With their win over Michigan State in East Lansing, Ohio State is now the only Big Ten team without a loss in conference play. Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin all remain at one loss in the Big Ten West, setting up what’s sure to be a hectic final three weeks of the regular season in the Big Ten.
Penn State 13, Indiana 7
Penn State got back in the win column for the first time in five tries with their victory in Bloomington. Indiana took the lead late in the second quarter when Mark Murphy intercepted Christian Hackenberg and returned it 47 yards for a score. The lead was short-lived however when Bill Belton took a handoff 92 yards to the house.
A pair of Sam Ficken field goals in the second half ended up being the difference as Penn State improved to 5-4 on the season while Indiana remained winless in conference play and fell to 3-6 overall. The Nittany Lions return home next weekend and will host Temple while Indiana will make a trip to Piscataway to take on Rutgers.
Minnesota 51, Iowa 14
Minnesota dominated Iowa in this rivalry game to take home the Floyd of Rosedale. Iowa scored the first touchdown of the game on their opening drive when Mark Weisman pounded the ball in from a yard out. After that, it was all Golden Gophers. Minnesota rolled off 51 straight points after the Weisman touchdown before Iowa got a late score with less than a minute to play.
Mitch Leidner was 10-13 passing for 138 yards but added four touchdowns, three of which went to Maxx Williams. The Golden Gophers held the Hawkeyes to just 205 yards of offense as they kept pace with one loss in the Big Ten West. Minnesota hosts Ohio State on Saturday while Iowa will go to Illinois for their final road game of the season.
Wisconsin 34, Purdue 16
Melvin Gordon added to his Heisman resume with another big game, this time rushing for 205 yards and a touchdown. Gordon also reeled in three passes from Joel Stave for 47 yards and another touchdown. Stave threw for a season-high 219 yards and two touchdowns.
Purdue struggled offensively, especially in the run game. The Boilermakers managed just 26 yards on the ground as they fell to 3-7 on the year. Wisconsin moved to 4-1 in the Big Ten, setting up a showdown at the top of the Big Ten West next week when they host Nebraska. Purdue has the week off before hosting Northwestern at Ross-Ade Stadium.
Michigan 10, Northwestern 9
Northwestern scored the potentially game-tying touchdown with three seconds left in the game but decided to go for two and the win and failed when Trevor Siemian slipped in the backfield. Siemian threw for 273 yards on the day and a touchdown to go with two interceptions. The Wildcats combined for -9 rushing yards on the day.
De’Veon Smith led the Wolverines to victory with 121 yards and the Wolverines’ only touchdown of the day. Devin Gardner had just 109 yards passing and was picked off twice in an offensive struggle. Northwestern will visit Notre Dame next weekend and the Wolverines have the week off to prepare for a visit from Maryland.
Ohio State 49, Michigan State 37
On Saturday night in East Lansing, the Buckeyes made a statement and got their revenge for Michigan State ripping away their national title chances last season. By doing so, Ohio State kept themselves in the playoff picture for this year. J.T. Barrett had one of his best games of the season against one of the best defenses in the country. The redshirt freshman threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns while running for 86 yards and two more scores.
Jeremy Langford had 137 yards and three touchdowns rushing. Connor Cook threw for 358 yards and two TDs but was just 25-45 passing the ball as the Spartans lost their first conference game of the season. Michigan State will look to rebound when they visit Maryland and the Buckeyes will go on the road again to play Minnesota.
Who do you think will take control of the Big Ten West when Wisconsin welcomes Nebraska to Camp Randall? Nebraska winning out until the Big Ten Championship Game would be the best-case scenario for Ohio State as they look to climb in the top four. Give us your prediction below!
The top of this conference is fun to watch while the bottom is painful. Just awful football coming from PSU, UM and Illinois. Purdue and Indiana have their excuses, but what some traditional powerhouses are putting out on the field is putrescent.
And then there’s the Buckeyes, heads and shoulders above the rest, as it should be.