We saw a full slate of Big Ten action this weekend in which all 12 teams went head-to-head in six meaningful games. After Saturday's games the hottest teams are running away from the pack as the conference starts to take shape. With just four weeks left in the regular season every game is induced with more meaning and a sense of urgency. Follow along as we recap all the games from Saturday from the Big Ten.
Illinois 17 Penn State 24
After a fast 4-0 start the Fighting Illini are struggling to find their identity again. Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase was one of the hottest names in the Big Ten in September but has now led his team to four straight losses in which he has thrown just one touchdown and four interceptions during that span. Meanwhile nobody can figure out if Bill O'Brien's Penn State team is good, bad, or just lucky. The Nittnay Lions won a thrilling four-overtime game against the then 18th ranked Wolverines two weeks ago and followed that up with a 14-63 stomping by the Buckeyes. Although Illinois had little trouble moving the ball in the first half, they couldn't find ways to put points on the board. Penn State's leading rusher Bill Belton and leading receiver Allen Robinson were the only two offensive players to touch the ball in the first two quarters as they helped led their team to a 14-0 score at half by combining for all 151 yards of offense.
Scheelhaase came out in the second half and continued to look sharp as he went 8-10 in their third quarter scoring drives and got them back to 14-10. Then late in the fourth quarter he drove his offense down the field using his arm and legs and connected with Josh Ferguson to give them a three point lead. In typical fashion, true freshman Christian Hackenberg threw a bomb to Allen Robinson on the following drive to set up a game-tying field goal to force overtime. Overtime was quick and to the point. Hackenberg hit Kyle Carter on the third play of their first possession for a 15-yard touchdown pass. Scheelhaase then went for the tie on their first play throwing into the end zone which was picked off by cornerback Ryan Keiser ending the game. Hackenberg threw for 240 yards and zero interceptions and Belton rushed for 201 yards on 36 carries.
Wisconsin 28 Iowa 9
Off two field goals, Iowa owned a 6-0 lead for all of the last two minutes in the first half. In those last two minutes however, Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave found tight end Jacob Pedersen for a touchdown to go into the locker room carrying a majority of momentum followed by a 7-6 lead. In what was a closer game than the scoreboard lets on was decided by two costly interceptions thrown by Iowa in the second half. Both turnovers were then turned into touchdowns by the Badgers who had 362 yards of total offense. Melvin Gordon was held to a quiet game to his standards rushing for just 62 yards on 17 carries. His "Robin to his "Batman" James White however, helped him out as any trusty sidekick would rushing for 132 yards on 19 carries helping balance out the running attack. Stave also added two touchdown passes as Wisconsin took advantage of good field position and turnovers to seal this game up.
With the win the Badgers climb to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten meaning they are now bowl eligible for the 12th time in as many years reminding people they have been one of the most consistent programs in the nation over the past decade. Two key injuries took place during the game; Iowa quarterback Jake Ruddock left the game in the third quarter with a sprained left knee, he is questionable for next weeks game against Purdue. Badgers number one wide out Jared Abbrederis left the game in the third quarter with a chest injury after he caught 20-yard touchdown pass. His status for next week in unknown.
Ohio State 56 Purdue 0
They came. They saw. They conquered. In a game where the number four team in the country travelled to Indiana to take on the worst team in the Big Ten this one was over when the Buckeyes rolled into the parking lot. After starting the game with a pick-six under a minute into the game, it took the Buckeyes just 10 total plays to score three more touchdowns to go up 28-0 at the end of the first quarter. A quick start for the Buckeyes isn't anything new this year though as they've scored the most first-quarter points in the FBS this season. By the end of the half Braxton Miller took of his pads after going 19-23 throwing four touchdowns and one interception while holding 42-0 lead. Kenny Guiton took over at quarterback in the second half adding 98 yards on the ground, just behind running back Carlos Hyde's 111 yards on just eight touches. The defense did their part as well holding the Boilmakers to just 116 yards of total offense while chipping in two turnovers and six sacks.
The 56-point loss tied the worst loss in Purdue history as Ohio State extending their winning streak to 22 games, meaning they haven't lost in 22 months. For fourth ranked Ohio State a dominating win is exactly what the doctor ordered. On the outside looking in at the top-3 teams in the BCS Alabama, Florida State, and Oregon all possess the blow out wins that the Buckeyes needed to make the case for best team in the nation. After putting a whooping on Penn State last week they have now produced over 600 yards of total offense in back-to-back weeks, just the second time a Big Ten team has done so in the past ten years.
Minnesota 42 Indiana 39
An impressive comeback by the Hoosiers led to a dramatic ending to Saturday's game in Bloomington, Indiana. The Gophers put up 28 unanswered points and held a lead by the score of 35-13 near the end of the third quarter. But blowouts are no fun so Indiana decided to score on four straight possessions in between forcing three straight "three-and-outs" against Minnesota while on defense. With six minutes left Hoosier quarterback Nate Sudfeld found Cody Latimore for a 30-yard touchdown pass to give them an improbable lead 39-35 before the Gophers could even blink. Losing their lead sparked something on the Gopher sideline and Phillip Nelson hooked up with a wide open Maxx Williams for a 50-yard strike on the very next drive to steal the lead back from the Hoosiers 42-39.
With time running out Indiana followed suit and drove all the way to the Gophers nine-yard line before Sudfeld attempted a "swing-pass" that was dropped and bounced backwards for a live-ball fumble which was then recovered by linebacker Aaron Hill to seal the game. Deflated by the quick turn of events Hoosier's coach Kevin Wilson dropped to one knee as the Gophers offense stormed the field realizing his epic comeback fell one score short. The struggling Hoosiers lost their third straight game despite winning the turnover battle as they dropped to 1-3 in the Big Ten. Minnesota ran for 248 yards and passed for another 325 giving them 573 yards of total offense as they won their third straight game and climb to 7-2, with a 3-2 record in the conference.
Michigan 6 Michigan State 29
This in state rivalry was the game of the week in the Big Ten and for good reason, as both teams ranked in the top-25 in the BCS polls. But it was the Spartans number one ranked defense that smothered quarterback Devin Gardner and the Wolverines early and often on Saturday. Gardner was sacked four times alone in just the first quarter as their inability to rush the ball set up a disaster situation for their offensive line and offensive game plan. Michigan couldn't produce any type of positive plays on first or second down throughout the game letting the Spartans unleash their relentless pass rush on third down for most of the day. The Spartans ended up with seven total sacks and a turnover on Gardner while holding them to -48 yards on the ground. No, thats not a typo, the Wolverines mustered just one-yard rushing on 22 attempts combined with the seven sacks produced their worst rushing performance in school history.
With such a dominating defense, quarterback Connor Cook just needed to limit his turnovers and make a big play or two. With two minutes left in the second quarter he led his team on a 10 play 75-yard drive that ended with a 14 yard touchdown pass to Bennie Fowler in the corner of the endzone to go up 13-6. The second-half featured more of the same for both teams as the Spartans number one defense was just too much for the Wolverines creating negative plays setting up third and longs. Michigan State added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter as they tried to wear their opponent down and run out the clock as they gave Michigan their tenth straight road loss to a ranked opponent.
At 8-1 and 5-0 in the Big Ten it seems more and more likely an "Ohio State-Michigan State" game for the conference title is showing up in the crystal ball of the future. A game that would have many intriguing plot lines like a dynamic offense led by Braxton Miller versus the best defense in the nation.
Northwestern 24 Nebraska 27
After the first four weeks of the young season, things couldn't have been better for the Wildcats as they owned a perfect 4-0 record. Since then however, they had lost four straight games including four losses to Big Ten foes, things couldn't have gone any worse for them until now. Northwestern was up 24-21with just two minutes left on the road against a Nebraska team that was with out their starting quarterback. As the Cornhuskers started their final drive at their own 17-yard line with zero timeouts the Wildcats had the Gatorade bath set as they were about to snap their four game losing streak. After Ameer Abdullah converted a 4th and 15 on a dump off pass from his quarterback their was just four seconds remaining at the 50. Smiles were still big on the Northwestern sideline as the pre-celebrations were starting to take place with the realization of a batted hail mary would start the Wildcat party.
Quarterback Ron Kellogg dropped back and let the ball rip towards the end zone into a clump of helmets and hands. The ball was deflected by the first wave of players into the second level where Jordan Westerkamp stood with his eyes bulging from his skull as the ball floated into his chest as he dove to secure the improbable. After the catch, a sea of red stormed the field to celebrate an unlikely win. Take out the hail marry pass and Kellogg was just 14-18 passing for 123 yards with zero touchdowns and three interceptions. An embarrassing stat line from a winning quarterback to say the least, but sometimes you throw up a prayer and your hail-mary is answered. Nebraska jumps to 6-2 (3-1) and keeps their hopes of playing in the Big Ten title game alive. Northwestern seems to have officially hit rock bottom with its fifth consecutive loss overall as well as its fifth consecutive loss to a Big Ten team.