Things didn't go as planned last night for the Buckeyes, but I suppose the optimist in all of us still has the eyes on the prize. If Ohio State wins the rest of its game – including a big one in Indy – then one has to think a playoff berth is still very much in the cards; albeit far from a guarantee.
Still, it's concerning to see the same issues from week to week in the back seven and the red-zone woes appear to be a major problem as well. The Buckeyes are off next week, and it probably couldn't be coming at better time as the team is in serious need of some recalibrating.
Outside of your thoughts on the loss, you have to at least feel good for Tyler Trent. His story was in the spotlight yesterday, and the young man who's battling osteosarcoma got to watch live as his favorite team pulled off one of the biggest wins in program history.
A lot went down outside of West Lafayette, and there's a new No. 1 in our power rankings.
No. 6 Michigan 21, No. 24 Michigan State 7
I'd say most were pretty excited for this one, but a lightning delay and a couple sputtering offenses made things a little hard to watch early on. Things got chippy well before kickoff when Michigan linebacker Devin Bush threw a third-grade caliber temper tantrum and began pouting and kicking his feet into the Spartan logo at midfield.
The Michigan defense did pull through in a big way, however, so I suppose Bush and Co. got the last laugh. Brian Lewerke had a pitiful performance as he completed just 5 of 25 passes for 66 yards. The Spartan offense failed to reach the century mark with just 94 yards of total offense. The passing game was dealt with a tough blow when Felton Davis III exited early on with an injury. He's Michigan State's top weapon on offense and early reports are that a torn achilles will sideline him for the season.
The Wolverine offense started off a bit sluggish but got things rolling in the second half. Karan Higdon rushed for 100+ yards for the sixth-straight game as he went for 144 on 33 carries. Shea Patterson completed 14 of 25 passes for 212 yards and a pair of scores. The biggest play of the game came courtesy of a 79-yard touchdown strike to Donovan Peoples-Jones. The game was all tied up before the DPJ score.
THE MICHIGAN OFFENSE IS ALIVE: Shea Patterson's TD strike to Donovan Peoples-Jones puts the Wolverines back in front
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 20, 2018
(via @CFBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/AmgE83vdWv
The Michigan victory is its first road win against an AP ranked opponent since beating No. 2 Notre Dame in 2006. Coming into this one, the Wolverines had a 17-game road losing streak against ranked opponents.
Following the game, Chase Winovich delivered his best Mike Hart impression and unleashed some more "little brother" talk. The Wolverine defender then took to Twitter to dish out a little bit of trolling toward some East Lansing media members.
No. 19 Iowa 23, Maryland 0
Maryland came into this one averaging 365 yards of offense per game, which had them at No. 101 nationally out of 130 teams. The Hawkeye defense allowed just 115 yards yesterday in Iowa City as the Terps couldn't do anything whatsoever with the football. Iowa is looking like a formidable team at the moment and one has to wonder what the outlook would be had they been able to hang on to the fourth-quarter lead against Wisconsin back on Sept. 23.
Iowa didn't do a lot on offense either, but it wasn't needed thanks to the defense and special teams. Anthony Nelson recovered a Terrapin fumble in the end zone and kicker Miguel Recinos booted three field goals on the day. Nate Stanley threw for just 86 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Ivory Kelly-Martin led all rushers with 98 yards on the ground.
Maryland actually came into this one with one of the country's top running games (245 yards per contest), but Iowa put the clamps down and allowed just 68 yards on the ground.
| Team | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| MICHIGAN | 7-1 | 1 | 2 |
| OHIO STATE | 7-1 | 2 | 1 |
| WISCONSIN | 5-2 | 3 | 5 |
| IOWA | 6-1 | 4 | 6 |
| MICHIGAN STATE | 4-3 | 5 | 3 |
| PENN STATE | 5-2 | 6 | 4 |
| PURDUE | 4-3 | 7 | 9 |
| NORTHWESTERN | 4-3 | 8 | 7 |
| MARYLAND | 4-3 | 9 | 8 |
| INDIANA | 4-4 | 10 | 10 |
| NEBRASKA | 1-6 | 11 | 12 |
| MINNESOTA | 3-4 | 12 | 11 |
| ILLINOIS | 3-4 | 13 | 13 |
| RUTGERS | 1-7 | 14 | 14 |
No. 18 Penn State 33, Indiana 28
Indiana started strong and actually had the lead in the third quarter in Bloomington. Penn State surged back and took over late, but the Hoosiers had the ball with a chance to take the lead when time expired.
Trace McSorley didn't have his finest day through the air, but he did put together a fine showing with his legs. He completed 19 of 36 passes for 220 yards and an interception. The signal-caller led the Nittany Lion ground game with 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Miles Sanders added a rushing score and the team's lone passing touchdown came via a Tommy Stevens to Pat Freiermuth strike.
Peyton Ramsey threw for 231 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Hoosier tailback Stevie Scott gashed the Nittany Lion defense for 138 yards and two scores.
The Nittany Lion defense will be without its top defensive back for the first half of next week's game against Iowa. Safety Garrett Taylor was ejected in the second half on a questionable targeting call. That's a pretty big blow in what should be a good one in Happy Valley.
No. 23 Wisconsin 49, Illinois 20
It was a different kind of weather apocalypse to start the day in Madison as #Snowmageddon caused plenty of issues early on for the Badgers and Illini. I watched approximately six plays in the first half and got to see multiple fumbles and then a punt that was bobbled, dropped, picked back up, and then booted away. The slippery conditions prevented the Illinois special teams from getting to Anthony Lotti who managed a measly 24-yard punt.
The skies cleared up in the second quarter and Wisconsin was fully in control of this one. Alex Hornibrook tossed three touchdowns but was picked off twice by the Illini defense. Jonathan Taylor did his usual thing while rushing for 169 yards. Taiwan Deal also chipped in with 111 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns.
It was a tough day for Illinois quarterbacks as M.J. Rivers II and A.J. Bush Jr. combined to go just 9 of 21 for 90 yards and three interceptions. Reggie Corbin has nine carries for 100 yards and a touchdown. The Illini turned the ball over five times in the game's first half.
Nebraska 53, Minnesota 28
Nebraska fans can rejoice. The 10-game losing streak has ended and Scott Frost has finally gotten a win as the Husks' head football coach. Minnesota was a 3.5-point underdog and I was a little hesitant about that spread given the Gophs' performance last week in Columbus. But a 53-point explosion gave Frost all that he needed and more.
Adrian Martinez was phenomenal in this one and the future is extremely bright for the Nebraska offense. The true freshman completed an astounding 25 of 29 passes for 276 yard and three touchdowns. He added another 125 and a touchdown on the ground.
Three players topped 100 yards on the ground for the Husks as both Devine Ozigbo and Maurice Washington had superb outings. Ozigbo went for 152 and two scores while averaging over 12 per carry. Washington added 109 and a score. Stanley Morgan Jr. hauled in 10 passes for 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, this is worth 10,000. #Huskers Scott Frost and Stanley Morgan Jr. share an emotional moment on the sidelines as the Nebraska pulls away in the fourth quarter. pic.twitter.com/i0lWjOfXRb
— Phil Bergman (@PhilBergmanTV) October 20, 2018
Minnesota quarterback Zack Annexstad exited early with an injury and redshirt freshman Tanner Morgan took over under center for the second half. Annexstad threw for 135 and a score before exiting while Morgan went for 214 with a pick. Wideout Tyler Johnson had a career day with 11 receptions for 184 yards.
Northwestern 18, Rutgers 15
I didn't watch this game (did anyone?), but I have no idea how it was this close. The Wildcats needed eight points in the fourth quarter – and had to convert twice on fourth down on the final drive – to beat Rutgers by a field goal.
Clayton Thorson connected on 17 of 34 passes for 150 yards. Flynn Nagel hauled in eight of those passes for 71 yards to lead all receivers. Tailback Isaiah Bowser rumbled for 108 yards and two scores; including the game-winner. The offense struggles early with just 84 yards in the first half, but it found some momentum late and ended the day with 278 yards.
The Rutgers offense struggled once again and failed to reach 200 yards in this one. Artur Stikowski threw for just 81 yards. Isaih Pacheco ran for 76 yards and the Scarlet Knights' only touchdown.
Michigan takes over the top spot in the power rankings as the Wolverines and Buckeyes are now on a bit of a collision course toward Nov. 24. We're getting ahead of ourselves a bit, but that game could determine the East Division representative in Indy and a chance at a spot in the playoffs.
None of that really matters right now, however, since Ohio State has a number of issues that need to be fixed over the next few weeks before they take the field on Nov. 3 against Nebraska. Can Urban Meyer and the coaching staff right the ship in time for the trip to East Lansing and the showdown against the Wolverines?
The Hawkeyes continue moving on up thanks to the dominant win over Maryland. I feel that Penn State is probably a better team than Michigan State, but it's not fair to put the Nittany Lions ahead in the rankings following the home loss last weekend.
Purdue obviously moves up a few spots and I've got them ahead of Northwestern despite the home loss to the Wildcats. A lot has certainly changed since the season opener, and how on earth did the Boilermakers lose at home to Eastern Michigan?
The big one next weekend will go down in Happy Valley when the Hawkeyes head to town. Northwestern hosts Wisconsin and Scott Frost better pick up win No. 2 against Bethune-Cookman.
How are you feeling about Ohio State's playoff chances following the loss? Are you even confident going on the road to East Lansing or at home against the Wolverines?
