With Big Ten play mostly in full swing with five conference games in play over the weekend, the conference also went undefeated in the four nonconference games it had. It was not a particularly entertaining slate of games, with every game ending in at least a 14-point margin of victory. Iowa’s 24-10 victory over Purdue was the closest game of the week.
Wisconsin 27, South Florida 10
It took awhile for the Badgers to get going in this one, as they were held to three points and were tied going into halftime. Melvin Gordon turned it on after the break, rushing for 131 of his 181 yards and both touchdowns after halftime.
Tanner McEvoy was efficient in Wisconsin’s victory, throwing for 160 yards on 11-18 passing and one touchdown. The Badgers open Big Ten play next week with a trip to Evanston to take on Northwestern.
Rutgers 31, Tulane 6
Gary Nova had a record-setting day for the Scarlet Knights, as he threw for 291 yards and four touchdowns. The four touchdowns on the day pushed Nova to 61 on his career, making him Rutgers’ all-time leader in touchdown passes.
Desmon Peoples and Justin Goodwin split the workload for rushing after Paul James’ season-ending injury last week as Peoples ran for 83 yards and Goodwin added 82. Rutgers hosts the dumpster fire that is Michigan football right now next week in Piscataway.
Iowa 24, Purdue 10
Darrell Hazell’s first Big Ten win will have to be put on hold for at least another week after the Boilermakers lost to Iowa made Hazell 0-9 in conference play. Purdue actually jumped out to a 10-0 lead before the Hawkeyes were led back by two rushing scores by Mark Weisman and a touchdown pass from C.J. Beathard to Kevonte Martin-Manley.
The Boilermakers have some serious offensive issues to address if they are going to get that elusive Big Ten victory. Purdue managed just 156 total yards on offense (72 passing, 84 rushing) in the loss. Purdue visits Illinois next week while Iowa is idle before taking on Indiana in two weeks.
Michigan State 56, Wyoming 14
The defending Big Ten champions made quick work of the Cowboys in their final game before starting conference play. Michigan State jumped out to a 42-14 lead at halftime as the cruised to the victory. Jeremy Langford ran for 137 yards and a touchdown and Connor Cook added 126 yards through the air as the starters sat for most of the second half.
Tony Lippett had 76 yards receiving and a score as the Spartans put up back-to-back games with more than 50 points for the first time since 1978. Michigan State welcomes unbeaten Nebraska into Spartan Stadium in primetime next weekend.
Northwestern 29, Penn State 6
Trevor Siemian, as well as the Northwestern defense, were the stars of this game as Northwestern opened Big Ten play with a win while Penn State dropped to 1-1 in conference play. Siemian threw for 258 yards and ran for three touchdowns as Northwestern led from start to finish.
Anthony Walker’s 49-yard interception return for a touchdown was the highlight of the day for Northwestern’s defense, which held the Nittany Lions to just 50 yards rushing and only allowed the two field goals. The Wildcats host Wisconsin on Saturday and Penn State will have next week off as they prepare for a trip to Ann Arbor to take on the Wolverines in two weeks time.
Maryland 37, Indiana 15
A week after knocking off Missouri on the road, Indiana got blown out at home by conference newcomers Maryland. The Terrapins lost starting quarterback C.J. Brown for the second half, but it didn’t matter, with backup Caleb Rowe throwing for two scores. The Buckeyes will have to keep an eye on Stefon Diggs on Saturday after Diggs again posted big numbers, pulling in 6 catches for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Tevin Coleman was the lone bright spot on offense for the Hoosiers and he ended up with 122 rushing yards and a score. Maryland hosts its first Big Ten conference game next week when Ohio State visits, and Indiana looks to get back to the winning ways when they welcome North Texas to Bloomington.
Minnesota 30, Michigan 14
The Wolverines made history on Saturday, but not the kind they were hoping for. For the first time in their football history, the Wolverines have lost three games before the month of October. Minnesota dominated this game as David Cobb led the way with 183 yards on the ground for the Golden Gophers. Minnesota won the Little Brown Jug for just the second time in 24 years.
The main thing that will be remembered from this matchup is Brady Hoke’s mishandling of Shane Morris in the second half after this game was as good as over. Morris was already hobbling due to a lower leg injury when he took a nasty hit that left him dazed and barely able to stand on his own. Hoke left Morris in the game after the play, and even allowed him to re-enter the game after Devin Gardner’s helmet came off during a play. Minnesota has the week off, while the Wolverines head east to play Rutgers.
Nebraska 45, Illinois 14
Once again, Ameer Abdullah stole the show as the Cornhuskers easily dismantled the Illini defense in the rout. Abdullah had 196 yards by halftime and finished with 208 on the day as he continues his quest for the Heisman Trophy. Imani Cross added 109 yards on the ground as Nebraska rushed for 458 yards as a team.
Illinois was missing starting quarterback Wes Lunt due to a leg injury suffered last week and went with Reilly O’Toole in his place. O’Toole finished with 261 yards and a score on just 17-38 passing while being intercepted three times. Illinois hosts Purdue on Saturday in Champaign and Nebraska takes a visit to East Lansing to take on Michigan State in the B1G game of the week.
What were your biggest takeaways from the first real weekend of Big Ten play? Will Brady Hoke even make it to the end of the season as the Wolverines’ head coach? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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