North by Northwestern

Powerhouse Ohio State needed to return a two-point conversion late in the game Saturday afternoon to barely beat Navy. Sophomore sensation Terrelle Pryor led the way for the Buckeyes with 174 passing yards and a touchdown, in addition to 30 yards rushing and another score. While no wide receiver stood out as a favorite target, Pryor did manage to get the ball to seven different receivers. Fellow sophomore Daniel Herron led the way on the ground with 72 yards and a touchdown of his own. Navy may have exposed the Buckeyes’ questionable rush defense with a combined 186 yards rushing and two touchdowns, with Ricky Dobbs and Alexander Teich leading the way with 83 and 61 apiece. If Ohio State wants to stand a chance at beating Southern California next Saturday or running the table in the Big Ten, it has some work to do.
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Penn State 31, Akron 7

Penn State was the only ranked Big Ten team to live up to expectations with a solid win over the Akron Zips Saturday afternoon. Potential Heisman trophy candidate Daryll Clark had a monster performance by launching the ball for 353 yards and three touchdowns, even after losing his top three wide receivers from a year ago. Sophomore Derek Moye looks like he will fill the void at wide receiver after impressing with six catches for 138 yards and a touchdown. Clark was able to spread the ball around to an astounding 12 receivers. Another Heisman sleeper, junior halfback Evan Royster, had a slow start with only 61 yards, although he did manage to find the end zone. The Nittany Lion defense, which returns star linebackers Navarro Bowman and Sean Lee, who missed last season with a knee injury, held the Zips to only 186 total yards, with only 28 of them coming on the ground.
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Iowa 17, Northern Iowa 16

Of all the potential upsets Saturday afternoon, Iowa had the biggest scare. The Hawkeyes needed two blocked field goals – yes, two – in the closing seconds to hold of Northern Iowa, of the FCS. Junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi was the bright spot for Iowa, throwing for 242 yards and a touchdown. Stanzi did have a surprisingly low average completion of 7.1 yards, reflecting Iowa’s conservative approach. The Hawkeyes failed to fill the void left by Shonn Greene, who carried the load last season and is now a member of the New York Jets. With potential replacement Jewel Hampton sitting out, Iowa was limited to only 2.8 yards per carry. Iowa will have to figure out how to move the chains if it wants to remain a ranked team at the end of the season.
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Michigan State 44, Montana State 3

The Spartans completely took control over the game against Montana State Saturday afternoon, quelling concerns that the offense would struggle after losing current NFL players quarterback Brian Hoyer and star halfback Javon Ringer. Hoyer’s replacements, sophomores Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol, combined for 318 yards passing and five touchdowns without throwing an interception. The Spartans will likely continue to employ the two-quarterback system until a clear starter is named. Senior wide receiver Blair White was a favorite for both quarterbacks, catching 162 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, the Spartans return one of the best linebackers in the nation in Greg Jones. Jones didn’t disappoint, stuffing the Montana State attack with 14 tackles while limiting the Bobcats to 160 total yards. The Spartans may have lost their main offensive weapons, but they look like a force to be reckoned with — at least against FCS opponents. The next two non-conference games will be better indicators, with a promising Central Michigan team making the trip to East Lansing next week and an away game in South Bend against Notre Dame the week after.
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Minnesota 23, Syracuse 20

The Golden Gophers’ season opener was almost ruined Saturday afternoon by Greg Paulus and Syracuse in his first start in collegiate football. Paulus, who was the National High School Player of the Year, chose to play college basketball at Duke University for four years over football and attained eligibility to play under center for the Orange this fall. Minnesota returns most if its offensive stars, including junior quarterback Adam Weber and senior wide receiver Eric Decker, who declined to play major league baseball after getting drafted in the spring. Decker led the way offensively with 183 of Weber’s 248 passing yards for the day. While Minnesota looked unimpressive outside of the Weber-Decker connection, Syracuse turned heads with its performance. Paulus connected with senior wide receiver Mike Williams seven times for 94 yards and a touchdown. You can bet Coach Pat Fitzgerald kept his eye on this game because Northwestern will face the jumpstart Orange and host Minnesota later this month.
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Purdue 42, Toledo 31

Purdue, which may be the most unknown team in the Big Ten, had a solid start Saturday afternoon against Toledo. Sophomore halfback Ralph Bolden exploded onto the scene with 234 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Senior halfback Jaycen Taylor had a great day of his own with 81 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Senior quarterback Joey Elliott emerged as a solid option, throwing for 220 yards and three scores. His primary target was junior wide receiver Keith Smith, who hauled in eight catches for 117 yards and a score. The game did show some of Purdue’s weaknesses as well. Toledo’s senior quarterback Aaron Opelt threw for a remarkable 423 yards and three touchdowns, with senior wide receiver Stephen Williams catching 15 balls for 185 yards and two scores and freshman wide receiver Eric Page beginning his career in style with 12 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown. While Toledo beat Michigan last year in Ann Arbor and should not be taken lightly, more will be revealed about Purdue next week when they travel west to take on Oregon.
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Michigan 31, Western Michigan 7

While many expected the first game of the season to showcase another upset in Ann Arbor, Michigan took care of business Saturday afternoon against Western Michigan. True freshman quarterbacks Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson led the way with a combined 197 yards passing and three touchdowns. Much of their damage was done on the ground, though. Robinson scampered for 43 yards and a touchdown on his first career college play en route to 74 on the day and Forcier added 37 of his own. Junior wide receiver Junior Hemingway was their primary target, catching five passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Western Michigan’s Juan Nunez abused the Michigan secondary with seven catches for 151 yards and a touchdown, but he was the only real bright spot. Quarterback Tim Hiller, widely considered a top NFL prospect, was only average and threw two touchdowns. The Broncos’ halfbacks combined for a 1.6 yard rushing average, putting too much pressure on the passing attack. Wolverines Coach Rich Rodriguez can certainly breathe a sigh of relief that his freshman quarterbacks fit the system so well in their first game, but he will have to keep the team focused on hosting Notre Dame next Saturday.
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Missouri 37, Illinois 9

Northwestern fans smiled as they saw a Missouri team that barely beat them a year ago destroy NU rival Illinois Saturday afternoon, even without Mizzou superstars Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin, William Moore and Evander Hood. It was the Big Ten’s only loss on the day, despite many close calls. The highly anticipated combination of senior quarterback Juice Williams and junior wide receiver Arrelious Benn sputtered for one reception for nine yards before Benn left with an injury. The Fighting Illini produced minimal offense, with nobody rushing or receiving for more than 50 yards on the day. The Tigers were a different story. Sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert made people quickly forget Daniel by throwing for 319 yards and a touchdown, while senior wide receivers Danario Alexander and Jared Perry combined for 225 yards receiving and a touchdown. The game confirmed two things — that Missouri would still have a high-powered offense and that Illinois would continue to underperform under Coach Ron Zook.
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Wisconsin 28, Northern Illinois 20

Wisconsin held off a fourth-quarter surge by Northern Illinois Saturday night to win its first game of the season. Junior quarterback Scott Tolzien put an end to the quarterback controversy with 257 yards and a touchdown, with 82 yards going to NFL prospect senior tight end Garrett Graham. Junior wide receiver Isaac Anderson had an electrifying day with 100 receiving yards and a touchdown, and added another score with a 23-yard touchdown run. Anderson’s longest reception went for an impressive 80 yards. Halfback John Clay, who will be counted on to carry the load for Wisconsin this year and could be drafted into the NFL next April, was unimpressive with a 2.9 yard rushing average en route to 43 yards, although he did pound in two touchdowns on the goal line.
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