The Fighting Illini played to their potential at home against the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes, even in a 24-13 loss. But at this point, Illinois should not be playing for pride. It was three seasons ago that the Illini were playing USC in the Rose Bowl. Even though they were tough against Ohio State and got within four points in the 4th quarter, Illinois is still a 2-2 team that will most likely not contend for any kind of championship. Illinois has some very talented players at important skill positions, such as running back Mikel Leshoure, but they have had talented players throughout the Ron Zook era. They just don’t seem to execute very well. The Illini now have back-to-back road games against Penn State and Michigan State. If they can muster a shocking upset over one of these two teams, Zook has a decent shot of keeping his job. But if they lose, as expected, they will fall to 0-3 in the Big Ten. Job safety? Not so much.
Key Player: Jarred Fayson. Illinois completed 13 passes last Saturday. This senior WR caught eight of them.
For the perennial doormat of the Big Ten, Indiana proved on Saturday that their 3-0 start may not have been a fluke. Sure, Michigan quarterback and Heisman frontrunner Denard Robinson put up 494 yards of total offense against the Hoosiers, but they are very hard to stop. On the other side of the ball, the Hoosiers showed that they have quite the quarterback themselves. Ben Chappell completed 45 of 64 passes for 480 yards and three touchdowns. Chappell has now thrown 12 TDs and only one interception. Although the Hoosiers did not come away with the win they desired, they definitely caught the attention of the rest of the Big Ten.
Key Player: Tyler Replogle. The senior LB recovered Michigan Wolverine Denard Robinson’s fumble at the Indiana 1-yard line, revealing Robinson is human and not, as scientists had once thought, a James Cameron-created cyborg.
If there were questions about the state of the vaunted Hawkeye defense after their loss two weeks ago to Arizona, they have been answered loud and clear. After last week’s shutout of Ball State, Iowa dismantled Penn State in the Big Ten’s prime time matchup. The Hawkeyes banished the Nittany Lions from the Top 25 (making room for Northwestern) in a 24-3 smothering. The Iowa defense was abusive throughout the game, allowing only 54 yards on the ground. They mercifully finished Penn State off in the 4th quarter when Shaun Prater returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown with 1:27 remaining. Heading into their bye week, Iowa has once again established themselves as a top dog in the Big Ten. Before Iowa can think about beating Big Ten favorite, Ohio State, they will have to prepare for their next three contests: away at Michigan, home versus Wisconsin and then Michigan State. If they make it through that stretch, they may become the favorites to be Big Ten champs.
Key Player: Ricky Stanzi. This may seem like an odd pick, considering it was the defense that dominated against Penn State. But Stanzi’s record as a starter with the Hawkeyes is now 22-5. He may not be the best QB in the Big Ten, but at least a little of credit should be shot his way.
We have good news and bad news. First, the good news. Denard Robinson has been sent from another planet with the sole purpose of accumulating as many yards as possible in order to save head coach Rich Rodriguez’s job. Now the bad news. The Wolverines defense is more porous than a sponge, but not quite as useful. This was all on display on Saturday when Michigan pulled off another last second win on a Robinson running touchdown in a 42-35 shootout over the Indiana Hoosiers. Michigan is now 5-0, which is really all they can ask for, but their first real competition is coming up this weekend. Robinson has fully established himself as one of the best players in the country, but the cat is out of the bag now. Every team the Wolverines play against for the rest of his career will put all of their energy into shutting him down.
Key Player: Denard Robinson. If I need to explain, just stop reading now.
No matter where your Big Ten allegiances lie, it was hard to not feel good for the Spartans on Saturday, as the defeated the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers 34-24 at home while their coach watched from the hospital. After doctors found a blood clot, just weeks after his heart attack following Michigan State’s victory over Notre Dame, Mark Dantonio was forced to spend another week away from the sidelines while his team played spirited football in his honor. The Spartans are now 5-0 and will face off against fellow undefeated in-state rival, the Michigan Wolverines, in the Big House next week. The fact that they have one of the best linebackers in the country in Greg Jones and the one-two punch of running backs Edwin Baker and Le’Veon Bell should hold down the fort for a while. Hopefully, they will make it to Evanston on Oct. 23 undefeated.
Key Player: Keshawn Martin. The Spartans were behind until the junior WR returned a punt for a 74-yard touchdown, giving Michigan State a 13-10 lead. They would not trail again.
If you were to label a team the Detroit Lions of college football, you really could not go wrong with the Golden Gophers. They are a team that can amaze you with remarkably bad performances, such as their losses at home to South Dakota and Northern Illinois. They can also get agonizingly close to victories over teams with more talent, only to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. In the theme of the Lions, it is almost as if the Golden Gophers have a weekly contest to discover new ways to lose. Minnesota showed once again that they are capable of playing solid football that can put upset scares into the more elite teams but even if you lose 11 close games, you are still 1-11. The problem for the not-so-Golden Gophers has been their defense, which has allowed over 30 points per game. After back-to-back bowl berths in 2008 and 2009, they look to be back to their losing ways.
Key Player: Ryan Collado. The senior cornerback went up in the air with NU’s Jeremy Ebert for a jump ball in the end zone in the 4th quarter. Collado had it, Ebert took it away. Thank you, Ryan.
The ride continues for the Wildcats. In a thrilling, closer-than-it-should’ve-been win over the struggling Minnesota Golden Gophers, Northwestern bumped up their record to 5-0 for the second time in three years. The team struggled at times, falling behind 28-20 in the 4th quarter to the same team that lost at home to South Dakota. Dan Persa threw an interception and lost a fumble (both in the red zone) and kicker Stefan Demos missed an extra point in the 3rd quarter, adding to the frantic feeling. With the win, the Wildcats have the chance to go into their bye week at 6-0 if they can manage to get past Purdue, which would set up a showdown with the Michigan State Spartans for Homecoming.
Key Player: Ben Johnson. On Minnesota’s final drive, the junior LB dropped an interception that would have sealed the game. On 4th down, two plays later, Johnson corrected his mistake, picking off an Adam Weber pass to pull of the victory.
If you only look at the end result, a victory at Illinois that moved them to 5-0 and retained their No. 2 ranking in the polls, the Buckeyes should be satisfied with this weekend. But in the BCS system, just getting by won’t cut it for long. The Buckeyes knocked off the Fighting Illini 24-13 on Saturday, but it felt closer than that if you are a die-hard, Woody-Hayes-worshiping, “THE Ohio State” lover. After a brief injury scare, Heisman-worthy QB Terrelle Pryor shook it off and led his team to victory with 104 rushing yards, including a 66-yarder that showed off his size, speed, and simply freakish athletic ability all in one. But the Buckeyes only threw for 76 yards. Pryor’s athleticism has been enough to get by their nonconference schedule and weaker Big Ten opponents (as well as being great for his Heisman campaign), but he needs to develop better accuracy if the Buckeyes are going to remain on the track towards the national championship.
Key Player: Joe Bauserman. The Buckeyes backup QB threw two passes, one of which was intercepted, during Terrelle Pryor’s brief absence. Despite Pryor’s passing struggles, Bauserman reminded Ohio State fans, it could always be worse.
As Joe Paterno narrows in on his 400th career win (seriously, wow), the wins are beginning to get a little tougher. In their two tests against top 25 opponents thus far the Nittany Lions have looked very outmatched, especially on offense. Against Alabama, they threw three interceptions. On Saturday against Iowa, they were held to 54 yards on the ground. When your offense features a runner like Evan Royster, that’s a sign that you are in some trouble. At the end of the first half, down 17-0, JoePa’s boys got down to the Iowa 2 but only came away with a field goal. On the first drive of the 2nd half, they got down to the Iowa 1, but turned the ball over on downs. Penn State’s next opponents are Illinois and Minnesota, which in all likelihood should give them a chance to get back in the Big Ten race. But in reality, Paterno’s team looks to be one of his weaker ones in the past couple years.
Key Player: Anthony Fera. The redshirt freshman punter’s leg should have fallen off by this point. Nine punts in one game, including a 74-yarder. At least he got a little face time.
If any team in the country needed a bye week, it was Purdue. The Boilermakers have had two consecutive losing seasons despite preseason promise with the arrival of quarterback Robert Marve, the highly regarded transfer from Miami (FL). The combo of Marve and Keith Smith, the returning All-Big Ten receiver, was thought to be just what Purdue needed to get back into the mix for Big Ten title contention. But after four games, both Marve and Smith are out for the season with knee injuries. Hopefully Coach Danny Hope spent this week off doing more than quietly sobbing in his office, possibly figuring out how to not make this a lost season. The Boilermakers will head to Evanston next week for a rare night game at Ryan Field against a team that, despite their undefeated record, has seemed vulnerable. A road win could at least give Purdue the chance to keep their season alive. Any time a team has nothing to lose, they can be at their most dangerous. However, when they are missing their starting quarterback and leading wideout, they are slightly less so. But only slightly.
Key Player: Denny Miller. Don’t see Miller on the roster? That’s because he is the team’s director of sports medicine. Get this team healthy Denny!
After starting off slow in their first three victories over the season, the Badgers hung 70 on Austin Peay last Saturday and appeared to be back in top form. That was until Michigan State reminded them that they weren’t playing the mighty Governors this week. Wisconsin battled but could never get back in the lead against the inspired Spartans in a 34-24 loss. The Badgers continued to be able to run the ball effectively, rushing for 165 yards on the backs of John Clay and James White. But QB Scott Tolzien only completed 11 of 25 passes for 127 yards. The Badgers also could not capitalize on three Michigan State turnovers. It is always a bad sign if your defense can make plays but the offense cannot capitalize to put points on the board. Luckily for the Badgers, they get Minnesota at home this week. If there is a game that is the equivalent of a bye week in the Big Ten, this has to be it.
Key Player: James White. The freshman RB has showed there is a light at the end of the tunnel once teammate John Clay goes pro. He averaged 9.8 yards per carry and ran for two touchdowns. Now if only Wisconsin could throw the ball.