It was a big week for some of the top teams in the B1G. Penn State took care of Illinois to remain near the top of the East while the Wolverines found a way not to lose in Minnesota to do the same. Wisconsin stayed the course and remain primed to pounce should undefeated Iowa slip up down the stretch.
Penn State 39, Illinois 0
The Illini’s trip to Penn State was anything but happy after they were completely dominated all day by the Nittany Lions. Christian Hackenberg had one of his best games of the season, throwing for 266 yards and two touchdowns while also catching a 14-yard TD from Nick Scott.
Illinois just couldn’t get anything going on offense, managing just 167 yards of offense and 12 first downs on their way to being shut out. The Illini lost their third straight game and will look to get back above .500 with a win at Purdue while Penn State will try to move to 5-1 in conference play at Northwestern.
Purdue 55, Nebraska 45
9-4 and Bo Pelini at the helm is looking pretty good right about now, huh, Nebraska fans? Mike Riley’s squad now sits at 3-6 on the season after a pitiful performance in West Lafayette. The Cornhuskers turned the ball over five times, with Purdue cornerback Anthony Brown grabbing three interceptions for himself.
David Blough threw for 274 yards and four touchdowns for the Boilermakers while also adding a 56-yard touchdown run that gave Purdue the lead for good with 5 minutes left in the 1st quarter. An undefeated Michigan State team awaits Nebraska when they return home this week and Purdue looks to start a winning streak at home against Illinois.
Wisconsin 48, Rutgers 10
Corey Clement returned for the Badgers and it appears so did the Wisconsin rushing attack. Clement carried the ball just 11 times but managed to find the end zone on three of those carries and compiled 115 yards in his first game action in eight weeks.
The Badger defense did its part, allowing no offensive touchdowns for the Scarlet Knights and holding them to a lone first half field goal. Rutgers gained just 165 yards and scraped together 8 first downs over the course of the game but somehow managed to win the time of possession battle. Rutgers will head to Ann Arbor for another tough test and Wisconsin will take a trip east for their first B1G visit to Maryland.
Iowa 31, Maryland 15
There is a very real possibility of Iowa being 12-0 heading in to Indianapolis the first weekend of December. It was a slow day on offense for the Hawkeyes, with C.J. Beathard throwing for just 183 yards and the team racking up just 293 yards of total offense.
Desmond King sealed things midway through the final frame when he picked off Perry Hills and took the interception 88 yards to the house. Maryland will look to find a win for the first time since mid-September when Wisconsin visits College Park and Iowa starts their stretch run with a matchup against the Hoosiers in Bloomington.
Michigan 29, Minnesota 26
It took a goalline stand on 4th down as time ran out (which may or may not have been aided by several defenders lining up in the neutral zone), but the Wolverines managed to get out of Minnesota with their B1G East Division title hopes still somewhat within reach.
Despite being outgained 461-296 and losing the turnover battle 2-0, the Wolverines pulled out a victory after Wilton Speights found Jehu Chesson from 12 yards out with less than minutes to play. The Wolverines are back in the Big House to take on Rutgers this weekend and Minnesota comes to Columbus for a primetime matchup with the Buckeyes.
Is Iowa a legitimate playoff contender? Is Mike Riley already dead in the water at Nebraska after being embarrassed at Purdue?
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