Despite some momentary struggles, Ohio State accomplished its goal going into the weekend and that was clinching a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game. Wisconsin held off a pesky Iowa team to improve to 6-1 in conference play and will clinch their spot opposite Ohio State in Indianapolis with a win in their final regular season game.
Ohio State 42, Indiana 27
The Buckeyes looked shaky against Indiana, even trailing in the third quarter after a 90-yard Tevin Coleman touchdown run, one of three on the day for him. When they looked their shakiest, they turned to a player many turned their back on just a week ago. Jalin Marshall returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown to regain the lead and Ohio State would never give it back.
Marshall set an Ohio State record by scoring four touchdowns in one half, adding three receiving touchdowns to his punt return. Indiana returns to Bloomington to finish their season while Ohio State will remain in Columbus and take on That Team Up North.
Illinois 16, Penn State 14
Illinois came from behind in the fourth quarter to beat Penn State thanks to a David Reisner field goal with just eight seconds left in the game. Both offenses struggled in this one, with neither team hitting the 300 yard total offense mark. Christian Hackenberg went just 8-16 for 93 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
Mike Dudek was consistent throughout for the Illini, catching 11 passes for 115 yards as Illinois moved to within a game of bowl eligibility. Penn State will head back to Happy Valley to host Michigan State and Illinois will go on the road to take on in-state rival Northwestern.
Minnesota 28, Nebraska 24
Ohio State’s win over Minnesota looks even better this week after the Golden Gophers were able to go on the road and knock off Nebraska. Tommy Armstrong threw for over 200 yards and Ameer Abdullah rushed for 98 but it wasn’t enough to take down Minnesota at home.
Despite throwing for just 135 yards, Mitch Leidner led the way for the Gophers, rushing for 110 and two scores. David Cobb added 80 and another score on the ground as Minnesota kept their hopes of a rematch against Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game alive. Nebraska will go on the road at Iowa to finish out the regular season and Minnesota hits the road again as they travel to Camp Randall.
Northwestern 38, Purdue 14
Northwestern kept their slim bowl hopes alive by dominated Purdue in West Lafayette. Justin Jackson ran for 147 yards and two scores to lead the Wildcats to victory. Trevor Siemian left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury but that didn’t slow Northwestern down, as Zack Oliver came in and did his job.
The Wildcat defense was extremely tough on the Boilermakers, especially in the run game. Akeem Hunt managed just 60 yards on 20 carries and Purdue as a team combined for just 61 yards on the ground. Northwestern will host Illinois this week while Purdue goes on the road to take on the Hoosiers.
Michigan State 45, Rutgers 3
After losing to Ohio State at home two weeks ago, Michigan State has been nothing short of dominant, making quick work of both Maryland and Rutgers. This week, the Spartans jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead on the back of Jeremy Langford. Langford finished the day with 126 yards and two touchdowns.
Michigan State’s vaunted defense showed up again, holding the Scarlet Knights to just 234 yards of total offense. The Spartans picked off Rutgers three times as they cruised to another victory. Michigan State will go on the road next week to take on Penn State and Rutgers will also be away from home as they go to Maryland to close out the regular season.
Wisconsin 26, Iowa 24
Once again, it was the Melvin Gordon show for Wisconsin. On the week he would lose his single-game rushing yards record, Gordon made it to the 2,000 yards mark on the season. Gordon rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns on the day, bolstering his Heisman resume even more.
Jake Rudock did what he could to give the Hawkeyes a chance to win this game, throwing for 311 yards and two scores, but it was barely not enough. Iowa will host Nebraska next week and Wisconsin will host Minnesota in a play-in game for the Big Ten Championship.
Maryland 23, That Team Up North 16
Despite not having their best player in Stefon Diggs, Maryland was able to go into Ann Arbor and knock off the Wolverines for their seventh win of the season. C.J. Brown threw for 165 yards and ran for 87 and a score, but it was Wes Brown’s 1-yard touchdown run with less than six minutes left in the game.
Devin Gardner threw for 106 yards and an interception to go with 82 rushing yards in his final home game as a Wolverine. Maryland will go back to College Park next week to host Rutgers and That Team Up North will make a trip into extremely hostile territory to take on Ohio State.
What are your predictions for the upcoming slate of games? Will it be Wisconsin or Minnesota taking on the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game? Let us know below!
I don’t know what debacle made me happier — Penn State crapping the bed to Illinois or Meatchicken losing a very winnable game against Maryland.
(spoiler alert: it’s Michigan losing)