Who's had enough of 2020?
This was an unfortunate and melancholy weekend for the fanbase. Friday night was a rough one when the news dropped that Ohio State's matchup with Illinois was being canceled. As the Buckeyes have now missed two games, there are all sorts of questions regarding their upcoming date with the Spartans and potential shot at another league title in Indy.
Will the game against Michigan State take place? Would the Big Ten reconsider its six-game requirement to play for the title? Would a potentially 6-0, non-Big Ten champion Buckeye team still make the College Football Playoff? There are all sorts of variables and plenty of questions as we move forward.
In non-Buckeyes news, it was a mostly unexciting weekend though it did produce a few upsets. Ohio State fans may take solace in knowing that things are still going horribly up in Ann Arbor.
Penn State 27, Michigan 17
This one was a true battle of ineptitude, but one of the Big Ten's disappointments now has something in the win column. You have to feel bad for the cardboard cutouts at the Big House as those poor folks have now watched the Wolverines go 0-3 at home. Yikes.
The Nittany Lions were down to their fourth-string running back, but do you think that mattered against Don Brown's defense? Keyvone Lee and the PSU ground game sliced and diced the Wolverines to the tune of 254 yards and three touchdowns. Lee, Sean Clifford, and Will Levis all found the end zone. At one point, it was third down and six and Michigan allowed Clifford to run for 35 yards. That seems like a problem.
Don Brown makes twice as much money as the university president https://t.co/4P9exISBh4
— Michael Proppe (@mikeproppe) November 28, 2020
Michigan's offense was its usual terrible self on Saturday. Cade McNamara saw most of the action under center before getting dinged up late in the game. He and Joe Milton combined to go just 13 of 28 for 112 yards. Hassan Haskins was actually doing some things on the ground until the UM brain trust decided to stop giving him the ball. Haskins was far and away the best player on offense as he rushed for 101 yards and a pair of scores on 17 carries.
Detroit Lions' head coach Matt Patricia was fired during this game. It was pretty perfect seeing that news come across the ticker at the exact moment the camera flashed to Jim Harbaugh after a failed fourth-and-one attempt. Shout-out to James Franklin for picking up his first win of the season.
No. 24 Iowa 26, Nebraska 20
The Hawkeyes got off to a 10-0 home lead on Friday before the Huskers stormed back to tie things up at 13 at the half. Nebraska actually went up by a touchdown early in the third quarter before the Iowa defense clamped down. With two minutes left in the fourth, Hawkeye kicker Keith Duncan missed a 51-yard field goal attempt which gave Scott Frost a chance for the win. The Huskers drove into Iowa territory before an Adrian Martinez fumble ended things.
Tyler Goodson came up big for the Hawkeyes rushing for 111 yards with most of that coming in the second half. Mekhi Sargent added 18 yards on the ground with a score. Spencer Petras connected on 18 of 30 passes for 193 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Kirk Ferentz's defense recorded three sacks and recovered a pair of fumbles on the afternoon.
I have no idea what Nebraska's quarterback situation will look like moving forward, but Friday was clearly an Adrian Martinez day. The junior completed 90 percent of his passes (18 of 20) for 174 yards. He added another 28 rushing with a touchdown and the fumble. Luke McCaffrey completed three of five attempts and did most of his damage on the ground with 42 yards on five carries. Wan'Dale Robinson was the Huskers' leading receiver with nine catches for 75 yards. A fourth-quarter Cam Taylor-Britt fumble on a muffed punt return also proved to be costly.
Michigan State 29, No. 8 Northwestern 20
I can't say I was expecting this one. Pat Fitzgerald's Wildcats are no longer among the unbeaten after yesterday's showing in East Lansing. The country's 15th-best defense had some problems with Rocky Lombardi and the Spartans. Lombardi threw for 167 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Connor Heyward was the game's leading rusher with 96 yards while Lombardi added 65 of his own. Jalen Nailor had 99 yards and was on the receiving end of a 75-yard touchdown strike early in the first quarter.
UPSET IN EAST LANSING! @MSU_Football knocks off No. 8 Northwestern, and they end it in style with a score: pic.twitter.com/jsE42OrM7O
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 29, 2020
Michigan State's defense showed up in a big way against the Wildcats. Northwestern managed just 285 yards and was plagued by four turnovers. The final of the four resulted in a game-ending Sparty touchdown that made the scoreboard look worse than it actually was. Peyton Ramsey completed just 21 of 43 passes for 210 yards and two picks. The Wildcat ground game could only manage 63 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries (1.7 per attempt).
No. 12 Indiana 27, Maryland 11
Prior to exiting the game with an injury, Michael Penix Jr. looked nothing like what we saw last week in Columbus. Penix was just 6 of 19 for 84 yards before getting dinged up midway through the third quarter. Stevie Scott III and the ground game did the bulk of the work against the Terps as he ran for 80 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries. True freshman Tim Baldwin Jr. added 106 on 16 carries. The Virginia native had just 18 yards on the season prior to Saturday's matchup.
The Hoosier defense held Maryland to just 300 yards and forced three turnovers. Taulia Tagovailoa completed less than half of his passes and was picked off three times. Dontay Demus Jr. had a big day with six catches for 114 yards and a score. Tom Allen's defense also recorded three sacks and delivered a big safety when things were still close in the third quarter. It was 7-3 in the second half before the Hoosiers really took over.
| TEAM | W-L | RANK | PREV. |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 4-0 | 1 | 1 |
| INDIANA | 5-1 | 2 | 3 |
| NORTHWESTERN | 5-1 | 3 | 2 |
| WISCONSIN | 2-1 | 4 | 4 |
| IOWA | 4-2 | 5 | 6 |
| MICHIGAN STATE | 2-3 | 6 | 8 |
| MARYLAND | 2-2 | 7 | 7 |
| PURDUE | 2-3 | 8 | 5 |
| MICHIGAN | 2-4 | 9 | 9 |
| MINNESOTA | 2-3 | 10 | 10 |
| ILLINOIS | 2-3 | 11 | 11 |
| RUTGERS | 2-4 | 12 | 12 |
| NEBRASKA | 1-4 | 13 | 13 |
| PENN STATE | 1-5 | 14 | 14 |
No. 2 Notre Dame 31, No. 19 North Carolina 17
I thought this game would be a problem for the Irish. And for one half, it really was. This one was tied at 17 at the half, but it was all Notre Dame thereafter as the Irish should now waltz right into the ACC title game against Clemson.
Brian Kelly's defense essentially locked UNC down for three quarters after giving up a pair of touchdowns in the opening frame. Coming off a 742-yard, 59-point explosion against Wake Forest, the Tarheels managed just 298 yards against the stiff Notre Dame defense. The Irish offense was led by Ian Book and Kyren Williams. Book threw for 279 with a touchdown while adding another 48 with his legs. Williams dashed for 124 and two scores on 23 carries. Javon McKinley was the game's leading receiver with six catches for 135 yards.
UNC quarterback Sam Howell was sacked six times on Friday. The sophomore threw for 211 yards with a passing and rushing touchdown. Dyami Brown was again his top weapon with four receptions for 84 yards. The Tarheel rushing game recorded just 87 yards on 30 attempts in what was far and away their worst offensive showing of the season.
No. 13 Iowa State 23, No. 17 Texas 20
I'm starting to think that Tom Herman might not be the right guy for Texas. The Horns had a shot to play for the conference title. Instead, it's looking like the Cyclones will get a shot to take down Oklahoma once again in Arlington. Sam Ehlinger took an awful sack late in the fourth as Texas was driving with a chance to tie things up or win the game. Cameron Dicker then missed a 58-yard field goal attempt to bring Matt Campbell to 7-2 on the season.
Iowa State tight ends caught 11 passes for 200 yards in a game that gave me flashbacks to Ohio State's 2017 trip to Iowa City. Charlie Kolar led the way with six catches for 131 while Dylan Soehner added five for another 69. Brock Purdy hit on 25 of 36 pass attempts for 312 yards and a score. Breece Hall ran for 91 and a touchdown on 20 carries. His three-yard score came with just over a minute left and proved to be the game-winner.
Ehlinger didn't have a bad day outside of the bad sack. He threw for 298 yards with a score and added another 65 and a touchdown on the ground. Bijan Robinson added 54 yards on 16 carries. Brennan Eagles was the game's leading receiver with five catches for 142 yards.
The Longhorns are now sitting at 5-3 on the season with games against Kansas State and Kansas still on the schedule. I think the biggest question moving forward is who replaces Tom Herman in Austin?
Oregon State 41, No. 15 Oregon 38
The Ducks were nearly a two-touchdown favorite against the Beavers, but strange things can happen in the Civil War. Mario Cristobal's defense simply had no answer for Oregon State tailback Jermar Jefferson as he broke a number of rivalry records to lead the Beavers to the upset win.
Jefferson ran for 226 yards and a pair of scores on 29 carries as the OSU ground game found the end zone four times on the evening. Nebraska transfer Tristan Gebbia completed 23 of 37 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown. He added another score on the ground. This was Oregon State's first win over a ranked opponent since 2014 when it topped No. 7 Arizona State.
Three Tyler Shough turnovers didn't do the Ducks any favors. The first-year starter was picked off twice and also lost a fumble. Shough completed 20 of 31 attempts for 285 with two scores and the miscues. Travis Dye was the team's leading rusher with 93 yards on 12 carries. CJ Verdell was held in check with just 36 yards on nine rushes. Devon Williams hauled in four passes for 101 yards and a score.
So much for the Pac-12's dark horse playoff contender.
No. 1 Alabama 42, No. 22 Auburn 13
Auburn's decision to not cover or tackle the best receiver in college football turned out to be a questionable one. Alabama's star DeVonta Smith hauled in seven passes for 171 yards and was on the receiving end of 66- and 58-yard scoring strikes. This year's edition of the Iron Bowl wasn't even close. The scariest part? Nick Saban's defense is starting to look more like what we're used to seeing.
All Mac Jones did was complete 18 of 26 pass attempts for 302 yards and five touchdowns. In addition to Smith, John Metchie III hauled in a pair of scores and tight end Jahleel Billingsley added another. Najee Harris rumbled for 96 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries. The Crimson Tide defense pretty much shut Auburn down as Bo Nix completed 23 of 38 passes for 227 yards and two interceptions.
Trevor Lawrence returned for Clemson and it turns out he's still a pretty good quarterback. The Tigers annihilated Pittsburgh by a score of 52-17. Lawrence threw for 403 yards and two scores. Cornell Powell impressed with six catches for 176 and a touchdown. Powell has emerged of late as the go-to guy in the passing game. He's caught 23 passes over the team's last three games.
No. 6 Florida didn't have any issues with Kentucky. Kyle Trask threw for 256 yards and three scores (all to Kyle Pitts) and the defense held the Cats scoreless in the second half. The Gators ended up with a 34-10 home win. The fifth-ranked Aggies took it to LSU last night in College Station. LSU's TJ Finley had all kinds of problems under center before being benched for fellow true freshman Max Johnson. At least Johnson got the Tigers some points late in the fourth. TAMU was victorious by a score of 20-7.
I'm mildly surprised that Purdue lost against Rutgers in West Lafayette. The Knights scored 21 points in the third quarter; including a 100-yard kick return from Aron Cruickshank. Artur Stikowski threw for two scores while fellow quarterback Johnny Langan threw for 95 and a score and added another 95 on the ground. Rondale Moore hauled in seven for 76 yards and David Bell scored yet again for the Boilermakers.
We don't spend too much time talking MACtion, but we have to touch on Buffalo's 70-41 win over Kent State. Bulls' tailback Jaret Patterson had a historic day rushing for 409 yards and eight touchdowns on 36 attempts. The eight scores tied a single-game FBS record. His 409 yards are more than Michigan has rushed for in its last four games combined.
- Week's Best: Sparty & Hoosier defenses, DeVonta Smith, Jaret Patterson, Jermar Jefferson, Cyclone Tight Ends
- Week's Worst: Don Brown (again), Michigan quarterbacks, Peyton Ramsey, Auburn's defense
- Week's Weirdest: This is actually more sad than anything.....
When freshman receiver A.J. Henning leapt over a Nittany Lions defender to make a highlight-reel catch, Harbaugh had to turn towards a group of players sitting on the bench and tell them to stand up and cheer. Yikes. https://t.co/LeN27hwskY
— SGR (@sgeorgetter) November 29, 2020
There are a few noteworthy changes to the Big Ten power rankings, but I've still got Penn State in dead last. The Nittany Lions are 1-5 on the season and a win over a bad Michigan team isn't worth all that much in my book. I considered dropping the Wolverines a little more, but they did beat Minnesota even if it was over a month ago, so I couldn't let the Gophs leapfrog them. Indiana and Northwestern flip-flopped behind the Buckeyes at the top.
All eyes are going to be on Columbus this week as we've all got our fingers crossed that the trip to East Lansing can safely take place. The Wildcats will look to bounce back on the road against the Gophers. Michigan is set to host Maryland, and we'll see which Terrapin offense shows up. The best game of the weekend is set to go down in Madison as the Badgers welcome the Hoosiers to town.
