B1G Week Three Review: It Wasn’t Pretty

The Buckeyes had a great week two. Week three was a different story. While the conference went 7-5, it felt more like 5-7. There was some pretty disappointing wins for the conference (Michigan), with some embarrassing losses too (Nebraska). It was a perfect opportunity for the conference to shine and prove something to the college football world, but the conference fell flat again. The good news though is out of conference play is coming to a close soon. Let’s re-examine the week that was for the B1G:

Indiana 42 Bowling Green 10

I gave Bowling Green a decent chance for the upset, but the Hoosiers proved me dead wrong. Indiana’s offense steamrolled the Falcons defense using a balanced attack. Quarterback Nate Sudfeld had a good game, throwing for 335 yards and two touchdowns (one rush touchdown too). What took me by surprise was the dominant running game. Hoosier running back Tevin Coleman rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns and running back Stephen Houston rushed for 155 yards, proving Indiana also has a potent running game to go with their passing game. Indiana is a team to keep an eye on for sure. It wasn’t all bad for Bowling Green. They did give us one of the greatest blocked punts I’ve ever seen:

Minnesota 29 Western Illinois 12

Minnesota pulled off a ho-hum victory over Western Illinois, but nobody is talking about it. That’s because head coach Jerry Kill had another epileptic seizure on the sidelines near halftime and had to be be carted off the field. It once again raises the question of whether or not Kill can continue to perform his duties. I just don’t see how Kill can keep this up with his condition, despite his attempts to change his lifestyle in hopes of preventing these episodes. I wish Coach Kill the best of luck.

#16 UCLA 41 #23 Nebraska 21

After one half of play Nebraska led 21-10 and looked like they were in control of the game. The Husker defense was holding Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley and the offense in check. Then the second half started. And that’s when Nebraska completely fell apart at the seams. UCLA treated the Cornhuskers’ defense like a rag doll and silenced the Sea of Red. Hundley finished with 294 passing yards, along with 61 rushing yards, and three touchdown passes. It was an emotional victory for UCLA, who is mourning the tragic loss of wide receiver Nick Pasquale. As for Nebraska, well let’s just say Bo Pelini better watch his back walking around in Lincoln because The Sea of Red is angry.

Michigan State 55 Youngstown State 17

The Spartans have found an offense! They also have settled on a quarterback! Granted it was against Youngstown State, but still it has to be encouraging for the Michigan State faithful. After stumbling through their first two games, the offense was at full steam against the Penguins. Spartan quarterback Connor Cook passed for 202 yards and four touchdowns and Spartan running backs combined for 277 yards and three touchdowns. Now can they do they maintain this against higher quality competition? We’ll find out Saturday when they take on Notre Dame.

Akron 24 #11 Michigan 28

Well not all Michigan teams can deal with inferior Ohio teams. What a mess of a game! The Wolverines deserved to lose this game. And I’m not just saying this because of my team allegiance. Akron had Michigan on their knees and failed to deliver the winning blow. The Zips missed three straight opportunities inside the Michigan five yard line and missed having their Appalachian State moment. Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner threw three interceptions (one fumble too) and now has six on the season. While Gardner is a talented player, his turnover problems are going to cost Michigan some games this season.

Iowa 27 Iowa State 21

This wasn’t your typical rivalry game between these two teams. Normally it’s back and forth throughout. On Saturday, Iowa controlled the game for the first three and a half quarters. With 7:05 to go, the Hawkeyes led 27-7. Then Iowa State made a spirited comeback, scoring two touchdowns in five minutes. But it was too little, too late for the Cyclones. Mark Weisman had another good game for Iowa as he rushed for 145 yards and helped keep the Iowa State offense off the field (17 minute possession advantage for the Hawkeyes). Iowa won the Cy-Hawk Trophy for the first time in three years.

UCF 34 Penn State 31

This was a well fought out game between both teams and I wish I had watched more of it. UCF had the advantage throughout, but Penn State never fell out of striking distance. Both quarterbacks performed well for their respective teams. UCF quarterback Blake Bortles was 20 of 27 passing, throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns. His counterpart, Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg has one of his most complete games yet. Hackenberg completed 21 of 28 passes for 262 yards, a touchdown and most importantly no turnovers. It was a great win for the Golden Knights and their program, who look to compete for a BCS bid in the American Conference against favorite Louisville.

#19 Washington 34 Illinois 24

They didn’t get the win, but you gotta give credit to Illinois for hanging tough with a talented team like Washington. The Illini knew they were the underdog heading into this match-up and still managed to make this game close, despite a poor game from star quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase. The Huskies’ defense gave him fits the entire game and holding him to 9 of 25 passing, 156 yards and one touchdown. Without a great game from Scheelhaase, the Illinois offense lost it’s potency and didn’t have enough to keep up with the dynamic offensive attack from Washington. Huskies quarterback Keith Price threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Bishop Sankey rushed for over 200 yards and a score. Watch out Oregon and Stanford because Washington looks like the real deal this season.

#21 Notre Dame 31 Purdue 24

Is Notre Dame overrated (as they are every season), or is Purdue better than expected? I’m going to go with both. While the Notre Dame offense struggling wasn’t really surprising, I’m surprised the defense looked so mediocre. Purdue quarterback Rob Henry, who no one will mistake for the second coming of Peyton Manning, threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns against a defense that’s supposed to be pretty good. The Fighting Irish lucked out as usual, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter to avoid an embarrassing defeat. They won’t be able to have such a slow start next week when they take on Michigan State.

#17 Northwestern 38 Western Michigan 17

Northwestern got off to a slow start in this game, but eventually woke up and dominated this game as expected. The Wildcats featured several different running backs in this game with star Venric Mark still dealing with injuries. The standout was Treyvon Green who rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns. The Wildcats get another easy game against Maine next week before diving into B1G play.

Arizona State 32 #20 Wisconsin 30

This game lived up to expectations and was entertaining to watch throughout. It’s one of those most talked about games in the country right now. But only for the final 19 seconds. This was one of the most bizarre finishes I’ve seen in a college football game since LSU spiked the ball with no time left against Ole Miss in 2009. I’m sure you’ve seen it numerous times already, but here it is again below:

All I can say is this was just a a big cluster of awfulness. First, why did Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave just lay the ball on the ground? He could have did anything but this and it would’ve turned out better for the Badgers. Second, what are the refs doing? Not only do they fail to reset the ball, but give zero explanation of what transpired and just ran off the field. I expect that referee crew to be suspended or possibly fired. As for a good explanation of what actually happened, here’s officiating guru Mike Pereira’s take on it:

Be sure to check back on Thursday for my B1G Preview for Week Four!

Comments

  1. One thing that isn’t being talked about enough in regards to the Wisconsin ending is that the ASU player jumps on the ball AFTER the play is whistled dead. Regardless of any other bad decisions by players or refs, this in itself should have been a delay of game penalty against ASU.

    It may be most egregious officiating atrocity I’ve ever witnessed live and personally I think it demands an expansion of the replay official’s powers. A game should never end like this. It’s an insult to the sport.

    • Completely agree. The refs were horrible and handled the situation in a very unprofessional manner. I had no idea what was happening because the refs didn’t take control of the situation. I hope the Buckeyes never end up with these officials.

Trackbacks

  1. […] and lost 31-24. Wisconsin though is probably the most pissed off team in the entire country. As discussed in my week three review, the Badgers lost in one of the most bizarre ways possible. I look for Wisconsin to pound the […]

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