Big Ten Recap: Nittany Lions Roll Over Boilermakers, Wolverine Defense Stout in Home Win Over Hawkeyes

By Andrew Ellis on October 6, 2019 at 7:05 am
The Wolverine defense was too much for the Hawkeyes.
Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
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Ohio State got its first real challenge last night from Mark Dantonio and the Spartans. The country's No. 25 team came to Columbus with one of the nation's top defenses, and they gave the Buckeyes some problems early on. 

Justin Fields, J.K. Dobbins, and another solid showing by the defense helped Ohio State to eventually pull away and take home a 24-point home victory. The win further solidified the Buckeyes as the program to beat in the Big Ten and perhaps the most complete team in America. 

Dobbins and the ground game rushed for 323 yards against a very good Spartan front. I know everyone was worried about whether or not Ohio State would make it to the postseason, but the Buckeyes are officially bowl eligible now at 6-0. They've outscored opponents by 243 points thus far. 

Across the Big Ten, there was another big one going down in Ann Arbor, and the Nittany Lions and Golden Gophers both looked to stay perfect on the season.


No. 19 Michigan 10, No. 14 Iowa 3

The Hawkeyes came into this one with just one turnover on the season. The offense then proceeded to lose a fumble on its second play of the game, and that'd prove to be a sign of things to come. Nate Stanley was picked off in the first quarter and then again when Iowa was driving right before the half. Coming into the game, he had 136 straight throws without a pick.

When all was said and done, the Wolverine defense forced four turnovers Saturday in Ann Arbor. You have to give some credit to Don Brown as the Hawkeyes couldn't get anything going, and Stanley was under pressure all afternoon. Iowa did nothing on the ground with one total yard on 30 attempts. Stanley had -65 yards rushing thanks to his getting sacked eight times. He ended the day going 23 of 42 with 260 yards and three interceptions.  

It was a sloppy start for both teams as the Wolverines coughed the ball up multiple times on their first few drives (though they did recover both) and Shea Patterson threw a horrendous interception. The Wolverines still seem to have no identity on offense and Patterson continues to make questionable decisions. He threw for just 147 yards with the one pick. True freshman Zach Charbonnet added 42 rushing yards and the game's only touchdown.

But don't worry, folks, Jim Harbaugh actually believes Josh Gattis is getting things turned around. 

No. 12 Penn State 35, Purdue 7

This one wasn't expected to be close with the Boilermakers missing both Elijah Sindelar and Rondale Moore. Penn State was up 21-0 at the end of the first quarter with all three scores coming courtesy of quarterback Sean Clifford. At the end of the day, the redshirt sophomore had totaled just shy of 300 yards of offense and accounted for four scores. 

True freshman Noah Cain led the Nittany Lion backfield with 105 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. K.J. Hamler got banged up early in this one but still managed three catches for 41 yards and a score. Jahan Dotson was the game's leading receivers with 79 yards, including a 72-yard score. 

The performance of the afternoon came from the PSU defense. Yes, Purdue was without its two top players, but holding any team to just 93 yards of total offense is an impressive feat. Redshirt freshman wideout Amad Anderson Jr. scored the lone Boilermaker touchdown.

The Nittany Lions really seem to be clicking on all cylinders. Much like Ohio State, they appear to be one of the country's more complete teams.

Minnesota 40, Illinois 17

This one was close in the first half, and the Illini were actually up at the end of the first quarter. Still, P.J. Fleck and the Golden Gophers moved to 5-0 on the season. Last week it was Tanner Morgan completing 95 percent of his passes and leading the way in the road victory over Purdue. This time it was Rodney Smith and the ground game that did most of the damage. 

The Gophers scored 24 points in the second half and gashed the Illini with 332 yards and two scores on the ground. Smith averaged nearly nine per carry and finished with 211 and a score. Backfield mate Shannon Brooks pitched in with another 111 and a touchdown. Tyler Johnson, Chris Autman-Bell, and Brevyn Spann-Ford were all on the receiving end of Tanner Morgan touchdown strikes. Morgan only needed 155 through the air in this one.

Illinois didn't do a whole lot on offense and both touchdowns actually came via defensive scores. Matt Robinson and Brandon Peters combined to go 20 of 39 for just 157 yards and an interception. Reggie Corbin led the way on the ground with 68 yards on 14 carries.

Nebraska 13, Northwestern 10

It wasn't the most exciting contest in Lincoln as both the Huskers and Wildcats struggled to get a lot going on offense. The end result, however, left the home crowd feeling pretty good following last week's dud. 

After doing next to nothing against the Buckeyes, Wan'Dale Robinson scored the Huskers' only touchdown on the evening. The true freshman had a big game recording 44 yards and a rushing score while adding another seven receptions for 123 more yards. He accounted for more than half of Nebraska's 319 total yards. Adrian Martinez connected on 13 of 20 passes for 145 yards to go along with 26 on the ground.

The Wildcats totaled less than 300 yards and had the game's lone turnover. Third-stringer Aidan Smith remained under center and threw for 136 yards with a pick. Smith added another 64 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Drake Anderson also rushed for 61 yards, but that was about it for Pat Fitzgerald's struggling offense.

B1G POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 6
TEAM W-L RANK PREV.
OHIO STATE 6-0 1 1
WISCONSIN 5-0 2 2
PENN STATE 5-0 3 3
MICHIGAN 4-1 4 6
IOWA 4-1 5 4
MICHIGAN STATE 4-2 6 5
MINNESOTA 5-0 7 7
NEBRASKA 4-2 8 8
INDIANA 3-2 9 9
MARYLAND 3-2 10 10
NORTHWESTERN 1-4 11 11
PURDUE 1-4 12 12
ILLINOIS 2-3 13 13
RUTGERS 1-4 14 14

No. 8 Wisconsin 48, Kent State 0

Jonathan Taylor had four touchdowns in the first half. Kent State had zero, and I'd say that was less than ideal for the Golden Flashes. The junior totaled five touchdowns on the day and passed Melvin Gordon to take over the No. 3 spot on the Badgers' list of all-time rushing leaders. Taylor finished with 186 yards on 19 carries to go along with the scores.

Quarterback Jack Coan didn't need to do a whole lot Saturday afternoon. Coan connected on 12 of 15 pass attempts for 134 yards and two scores. Unsurprisingly, the Badger defense had no problems with the Flashes. Kent State totaled just 124 yards of offense and only got into Wisconsin territory three times. One of those possessions resulted in a missed field goal with the other being a lost fumble. 

As for Taylor, he now trails only Montee Ball and Ron Dayne in the Badger records book. He'll surpass Ball here in the next few weeks. He'd have to stick around another season to enter Dayne territory.

Maryland 48, Rutgers 7

It's been an interesting week for the Scarlet Knights. Chris Ash was fired last Sunday following the 52-0 loss against Michigan. Before yesterday's kickoff, it was announced that their best player – all-purpose weapon Raheem Blackshear – will be sitting out the rest of the season and taking a redshirt. This may very well mean that the transfer portal will soon be adding a new name. 

Maryland quarterback Josh Jackson sustained an ankle injury late in the first half, but he threw for 179 yards and a pair of scores before exiting. Anthony McFarland Jr. and Javon Leake both averaged over 12 yards per carriy and each scored two touchdowns on the day. Dontay Demus Jr. added 94 yards through the air, including an 80-yard score

A nifty trick play was just about the only good thing that happened for Rutgers and interim head coach Nunzio Campanile. Quarterback Johnny Langan threw a pair of interceptions and scored the Knights' lone touchdown.


There weren't too many surprises in week six. It took some time for the Buckeye offense to get rolling, but Ryan Day and Co. did just that in the game's second quarter. Ohio State did have a few guys get dinged up in what was a very physical contest, so the off week really couldn't be coming at a better time. 

Jim Harbaugh was going to be hit with all kinds of questions if he fell to Iowa on Saturday. Instead, the Wolverines got a big win thanks to a solid showing from Don Brown and the defense. There are still questions offensively as Shea Patterson struggles to get the ball to the team's playmakers. 

What can we say about Jonathan Taylor? He added five more touchdowns and continues to do as he pleases behind the strong Wiscy line. The Golden Flashes were the Badgers' last real cupcake, however, and a much stiffer challenge awaits next weekend.

The Nittany Lions are one of the hottest teams in the country as James Franklin's squad continues to look formidable on both sides of the ball. The young backfield is doing well and Sean Clifford is playing even better than most expected. Defensively, Penn State is playing about as well as anyone in the country of late.

Our power rankings get some more tweaks this week, but the top three teams really aren't all that debatable. The Wolverines jump Iowa for obvious reasons, and though they're unbeaten, I'm not ready to move the Gophers to the upper tier just yet. 

With the Buckeyes getting some rest next week, we'll be on the lookout for the two big ones in Madison and Iowa City. Wisconsin is set to host the Spartans while Penn State hits the road to take on the Hawkeyes.

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