Big Ten season is now well under way and teams are starting to fall into place. With only one close game this week between two evenly matched teams, the rest of the games started to show who is going to be a contender and who is going to sit in the cellar this year. We’ll have to wait until next week to see where Northwestern is going to fall, but it’s clear that Iowa, Penn State and Ohio State will be the only teams contending for the Big Ten Championship, with Michigan possibly making a push as well.
Minnesota 35, Purdue 20
The Golden Gophers bounced back from a disappointing loss last week, led by an unexpected source: the running game. The generally lacking ground attack combined for 207 yards and four touchdowns behind freshman halfback Kevin Whaley and sophomore running backs Duane Bennett and DeLeon Eskridge. Senior Eric Decker, who ranks near the top of every statistical category in the nation for wide receivers, was held to just three catches and 50 yards as junior quarterback Adam Weber struggled, throwing for only 74 yards and tossing two interceptions. Senior linebacker Lee Campbell may have been the lone star of the game, though, intercepting a pass and blocking a field goal, setting up two Golden Gopher touchdowns. Purdue’s offense continued to play well, but the defense couldn’t stop Minnesota. Senior quarterback Joey Elliott threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns, with wide receivers junior Keith Smith and senior Aaron Valentin combining for 206 yards and both touchdowns on 15 catches. Purdue, who is already in the cellar at 1-5, will probably lose again next week against Ohio State. Minnesota doesn’t have it any easier, as they put their 4-2 record to the test in the next two weeks, two away games at Penn State and Ohio State.
Penn State 52, Eastern Illinois 3
Too easy. There’s no other way to describe this game, as Penn State clobbered Eastern Illinois Saturday afternoon. Senior quarterback Daryll Clark threw for 234 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 completions, and junior halfback Evan Royster ran for 94 yards. The ground attack combined for an impressive 285 yards and three touchdowns, with sophomore running back Stephfon Green and freshman quarterback Kevin Newsome added a touchdown each on 58 and 49 yards, respectively. Newsome also threw the ball five times, completing four passes for 34 yards. Defensively, it was just as dominant a performance, with Eastern Illinois only moving the ball for 206 total yards. Senior quarterback Jake Christensen, a transfer from Iowa, was unimpressive in his Big Ten reunion, throwing for 137 yards and an interception. Penn State enters a stretch of very winnable Big Ten games before taking on Ohio State in early November, a game that could determine who gets the Rose Bowl bid.
Michigan State 24, Illinois 14
Different quarterbacks, same results – after benching senior quarterback Juice Williams in favor of junior Eddie McGee, Illinois still couldn’t get any offense going. McGee had a disastrous start, completing only two of 11 passes for 31 yards and an interception before Williams took over. Williams also struggled, completing less than 42 percent of his passes for 109 yards, although he did notch a touchdown. On the other hand, sophomore Keith Nichol got his first start for Michigan State and the Spartans continued their recent hot streak. Nichol had a mild day, throwing for 179 yards and no touchdowns, but got help from the running backs, who combined for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Illinois will face off against Indiana and Purdue in the next two weeks in battles over who is the worst team in the Big Ten. Michigan State will host the ‘Cats next weekend – hopefully their hot streak will come to an end.
Ohio State 31, Wisconsin 13
Wisconsin looked like it was going to pull an upset over Ohio State at halftime, but the Buckeye special teams and defense took over. Defensive backs senior Kurt Coleman and junior Jermale Hines both returned interceptions for touchdowns, and senior wide receiver Ray Small notched another score with a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Because of these big plays, the Ohio State offense didn’t need to do much. Sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor only threw for 87 yards, and the ground attack didn’t break the combined 100-yard mark. Judging from the box score, Wisconsin dominated the game. Junior quarterback Scott Tolzien threw for 250 yards, and the running backs combined for 118 more. Sophomore halfback John Clay, though, couldn’t get going after a big game last week, only rushing for 59 yards on 20 carries. Ohio State should continue to roll against three very beatable opponents before the stretch of Penn State, Iowa and Michigan to end the season. Wisconsin hosts Iowa next week and will hope to pull an upset to improve to 6-1.
Virginia 47, Indiana 7
After a surprising start, Indiana has lost three in a row. Senior quarterback Jameel Sewell torched the Hoosiers for 308 yards and a touchdown, and senior halfback Mikell Simpson had 83 yards and an amazing four touchdowns on the ground. The Cavaliers combined for 231 yards and five touchdowns on the day. Indiana just couldn’t get anything going. Junior quarterback Ben Chappell, who has been solid all year, only threw for 177 yards without a touchdown. The Indiana halfbacks only combined for 82 yards, a performance they’d like to forget. While Indiana faces two beatable teams in Illinois and Northwestern before starting a rough stretch, there is a very good chance that the team will end the season losing its last nine games.
Iowa 30, Michigan 28
In the one close of the weekend, Iowa held off Michigan to remain undefeated. Junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns, and the running game added another. It was the defense, though, that made the biggest impact. Michigan’s two freshman quarterbacks, Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson, combined for 124 yards and two interceptions, although the ground attack broke loose for 195 yards and three touchdowns. Michigan was helped by a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown by junior cornerback Donovan Warren, but it wasn’t enough. After two tough loses, Michigan can bounce back against Delaware State before a showdown with Penn State. Iowa won’t face a ranked team until mid-November and could start contending for the national championship if it stays undefeated for a few more weeks.