There were some pretty big upsets this week across the country with one of the more noteworthy ones coming courtesy of the Big Ten. The conference slate had a couple good matchups on the schedule and one of them definitely lived up to the hype thanks to the Nittany Lions and Spartans.
As for the Buckeyes, it wasn't the best effort against Minnesota, but when you see four top-10 teams tumbling then I suppose getting a 16-point win isn't the worst thing in the world. Ohio State's running game was particularly bad yesterday and Urban Meyer and Greg Schiano still have all kinds of issues in the back seven. Regardless, the Buckeyes moved to 7-0 and now have a dangerous night game coming up next week.
A recap of went went down across the Big Ten:
No. 12 Michigan 38, No. 15 Wisconsin 13
Earlier this week, Pro Football Focus published an article talking about the Big Ten's best quarterbacks thus far in 2018. The No. 1 player on that list was Alex Hornibrook which led many to wonder exactly what kind of quadratic equation or formula is being used to come up with these "metrics."
Last night in Ann Arbor the Badgers' signal-caller was completely overwhelmed as he missed open receivers, tossed multiple interceptions, and really did nothing that could be categorized as good; and certainly not "best in the Big Ten." Midway through the fourth quarter I checked the stat line and noticed he had completed just a quarter of his passes for 25 yards and two picks. Yikes.
Hornibrook completed 7 of 20 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown and two picks. He tossed a second-half pick six to Lavert Hill that was especially bad. Jonathan Taylor had some room in the first half as the sophomore finished with 101 yards on 17 carries. Taylor was mostly a non-factor after the half when the Wolverines started to pull away.
Michigan's ground game pounded the Badgers for 320 yards and three scores. Karan Higdon rumbled for 105 and a touchdown while Shea Patterson chipped in with 90 and a score. The Wolverine quarterback had a nifty 81-yard scamper to go along with his 124 yards passing. Michigan's offensive line was especially impressive on the night.
The Wolverines delivered a dominant performance in a game that started out about as we expected—a slow contest between to two old-school Big Ten blue bloods. The second half was a different story, however, as Michigan thoroughly handled the country's No. 15 team.
Michigan State 21, No. 8 Penn State 17
Mark Dantonio had the ball with less than two minutes left in this one. It was fourth down and many questioned his decision to punt the ball back to the Nittany Lions and trust the Spartan defense. It turned out to be the right move and perhaps one of the better calls of the season as Penn State had the ball for 27 seconds before punting it back to Michigan State. Brian Lewerke then drove the Spartan offense 76 yards down the field for the game-winning score.
SPARTY GETS IT DONE!
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 13, 2018
Brian Lewerke to Felton Davis III secures Michigan State's upset over No. 8 Penn State! pic.twitter.com/0TnbwQIqYN
It was Felton Davis III who was on the receiving end of the game's biggest play, and I'm not sure what Penn State was doing with its coverage. Davis caught eight passes for 100 yards and a pair of scores on the day. La'Darius Jefferson led the way on the ground with 60 yards and a touchdown. Lewerke completed less than 50 percent of his passes but with 279 yards of total offense and two scores to go along with the game-winning drive, you probably won't hear too many complaints.
Michigan State came into this one with the country's No. 1 defense against the rush. Miles Sanders apparently missed that memo as the junior rumbled for 146 yards in the first half alone – including a beautiful 48-yard touchdown. He only managed 16 yards in the second half, however, as the Spartans clamped down. Trace McSorley became Penn State's all-time leader in passing yards while completing 19 of 32 passes for 192 yards and a score.
It's a devastating loss for the Nittany Lions who – with a pair of losses – now essentially have no shot at making the College Football Playoff. A few weeks after James Franklin went on a tirade about Penn State being a "great" program, he's now sitting with two losses against East Division foes; and we're only midway through October.
| Team | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 7-0 | 1 | 1 |
| MICHIGAN | 6-1 | 2 | 4 |
| Michigan State | 4-2 | 3 | 7 |
| Penn STATE | 4-2 | 4 | 2 |
| Wisconsin | 4-2 | 5 | 3 |
| IOWA | 5-1 | 6 | 5 |
| NORTHWESTERN | 3-3 | 7 | 6 |
| MARYLAND | 4-2 | 8 | 9 |
| PURDUE | 3-3 | 9 | 11 |
| INDIANA | 4-3 | 10 | 8 |
| Minnesota | 3-3 | 11 | 10 |
| NEBRASKA | 0-6 | 12 | 12 |
| ILLINOIS | 3-3 | 13 | 13 |
| RUTGERS | 1-6 | 14 | 14 |
Northwestern 34, Nebraska 31 (OT)
Earlier this week I saw that Northwestern was only favored by six points at home against Nebraska. My initial thought was that the line didn't make any sense, and then I reminded myself that Vegas probably knows something (like always) and I'm just a silly goose for questioning these things.
I flipped over to this game a few times but mostly just followed the score updates online, and at one point it actually crossed my mind that Scott Frost could pick his up first win. The Husks scored early in the fourth quarter to go up by 14 points. The remaining minutes of the game – plus overtime – were dominated by the Wildcats. Nebraska gave up a 99-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth that sent the game to overtime. Adrian Martinez's overtime interception gave the ball back to Northwestern who only needed to drive six yards before kicker Drew Luckenbaugh nailed a 37-yard game-winner.
Clayton Thorson attempted an absurd 64 passes in this contest. He completed 41 of those for 455 yards and three scores while also being picked off twice. Nebraska's defense had absolutely no answer for Flynn Nagel. The wideout hauled in 12 passes for 220 yards and a pair of scores. John Moten IV and the ground game didn't do anything on the day as Northwestern only netted 32 yards on 23 carries.
Martinez threw for 251 yards and a touchdown for the Husks, but the true freshman also tossed two interceptions. Devine Ozigbo led the way on the ground with 159 yards and two scores. J.D. Spielman was Nebraska's leading receiver with eight catches for 76 and a score.
Maybe next week, Scott.
Just a couple of dads supporting their sons. @kurt13warner @TJGreen1012 @KadeWarner @NUFBFamily @HuskerFBNation pic.twitter.com/MGQ9qjRGB8
— Trent Green (@trentgreen10) October 13, 2018
Iowa 42, Indiana 16
The Hawkeyes had no problem with the Hoosiers yesterday afternoon in Bloomington. Nate Stanley had a career day completing 21 of 33 passes for 320 yards and six touchdowns. Iowa continues to use its tight ends unlike any other team in the country as both Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson went for over 100 yards. Fant hauled in a scoring strike while Hockenson caught two of Stanley's touchdown passes. Hawkeye tailback Toren Young was the games leading rusher with 96 yards on 19 carries.
Peyton Ramsey led the Hoosier offense but was plagued by a pair of interceptions. He completed 31 of 42 passes for 263 yards and a score. Ty Fryfogle was the top target hauling in four passes for 71 yards and the touchdown. The ground game could only manage 67 yards while averaging less than three per carry. Ramsey also added a rushing touchdown.
Purdue 46, Illinois 7
Confession: I'm somewhat terrified of next weekend's matchup with Purdue, and it really has nothing to do with how the Boilermakers handled the Illini (as expected). I've currently got some visions of Rondale Moore running circles around the linebackers and safeties across the middle of the field. Here's to hoping Ohio State's coaches make that a priority all week long.
David Blough was impressive for the Boilers. He completed 25 of 36 passes for 377 yards with three scores and a pick. Blough also had a receiving touchdown thanks to a bit of trickeration. Moore and Isaac Zico both topped the century mark with the true freshman hauling in a touchdown pass and Zico going for a pair. D.J. Knox did some serious damage on the ground rushing for 150 yards 17 carries.
Illinois scored on its opening drive and then went on to do next to nothing for the remainder of the game. A.J. Bush Jr. threw for 170 yards and one interception. He scored the team's only touchdown via a five-yard rush.
Maryland 34, Rutgers 7
We all have known that Rutgers is a horrendous football team, but yesterday's game had one of those baffling stats that really makes you stop to appreciate just how bad things have gotten.
Rutgers trailed for this entire game, yet somehow its quarterbacks combined for eight passing yards (eight!), which means there's really nothing else to say about the Scarlet Knights' passing game (besides the five interceptions). Isaih Pacheco ran for 107 yards and a touchdown. That was pretty much for the Rutgers offense. Congratulations on one of the worst performances we've ever seen.
ICYMI: @TerpsFootball had a pick party today.
— Maryland On BTN (@MarylandOnBTN) October 13, 2018
of 'em, and they're all right here. pic.twitter.com/SDgNiJCltU
Another example of how bad things are for Chris Ash? Following the Terps' first touchdown, not a single Scarlet Knight bothered to catch the subsequent kickoff. Thus turning it right back over to Maryland.
Maryland wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire offensively as the Terps put up just 375 yards themselves, but that doesn't matter all that much when the defense is busy forcing five turnovers. Kasim Hill threw for only 76 yards but three of the sophomore's eight completions went for touchdowns. Ty Johnson was the game's leading rusher with 132 yards and a score.
It was an interesting weekend and it's led to some big changes in our power rankings, which are becoming increasingly difficult to piece together. I feel like I may be underselling Iowa a bit, but the Hawkeyes haven't really beaten anyone outside of the Cyclones. They've got a chance to ascend later this month when they head to Happy Valley.
It also feels a little weird having Michigan State ahead of Northwestern when the Wildcats went into East Lansing last week and came away with a win. Still, we can't overlook Michigan State's handling of the Nittany Lions this weekend and Northwestern' struggles against a winless Nebraska team. I think the 3-6 slots are especially tricky when ranking the conference's top teams.
Looking ahead to next week and this is a pretty large concern:
Ohio State's defense is going to have to improve quickly; Purdue, who Ohio State plays next week, is averaging 510.2 yards per game and 33.5 points per game this season after a 46-7 win over Illinois today.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) October 13, 2018
We'll obviously spend a lot of time talking about this one and will have plenty of #analysis all week long. I'm interested to see what the opening line will be, but right now I've got a bit of an uneasy feeling as the Buckeyes prepare to head to West Lafayette for the 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
What else is on the agenda for next weekend? Michigan State hosts the Wolverines at high noon, and that could be a good one in East Lansing depending on which Spartan team shows up. Michigan State has won 8 of the last 10 in the rivalry. The Hawkeyes host the Terps and the Nittany Lions hit the road as they look to bounce back against Indiana.
Where do you have Iowa ranked among the Big Ten's best? I've seen some lists that have the Hawkeyes as high as No. 3., but I'm not sure I'm buying in just yet.
