Do you remember that time Wisconsin came to Columbus with the No. 1 defense in America? Remember that time it didn't matter at all to Justin Fields, J.K. Dobbins, and the rest of Ryan Day's impressive offensive arsenal?
Ohio State put on a show yesterday against a Badger team that had been pretty darn good outside of the lackluster showing against Illinois. Chase Young continues to play like some other-earthly creature as he dominated the Wisconsin offensive line from start to finish.
The Buckeye offense didn't have too many problems with the Badger defense or the inclement weather conditions. Justin Fields was under pressure and did take several shots, but that's bound to happen when you're up against a talented foe. It was yet another impressive all-around showing for a team that's playing like the best in the country.
Rainy weather engulfed much of the Midwest yesterday and made things a bit sloppy around the Big Ten. Outside of the Buckeyes and Badgers, the league's top matchups both went down in the state of Michigan.
No. 19 Michigan 45, No. 8 Notre Dame 14
The precipitation was coming down especially hard last night in Ann Arbor as the Wolverines and Irish met for what will be the final time until 2033. Jim Harbaugh had Michigan looking like a completely different team as the defense dominated Notre Dame throughout the night and offense showed some promising signs as well.
It wasn't a prolific performance for Shea Patterson, but he at least looked comfortable in the pocket for the most part and didn't turn the football over. The senior threw just 12 passes and completed half of them for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins both found the end zone and Zach Charbonnet rushed for 74 yards and a pair of scores. Hassan Haskins led the ground attack with 149 yards on 20 carries.
Michigan's offense had its moments, but it was the defense that stole the show. An atrocious pass interference call helped Notre Dame get on the board late in the third quarter (seriously one of the worst calls I've ever seen), but that was just about it for the Irish. Don Brown had a plan in place and worked it to perfection as Notre Dame did next to nothing on offense while turning the ball over twice.
It's been a rough season for the Maize and Blue, but this was unquestionably the high point thus far. A 31-point win over the Irish will give Michigan fans something to chirp about until the two teams meet again in 14 years.
No. 6 Penn State 28, Michigan State 7
Dating back to 2014, Michigan State had beaten Penn State in four of their last five meetings. Yesterday in East Lansing wasn't another one of those days as the Nittany Lions pulverized the Spartans in front of their home crowd. A crowd that apparently found better things to do as many of them evacuated the premises prior to the start of the second half.
With a quarter still to go against Penn State, Michigan State has allowed 100 points to Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State, while scoring 17. Defense used to keep things close, but B1G's best teams have found success.
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) October 26, 2019
Mark Dantonio's defense is known for carrying the offense a bit, but that has not been the case in 2019; at least not against the conference's top teams. The Nitts were up 21-0 at the half, and that was more than enough in this one. Sean Clifford threw for 189 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those went to tight end Pat Freiermuth with K.J. Hamler hauling in the other. The ground game didn't do a whole lot with Journey Brown leading the way with 44 yards on 12 carries.
The Spartan faithful are still clamoring for a new head coach and at the very least a new offensive staff. Brian Lewerke completed just 16 of 34 passes for 135 yards and an interception. Rocky Lombardi and Theo Day also saw action under center, but it didn't go any better for the backups. The lone touchdown came on a four-yard rush from true freshman back Anthony Williams Jr. The Spartans had four turnovers on the afternoon.
Oddly enough, Dino is still finding some beauty in his team's play.
Dantonio: "The beauty is we're not 2-7, we're 4-4."
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) October 26, 2019
No. 17 Minnesota 52, Maryland 10
P.J. Fleck and the Gophers just keep on keepin' on as they've now moved to 8-0 on the season. To reiterate once again, I know the schedule hasn't been formidable and we won't know much until the Penn State game, but Minnesota is playing like a darn good football team as we head into November.
Offensively, the Gophs were led by a 321-yard, four-touchdown performance on the ground. Rodney Smith again led the charge with 103 yards and a score while wide receiver/wildcat quarterback Seth Green added 34 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Tanner Morgan didn't need to do a whole lot. The Gopher signal-caller hit on 12 of 21 attempts for 138 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
The Terrapin offense managed just 210 yards and turned the ball over twice against Fleck's defense. One of those turnovers was a 72-yard pick six for defensive back Coney Durr (amazing name). Maryland quarterbacks continue to be a disaster as Tyrrell Pigrome, Josh Jackson, and Tyler DeSue combined to go 10 of 23 for 131 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
No. 20 Iowa 20, Northwestern 0
There were no surprises in this one as a tough Hawkeye defense had no problems with the anemic Wildcat offense. Truth be told, neither offense did much on the day as the two teams combined for just 504 total yards (302 for Iowa vs. 202 for Northwestern).
Nate Stanley threw for 179 yards and a score while Mekhi Sargent added 46 yards and a rushing touchdown. The game's biggest play came in the first quarter when Stanley connected with Tyrone Tracy Jr. for a 50-yard scoring strike. Tracy had seven defenders in his vicinity and none of them decided to do that whole "tackling" thing.
TYRONE TRACY SPIN CYCLE TD #IOWAvsNW pic.twitter.com/gMINgN0Ewv
— Heavensween! (@HeavensFX) October 26, 2019
Northwestern's mostly non-existent offense was led by Aidan Smith as he threw for 138 yards and a pick. Isaiah Bowser rushed for 36 yards and Drake Anderson pitched in with 31. Remember when the Hunter Johnson transfer was such a big deal? That was fun.
Indiana 38, Nebraska 31
It's only October, folks, and Indiana is bowl eligible for the first time under Tom Allen. Meanwhile, the team many picked to win the West Division has fallen to 4-4 in what's been a disappointing season for Scott Frost.
Peyton Ramsey had a career day as he threw for 351 yards with two scores and an interception. He added another 42 and another score with his legs. Stevie Scott III ran for 68 yards and a touchdown, but Whop Philyar was the story of the day for the Hoosiers. The junior hauled in 14 passes for 178 yards in what was his third double-digit reception game of the season.
For the Huskers, Noah Vedral and Luke McCaffrey combined to go 20 of 23 for 294 yards and a touchdown courtesy of McCaffrey. Wan'Dale Robinson rushed and received for a combined 180 yards and a touchdown. McCaffrey added another 76 with his legs and Vedral ran for a pair of scores.
| TEAM | W-L | RANK | PREV. |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 8-0 | 1 | 1 |
| PENN STATE | 8-0 | 2 | 2 |
| WISCONSIN | 6-2 | 3 | 3 |
| MICHIGAN | 6-2 | 4 | 5 |
| MINNESOTA | 8-0 | 5 | 4 |
| IOWA | 6-2 | 6 | 6 |
| MICHIGAN STATE | 4-4 | 7 | 7 |
| INDIANA | 6-2 | 8 | 8 |
| NEBRASKA | 4-4 | 9 | 9 |
| ILLINOIS | 4-4 | 10 | 12 |
| MARYLAND | 3-5 | 11 | 11 |
| PURDUE | 2-6 | 12 | 10 |
| NORTHWESTERN | 1-6 | 13 | 13 |
| RUTGERS | 2-6 | 14 | 14 |
Illinois 24, Purdue 6
Is a life without Rondale Moore even worth living at this point? The Boilermaker playmaker missed his fourth-straight game yesterday and, to no one's surprise, Jeff Brohm's offense continues to struggle. It was a 271-yards, two-turnover performance at home and Purdue didn't find the end zone until late in the fourth quarter.
Illinois looked good following last week's upset over the Badgers. Lovie Smith's ground game was the biggest story on offense as it accounted for 242 yards compared to just 26 through the air. Dre Brown was the game's leading rusher with 131 yards on 18 carries. Brandon Peters and Reggie Corbin both added rushing scores.
There's not a whole lot more to say about the home team's performance. Purdue passers connected on less than 50 percent of their throws for 136 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Tight end Payne Durham scored the offense's lone touchdown.
Rutgers 44, Liberty 34
I was one of those people who picked Rutgers to lose to this team I had never heard of. Congratulations to the Scarlet Knights for proving me wrong and picking up their second win of the season. Are there any other potential wins on the schedule? Absolutely not, but let's just go ahead and focus on the positives here.
Quarterback Johnny Langan threw for 192 yards and ran for another 118 to go along with his three total touchdowns. Tailback Isaih Pacheco added another 107 yards and two scores on his 19 carries. Wideouts Isaiah Washington and Eddie Lewis were on the receiving end of Langan touchdown strikes.
Flames' running back Joshua Mack gave the Scarlet Knights some problems in Piscataway. He rumbled for 109 yards and a pair of scores against a Rutgers' defense that ranked No. 108 in the country.
There weren't a whole lot of surprises in week nine. The play of the Golden Gophers is still one of the conference's top storylines, and while just about everyone expected a win over Maryland, the 52-10 slaughter gave us more than we expected.
I was fully prepared to keep the Fighting Flecks above the Wolverines in our rankings, but last night's dominant win over the Irish was very impressive. Though they have two losses on the season, wins over Iowa and Notre Dame are enough to move Michigan back up to No. 4.
Are Mark Dantonio's days getting numbered? The Spartan offense has been abysmal and yesterday's performance was difficult to watch. Brian Lewerke has regressed since his 2017 season and the offense has struggled to find any rhythm. Last year Sparty moved some of its offensive coaches around, but it sure feels like an overhaul is needed.
The Buckeyes continue to be the clear-cut top team in the conference, but the Nittany Lions are making a strong case as a real playoff contender. J.K. Dobbins proved he's the best back in America yesterday while James Franklin has Penn State looking solid on both sides of the ball as well. I don't think anyone can make an argument for another program being one of the two best in the Big Ten.
It's tough to believe we're already heading into week 10. The Buckeyes get some time off next week which will allow Justin Fields and others to nurse some of the lingering bumps and bruises. Michigan hits the road to take on Maryland and the Boilermakers host the Huskers. Penn State and Wisconsin also get the weekend off.
