Wolverines, and Spartans all made a valiant effort, but Ohio State is back in its rightful place atop the Big Ten's East Division.
Let's take a look at what transpired during the penultimate weekend of conference play.
No. 5 Wisconsin 24, No. 24 Michigan 10
A windy November clash between two one-dimensional offenses with subpar quarterbacks and a pair of the nation's top defenses? Yeah, I'd say this one went just about as we should have expected. I would love to get some #takes from Michigan fans on this troubling (and lol-worthy) factoid:
Jim Harbaugh's tenure at Michigan:
— John Talty (@JTalty) November 18, 2017
Year 1- Paid $7 mil, finishes 3rd in B10 East
Year 2 - Paid $9 mil, finishes 3rd in B10 East
Year 3 -- Paid $7 mil, likely going to finish 4th in B10 East
This one was a battle of the running games, and the Wolverine offense really never gained much traction in Madison. Jim Harbaugh's ground attack netted just 58 yards on 37 carries and its longest run of the day came via a 12-yard end around to Donovan Peoples-Jones. Chris Evans managed just 25 yards on 11 carries while Karan Higdon rushed for 20 on seven attempts.
The Wolverine passing game continues to be mostly non-existent. Redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Peters was knocked out of the game with an apparent head injury in the third quarter. John O'Korn entered the game and couldn't do much of anything. Peters completed 9 of 18 passes for 157 yards. O'Korn completed just two of eight for 19.
The Badgers offense put up 325 yards against a tough Michigan defense, but there are still some concerns as they prepare for the looming trip to Indy. Alex Hornibrook completed of 9 of 19 passes for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He's now thrown at least one pick in eight straight games and continues to make some questionable decisions. A.J Taylor hauled in three passes for 79 yards and a score. Jonathan Taylor yet again put up big numbers on the ground. The true freshman ran for 132 yards on 19 carries against the country's No. 9 rushing defense.
The Wisconsin special teams also delivered for Paul Chryst.
Jim Harbaugh's son was spotted in the stands looking a bit frustrated with Michigan's performance. The little rascal looks to be ultra competitive even at such a young age. It would appear that the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree.
No. 10 Penn State 56, Nebraska 44
The Nittany Lions and Cornhuskers surprisingly turned into a shootout in Happy Valley. Though the outcome was really never in question for Penn State.
Nebraska had no answer for Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley. McSorley amassed 371 yards of total offense and found the end zone four times. Barkley returned to his early-season form rushing for 158 yards and adding another 66 as a receiver. The junior scored three touchdowns on the day. Juwan Johnson was Penn State's leading receiver with five receptions for 105 yards. Mike Gesicki hauled in two touchdown passes.
Barkley is now Penn State's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (39). Gesicki enters the record book as the program's leader in both receiving yards and touchdowns for a tight end.
The Huskers scored 20 fourth-quarter points to make this one look a little more respectable. Tanner Lee threw for 399 yards and a trio of scores. Stanley Morgan Jr. had a career day as he hauled in seven passes for 185 yards and a touchdown. Mikale Wilbon added a pair of rushing touchdowns.
No. 17 Michigan State 17, Maryland 7
The weather was frightful in East Lansing as the Spartans relied almost entirely on the running game to pound the Terps.
L.J. Scott led the charge with 147 yards and a touchdown. Gerald Holmes pitched in with 64 yards while Brian Lewerke added 63 and a score of his own. All in all, the Spartans totaled 271 yards on 51 carries. Lewerke attempted just 14 passes and ended the day with two completions; one of which was a simple shovel pass.
The Terps had a bit more success through the air, but the ground game was mostly stymied by the Sparty defense. Max Bortenschlager completed 13 of 25 passes for 121 yards. D.J. Moore hauled in eight passes for 76 yards. Maryland ran for 83 yards with Lorenzo Harrison III doing most of the work. The sophomore ran for 50 and the Terps' lone touchdown.
Not all heroes wear capes. Some, in fact, wear ponchos.
A++ football dedication pic.twitter.com/IZE1ICYo65
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 19, 2017
No. 23 Northwestern 39, Minnesota 0
The debut of the new "Goldy Gopher" helmet shockingly didn't do much to help P.J. Fleck in Evanston. Goldy is easily my favorite Big Ten mascot, but the Wildcats and a wintry mix were too much for the beloved burrowing rodent.
The most confusing stat line in this one would have to be Minnesota's passing game. Even with the wintry weather, I have no idea how you lose a game by 39 points and only attempt 11 passes. Alas, that's precisely what went down as Demry Croft completed just 2 of 11 attempts for 43 yards and three interceptions. I have no clue how to calculate a quarterback's rating, but something tells me that may be the worst in the country this week. The Gophs put up just 182 yards of total offense. Tailback Rodney Smith accounted for 103 of those yards.
Clayton Thorson completed 9 of 13 passes for 86 yards and three scores. The Wildcat ground game tallied 277 yards rushing. Justin Jackson led the way with 166 yards on 31 carries. He became the sixth back in Big Ten history to rush for 5,000 yards in his career. Garrett Dickerson hauled in two passes for 26 yards. The senior found the end zone on both of those receptions.
The Wildcats forced five turnovers on the day. Pat Fitzgerald has now won six in a row.
| Team | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 11-0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ohio State | 9-2 | 2 | 2 |
| Penn State | 9-2 | 3 | 3 |
| Michigan State | 8-3 | 4 | 4 |
| MICHIGAN | 8-3 | 5 | 5 |
| NorthwesterN | 8-3 | 6 | 6 |
| Iowa | 6-5 | 7 | 7 |
| Minnesota | 5-6 | 8 | 8 |
| Indiana | 5-6 | 9 | 13 |
| Purdue | 5-6 | 10 | 12 |
| Rutgers | 4-7 | 11 | 9 |
| Nebraska | 4-7 | 12 | 11 |
| Maryland | 4-7 | 13 | 10 |
| Illinois | 2-9 | 14 | 14 |
Purdue 24, Iowa 15
After falling at home to Purdue, I think the Hawkeyes may officially be the most unpredictable team in college football. I hate to dwell on the past, but I will never understand what the hell happened two weeks ago in Iowa City.
Elijah Sindelar picked apart the Iowa defense as he completed 22 of 37 passes for 229 yards and three scores. Anthony Mahoungou was his favorite target on the day. The senior caught seven passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Markell Johnson led the way on the ground with 14 carries for 74 yards.'
Nathan Stanley and the Hawkeye offense were plagued by a pair of turnovers. Stanley connected on 16 of 33 passes for 176 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Akrum Wadley was the game's leading rusher with 78 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Noah Fant was the recipient of the lone Stanley touchdown strike.
With a win over Indiana next week, Jeff Brohm and the Boilermakers would be bowl eligible for the first time since 2012.
Indiana 41, Rutgers 0
Rutgers has made some strides this season, but Saturday's performance in Bloomington was a giant step in the wrong direction. The Scarlet Knights managed just 186 yards of offense while being dismantled by the Hoosiers.
Indiana used a balanced attack on offense as they compiled 267 yards rushing and 236 through the air. Richard Lagow threw for a pair of touchdowns with Luke Timian and Ian Thomas on the receiving end. Thomas led all pass-catchers with 93 yards in the game. True freshman Morgan Ellison ran all over the Knights, averaging nearly 10 yards per carry en route to a 149-yard and two-touchdown performance. Cole Gest also topped the century mark and found the end zone for the Hoosiers.
Overall, it was a disastrous outing for Chris Ash in virtually all facets of the game. Lightning caused this one to be delayed for about two hours, which likely only added insult to injury.
So it's gonna be the Buckeyes and Badgers in Indianapolis, and there obviously will be some major playoff implications. Ohio State absolutely has a shot at making its third appearance in the playoffs, but it's going to take a bit of help from the likes of Alabama and Miami. Oh, and a win over Michigan, of course.
Assuming things go as planned against Minnesota next week, then it's going to be a simple formula for Wisconsin: Win in Indy and make the playoffs.
Any guesses on the Ohio State and Michigan line? What about the Buckeyes and Badgers? I'm no Vegas shark, but I'm thinking the Buckeyes will be favored by about 9.5 over the Wolverines and maybe 7.5 against Wisconsin.
We've just got one week left in the regular season. Outside of the aforementioned games, the Nittany Lions will head to Maryland while the Spartans travel to Rutgers in week 12.
All eyes will obviously be on Ann Arbor, though.
