There were two main themes in the Big Ten this week: close games and rushing. Northwestern barely fended off Purdue, Michigan State needed overtime to upset Michigan, Wisconsin edged out Minnesota by three and Iowa squeaked by Arkansas State. Halfbacks starred all afternoon — the Michigan State, Wisconsin, Penn State and Ohio State ground attacks dismantled their opponents, while teams that lost usually struggled running the football. Let’s take a look at what happened.
Northwestern 27, Purdue 21
Where’s the defense been? Oh, there it is. The veteran ‘Cats defense finally got its bite back in the second half Saturday against Purdue, helping Northwestern claw back after an abysmal defensive first half. Purdue started the game in extraordinary fashion, jumping to a quick 21-3 lead behind almost anybody who touched the ball. On one play, it took eight attempts to drag down sophomore halfback Ralph Bolden. The next play, senior wide receiver Aaron Valentin sidestepped a few tackles and took a senior quarterback Joey Elliott pass 67 yards to the end zone. With two minutes to go in the second half, though, something happened. Everything finally fell into place, and the ‘Cats came out with a roar. Senior cornerback Sherrick McManis intercepted an Elliott pass, leading to a freshman halfback Arby Fields touchdown run. Two fumbles later and field goals later, the ‘Cats had narrowed the halftime lead to 21-16, scoring 13 points in 91 seconds.
The ‘Cats forced six turnovers by the game’s end, breathing life into a defense that has vastly underperformed. Finally healthy, the defense hopes to build some momentum, led by junior linebacker Quentin Davie and senior safety Brad Phillips. Offensively, senior quarterback Mike Kafka’s most impressive statistic may have been his lack of turnovers. He did manage to throw for 224 yards and finally started running the ball, gaining 39 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Fields had a rough day, only gaining 43 yards on 18 carries, fumbling on his first carry of the day. The Purdue passing attack was unstoppable in the first half. Elliott threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns, finding Valentin for 101 yards and two touchdowns and junior wide receiver Keith Smith for 101 yards and a score. Bolden, one of the Big Ten’s most exciting young runners, was held in check with only 53 yards gained.
Perhaps the most impressive element of the game for the ‘Cats was the special teams. Purdue only averaged 16.4 yards per kickoff return, curbing the trend of great field position for Northwestern opponents. Junior kicker Stefan Demos had a great day, making all four of his field goal attempts from as long as 39 yards, and forced a fumble on a punt by hitting a Purdue player in the back with the ball. If Northwestern can play that kind of special teams, paired with a suddenly aggressive and hungry defense and a vibrant offense, it could go on a run.
Michigan State 26, Michigan 20
Michigan State pulled off an upset Saturday in East Lansing against rival Michigan, giving the Spartans their first back-to-back victories against the Wolverines in 42 years. After forcing a freshman quarterback Tate Forcier interception in overtime, Michigan State freshman running back Larry Caper scampered for a 23-yard touchdown run, winning it for the Spartans. Caper finished with 39 yards and two touchdowns on the day. The Spartans had a healthy ground attack Saturday, combining for 197 yards and three touchdowns. Michigan, however, uncharacteristically only ran for 28 yards and no scores. Forcier led the way for the Wolverines with 223 yards through the air and two touchdowns, adding 27 with his feet. Michigan’s surprising undefeated season came to a halt, while the Spartans avoided a 1-4 start to the season. The Wolverines, though, will have a chance to rebound next week when it faces undefeated Iowa.
Wisconsin 31, Minnesota 28
The Badgers held off Minnesota to improve to an undefeated 5-0 on the season behind a great day on the ground by sophomore halfback John Clay. Wisconsin didn’t have an exceptional day through the air, but Clay ran for 184 yards and three touchdowns. The ground attack ran over Minnesota, combining for 295 yards and Clay’s three touchdowns. Minnesota continued to beat opponents through the air, mostly with the combination of junior quarterback Adam Weber and senior wide receiver Eric Decker. Weber threw for 271 yards and a touchdown, with 140 yards and the score going to Decker. Through five games, Decker has caught 43 passes for 639 yards and five touchdowns, giving him the most yards and second-most receptions so far this season by any player in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Badgers face a grueling next two weeks, traveling to Columbus to take on Ohio State and then hosting Iowa. If they can survive those two games, Wisconsin will be looking at a BCS bowl. Minnesota, on the other hand, will be fighting for its season in the next three weeks when it takes on Purdue, Penn State and Ohio State.
Iowa 24, Arkansas State 21
Iowa confuses me. After needing two blocked field goals to squeeze past a lesser team in Northern Iowa, the Hawkeyes have blasted through three straight BCS opponents, only to barely beat a much worse Arkansas State team. Iowa dominated Iowa State, beat Arizona convincingly and dominated the Penn State offense en route to an upset. Junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns for Iowa, helping the Hawkeyes jump out to a quick 21-7 lead. Senior quarterback Corey Leonard had a solid day for Arkansas State, throwing for 216 yards and two touchdowns. We’ll have to see if the trend continues for Iowa in the next two weeks against Michigan and Wisconsin, who have a combined 9-1 record, before taking on the rest of the Big Ten.
Penn State 35, Illinois 17
Penn State rebounded after being upset by Iowa while Illinois continued to slip into the abyss, with no wins against FBS opponents. The running attack for the Nittany Lions exploded against a lackluster Fighting Illini defense, bombarding Illinois for 338 yards and five touchdowns on the ground with an average of 8.5 yards per carry. While senior quarterback Daryll Clark was relatively quiet, it was refreshing to see junior halfback Evan Royster and company show some life. Illinois had a decent game offensively, with senior quarterback Juice Williams throwing for 263 yards and a touchdown. The rushing attack, though, wasn’t as explosive as Penn State’s, with no single rusher exceeding 58 yards. Illinois has a chance to pick its season back up, with relative lightweights Michigan State, Indiana and Purdue coming up. If it can’t take at least two of these three, it might as well call it quits on the year. Penn State, on the other hand, is primed to start a roll, with an overmatched Eastern Illinois team coming to town next week. The only truly tough game left on the schedule for Penn State is Ohio State, so a 7-1 Big Ten record and Rose Bowl berth is not out of the question.
Ohio State 33, Indiana 14
After starting out 3-0 and almost upsetting Michigan, Indiana returned back to form as one of the worst teams in the Big Ten Saturday against Ohio State. Like in other games, the rushing attack led the way with 219 yards and a touchdown, even without sophomore Dan Herron. Junior halfback Brandon Saine started in his place and racked up 113 yards on the ground. Sophomore quarterback sensation Terrelle Pryor threw for 159 yards and three touchdowns and added 63 yards rushing and another score. For Indiana, it was another story. The team combined for only 18 yards rushing with 0.7 yards per carry, although junior quarterback Ben Chappell had a decent outing, throwing for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Ohio State will take on undefeated Wisconsin next week, while Indiana hopes to rebound against Virginia, a pretty easy opponent.