B1G Week One Review

Week one is officially in the books for the B1G Conference. Overall it wasn’t a bad start to the 2013 season, but there were some obvious great spots and weak spots. Let’s get to it.

Indiana 73 Indiana State 35

When this game first started I thought Indiana was going to have another close game with the Sycamores. But then the second quarter started and all doubt was erased. The Hoosiers scored 24 (38 unanswered after the first Indiana State touchdown) and it was 45-7 with a minute to go until halftime. Several players saw the field for the Hoosiers, including 3 different quarterbacks. Nate Sudfeld had the best night among the three, throwing for over 200 yards and four touchdowns. Indiana got a lot of playing time for its backups in this game and the Hoosiers started the season off with a definitive win.

Minnesota 51 UNLV 23

Minnesota got the win, but it wasn’t pretty. In fact it was quite ugly at times for the Golden Gophers. I thought they were going to lose at one point. But then the Minnesota defense and special teams came alive in the second half and saved them from an embarrassing defeat. Only up 16-13 to start the second half, Minnesota’s Marcus Jones returned the third quarter kickoff 98 yards for the touchdown. Later in the quarter Martez Shabazz blocked a Rebel field goal attempt and returned it 51 yards for the score. The Minnesota offense was mediocre throughout and I would be concerned about it if I were a Golden Gopher fan.

Michigan State 26 Western Michigan 13

Speaking of ugly offense, Michigan State looked even worse than Minnesota. This was a problem for the Spartans last season and based on this game, it looks to be a problem again this year. It was hard for me to watch this offense at times because it was so brutal. This ineptitude on offense allowed Western Michigan to hang around until the fourth quarter, but they never capitalized on it because of the Spartan defense. Michigan State picked off Bronco quarterbacks three times and held the team to only 11 yards rushing. Hey Spartans’ fans I got good news and bad news. Good: This year’s defense may be even better than last year’s. Bad: This year’s offense may be even worse than last year’s.

Wisconsin 45 Massachusetts 0

The Badgers flat-out dominated the Minutemen in this game and there’s not really much else to say about this game. All Wisconsin had to do was do what they’re best at: running the ball right down their opponent’s throat. Wisconsin racked up 393 yards rushing behind three different backs in this game. All three ran for a touchdown each (Melvin Gordon: 144 yards, James White: 143 yards and Corey Clement: 101 yards). It was a pretty great debut for new Badgers’ coach Gary Andersen.

Illinois 42 Southern Illinois 34

Before the season even began Illinois fans were already telling me they wanted Tim Beckman fired. Well the opening game didn’t do anything to convince them otherwise. It just fueled their argument more. After leading 25-7 at the half, Illinois decided to take the foot off the pedal and allowed the Salukis to hang around for pretty much the entire game. Be happy football is only four quarters Illini because Southern Illinois would’ve won this game if it was five quarters. There was one bright spot for Illinois: quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase threw for 416 yards and two touchdowns.

Purdue 7 Cincinnati 42

Ouch! That’s the only word you need to sum up this game for Purdue. I didn’t watch a lot of this game because the Buckeyes were playing and I saw this beat down coming. The Bearcats pretty much treated the Boilermakers like a MAC team. Cincinnati got a lot of their younger players in the game and were pretty solid all around. The bright spot for Purdue…? Nobody was hurt in this blowout. That’s a good thing!

Michigan 59 Central Michigan 9

The Wolverines dominated the Chippewas the entire game and much like Wisconsin made sure it was never close. With Denard Robinson finally gone, Brady Hoke was finally able to debut his pro style offense. While the scoreboard shows a crooked number, Michigan fans weren’t exactly thrilled by the play of their quarterbacks. Wolverine quarterbacks threw three interceptions to the Central Michigan defense, including two from Devin Gardner. He finished the day with 162 yards passing and three total touchdowns. Luckily the running game was clicking, as the Wolverines rushed for 242 yards and six touchdowns. Up next for the team up north: Notre Dame.

Penn State 23 Syracuse 17

This was a pretty entertaining game throughout. Both teams stumbled around at times, but refused to give up. Mistakes were expected coming in (as well as low scoring) because both teams debuted new quarterbacks. The much hyped Penn State freshman Christian Hackenberg threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions. With the score only 6-3 in favor of the Nittany Lions at the half, there was nothing really compelling about the first half. Except for the noticeable absence of one great player: Penn State wide receiver Allen Robinson. Head coach Bill O’Brien suspended Robinson for the first half unannounced for violation of team rules (as a fantasy owner with Robinson on his roster I demand a heads up in the future!). Robinson made up for it though, snagging seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown.

Iowa 27 Northern Illinois 30

I predicted Iowa would get upset and Northern Illinois proved me right. This game was close throughout and came down to the final seconds. Northern Illinois kicker Mathew Sims kicked the game-winning 36 yard field goal with four seconds left to give the Huskies the win and revenge after losing last year to Iowa. For the Hawkeyes, running back Mark Weisman stood out as he rushed for 100 yards. Northern Illinois was led by senior quarterback and dark horse Heisman candidate Jordan Lynch, who threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns.

Nebraska 37 Wyoming 34

Oh, Nebraska. I thought this was going to be an easy victory for the Huskers, but I forgot that this is Nebraska and they like to make things difficult for themselves. Leading 37-21 in the middle of the 4th quarter, the game appeared well in hand for Nebraska. Then Taylor Martinez turned the ball over twice, Wyoming got two quick scores and all of a sudden it was a three-point game. Luckily the game ran out of time and Nebraska was able to limp away with the victory. Nebraska’s defense also didn’t do anything to erase the memories of last year’s defense, as they let Cowboys’ quarterback Brett Smith throw for 383 yards and four touchdowns. Be concerned Nebraska fans.

Northwestern 44 Cal 30

What an entertaining, yet sloppy game. Both teams turned the ball over three times, but two late pick sixes thrown by Cal true freshman quarterback Jared Goff ultimately cost the Golden Bears. Despite three interceptions, Goff still lit up the Wildcat defense for 445 yards and two touchdowns. Northwestern had a pretty successful offensive day too, but from unlikely places. Senior quarterback Trevor Siemian threw for 276 yards and running back Treyvon Green rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns to spearhead the Wildcat offense. Where was the dynamic one-two punch of Kain Colter and Venric Mark? Colter was hurt after throwing one pass (he continues to be injury prone) and Venric Mark had a lackluster day while dealing with injuries too, only rushing 11 times for 29 yards. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald says both are day-to-day with their respective injuries.

Be sure to check back on Thursday when I preview all of the B1G games for week two!