It was a bloody weekend in college football. Five top-10 teams lost in the same week for the first time ever, and two others barely survived. The Big Ten was just as strange; after six weeks, the best conference record belongs to Northwestern.
It would have been nice to receive some clarity in the division races, but unpredictability can be fun too. Five teams can claim to be the best in the West, unlike last week when it was either Nebraska or Wisconsin. Though the Big Ten may be mediocre, at least it's competitive mediocrity.
No. 10 Michigan State 27, No. 19 Nebraska 22
In one of the stranger games you'll see this season, Michigan State dominated only for Nebraska to make an inexplicable rally and nearly steal the game. In the end, the Spartans avoided the upsets that plagued the top-10.
Two weeks, two Northwestern upsets.
Given how dominant Michigan State's defense was for three quarters, the fact that Nebraska was even in the game was stunning. Ameer Abdullah came into this game as a Heisman candidate; 24 carries and 45 rushing yards later, his campaign has been relegated to the dustbin of history. The Spartans had three giveaways in their own territory, two of them in a row, and Nebraska still couldn't score. MSU was up 27-3 heading into the fourth quarter, an easy margin of victory until things got weird.
A good punt return gave Nebraska strong field position, which it converted into an Abdullah power-rush touchdown. Nebraska again pounded Abdullah for a rushing touchdown, and a 62-yard return by De'Mornay Pierson-El after a MSU punt made it a one score game. Michigan State's field goal attempt with a minute left hit the upright; Nebraska advanced to the MSU 37, but an interception by Trae Waynes sealed the game.
If you're looking to make sense of the game, you're in the wrong place. All I can say is that running against Michigan State is futile, passing is easier than you might think, and given what happened to the West's other ranked team, Nebraska is probably the best team in the division.
Northwestern 20, No. 17 Wisconsin 14
Michigan State avoided the inexplicable upset; Wisconsin couldn't. Northwestern pulled off a Big Ten stunner for the second week in a row, taking down a ranked Wisconsin team in Evanston for the fourth time since 1999.
The Wildcats are by no means explosive, but they were extremely efficient. Northwestern had only 122 "wasted" yards that didn't come on scoring drives; every first-half drive ended in Wisconsin territory, and they used 13- and 15-play drives to take a 10-0 lead. Miles Shuler put the Wildcats up 17-7 in the third quarter, and Godwin Igwebuike had three interceptions to move Northwestern to 2-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2000.
Melvin Gordon had a career high 259 rushing yards, but Wisconsin's quarterbacks were worse than ever. Tanner McEvoy was so ineffective that he was pulled for Joel Stave, who is battling the yips. The Badgers are afflicted by Le'Veon Bell Syndrome, which occurs when a team relies on a star running back so much that the rest of a team's offense becomes ineffective (see Michigan State, 2012).
The only way to overcome Le'Veon Bell Syndrome is for the running back to declare for the NFL. For the good of his team and every Big Ten defense, Gordon should go pro next year. Pretty please?
Rutgers 26, Michigan 24
The Boilermakers reclaimed The Cannon vs. Illinois.
In its Big Ten debut, Rutgers came achingly close to knocking off Penn State. In its second try, the Scarlet Knights defeated Michigan to move one win away from bowl eligibility and send the Wolverines to 0-2 in the Big Ten for the first time since 1967. Michigan had a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, but Kemoko Turay blocked a 56-yard field goal to preserve the win for Rutgers.
This was a classic good news/bad news game for Michigan. The good news: the rush defense is stout, the Wolverines averaged 4.5 yards a carry, and Devin Gardner was nearly good enough to guide Michigan to an upset of Rutgers. The bad news: Devin Gardner was not quite good enough to guide Michigan to an upset of Rutgers, and 2-10 is a real, horrifying possibility with Northwestern and Indiana looking spry.
NovaWatch: Did Gary Nova Keep His Team From Winning?: Actually, he was the biggest reason Rutgers won. Nova went 22-of-39 for a career-high 404 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Gary, please stop making me look like a jerk.
Indiana 49, North Texas 24
Without a doubt, Indiana is the Big Ten's most hot-and-cold team. They were hot on Saturday, trouncing North Texas.
The Hoosiers used a short field and a timely onside kick to race out to a 21-0 lead, which they maintained for the rest of the game. The maligned defense, led by Donovan Clark, contained the Mean Green to 348 yards. Tevin Coleman, the Big Ten's leading rusher, added 150 yards and a touchdown to seal the win.
A tweet from a recently departed 11W colleague caught my eye:
Tevin Coleman with workmanlike 74-yard run, dragging North Texas defender final 18 yards.
— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) October 4, 2014
Only in the Big Ten could an explosive touchdown run be called workmanlike.
Purdue 38, Illinois 27
Last year, I called Purdue-Illinois the Bile Bowl. This year's version was much prettier, as the Boilermakers won their first Big Ten game since 2012.
Purdue coach Darrell Hazell finally demoted Danny Etling from starting quarterback, and new QB Austin Appleby rewarded him with an efficient performance. The Boilermakers, led by Appleby and Akeem Hunt, exploited Illinois' horrid rush defense for 551 yards of offense, 349 of those on the ground.
| School | W-L | Rank | prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 4-1 (1-0) | 1 | 2 |
| Ohio State | 4-1 (1-0) | 2 | 5 |
| Northwestern | 3-2 (2-0) | 3 | 8 |
| Indiana | 3-2 (1-1) | 4 | 10 |
| Nebraska | 5-1 (1-1) | 5 | 1 |
| Purdue | 3-3 (1-1) | 6 | 14 |
| Rutgers | 5-1 (1-1) | 7 | 6 |
| Minnesota | 4-1 (1-0) | 8 | 4 |
| Iowa | 4-1 (1-0) | 9 | 9 |
| Maryland | 4-2 (1-1) | 10 | 3 |
| Wisconsin | 3-2 (0-1) | 11 | 7 |
| Michigan | 2-4 (0-2) | 12 | 13 |
| Penn State | 4-1 (1-1) | 13 | 12 |
| Illinois | 3-3 (0-2) | 14 | 11 |
Illinois was never able to dig out of a 7-11 point hole, and quarterback Wes Lunt left the game late with a leg injury. Only receiver Mike Dudek (eight catches, 200 yards) was a bright spot for the Illini.
Purdue is obviously not a good team, which means at least one of two things is true: Hazell erred in sticking with Etling, or Illinois is by far the worst team the Big Ten. Either way, Tim Beckman should put his house on the market.
As for the teams sitting out this week:
- Penn State spent the week fixing the offensive line. In the case of their right tackle, they literally patched him up.
- Minnesota fans got excited about the state's first snowfall, because Minnesota is Chernobyl with more lakes and less radiation.
- Unwilling to name CJ Beathard or Jake Rudock as the starter, Kirk Ferentz unveiled the first-ever two-headed quarterback.
Week 7 won't have a game between ranked teams like this week, but it will have some oddities between teams trying to prove themselves: Northwestern-Minnesota, Indiana-Iowa, and Penn State-Michigan among others. See you then.
