The Big Ten is the home of – how to put this delicately? – ugly, unappealing football. That may be an exaggeration, but that's the perception of the league. Saturday's slate of games reinforced that perception and in fact served as a microcosm of the Big Ten's aesthetics: decent enough at the top (Ohio State-Michigan State) to be nationally relevant, but otherwise so bad (every other game) that the conference cannot be taken seriously.
Two Big Ten games were decided by three or fewer points, proof that close games are not the same as exciting or well-played games. If there really is a bias against featuring the conference, it has nobody to blame but itself.
Michigan 10, Northwestern 9
In 2012, Michigan converted a ridiculous Hail Mary to send the game to overtime. Last year, the Wolverines hustled for a game-tying field goal and triumphed in four overtimes. For the third straight year, Michigan broke Northwestern's heart with shenanigans at the end of regulation.
The story of the game was the lack of offense. On social media, Michigan-Northwestern was jokingly called the M00N game since the score remained 0-0 for most of the game.
In the third quarter, Michigan turned a botched punt return into a short field touchdown. Northwestern couldn't respond until the mid-fourth quarter when it marched 95 yards only to kick a field goal (given the game's context, the dumbest field goal I've ever seen). After a Michigan field goal, the Wildcats drove for a touchdown with three seconds left to cut it to 10-9. Pat Fitzgerald mercifully called for a two-point conversion to end the game, but Michigan knew what was coming and Trevor Siemian fell down to end the game.
This game featured an incredible number of gaffes. For example, Michigan only put nine men on the field for a field goal attempt that was blocked:
EDIT: Michigan had all 11 on the field after all. Stupid camera angles.
And there were many, many more mistakes where that came from. Northwestern blog Inside NU cataloged most of the errors, and it's worth checking out if only for Devin Gardner falling over for no reason.
Pathetic win or not, Michigan is now only one win away from bowl eligibility. Now the Wolverines must beat Maryland, or else Ohio State will put Brady Hoke and the Wolverines out of their misery.
Penn State 13, Indiana 7
Here is catastrophe number two, a miscue-laden game featuring 20 punts. If not for the preceding game, this would have been the ugliest in the Big Ten this year.
Indiana struck first, thanks to a pick-six by Mark Murphy. 20 seconds later the Nittany Lions equalized on Bill Belton's 92-yard touchdown run, the longest by any player in Penn State history. It was the only offensive highlight on the day. Sam Ficken connected on two second half field goals, and Penn State held Indiana on its last drive to secure the win.
Indiana was pitiful on offense – not a surprise, given that it has a true freshman starting quarterback – and Penn State wasn't much better. If you like defense, I suppose you can find some beauty in Penn State holding Tevin Coleman to 71 yards on 20 carries. That still seems like putting lipstick on a pig.
The Nittany Lions need only to beat Temple next week to go to their first bowl since 2011. Indiana is out of hope and heading straight for 3-9. Say, isn't it funny how Indiana is 1-0 against the likely SEC East division champs and 0-5 against the Big Ten?
Minnesota 51, Iowa 14
Every year, Minnesota and Iowa play for Floyd of Rosedale, a bronze trophy shaped like a pig. The Big Ten's most idiosyncratic trophy went to the Golden Gophers, as Minnesota handed Iowa its worst loss in 15 years.
Maxx Williams gets Maxx extension.
Before the game, Minnesota radio hosts asked Jerry Kill what the Gophers needed to do to beat Iowa. Kill's response: "We have to out-kick 'em and we have to out-punt 'em." It was a clever bit of misdirection.
Iowa opened with a touchdown, and then the floodgates opened. The Gophers rattled off 51 consecutive points, demolishing Iowa on the ground and through the air. Maxx Williams had three touchdown catches, including a fantastic spear in the second quarter, and the defense shut down Iowa until the waning seconds of the game.
Here's why I pile on Kirk Ferentz: he is paid $280,000 per game to coach Iowa, and he was responsible for this embarrassment. With better coaching, the Hawkeyes could have blazed through an easy schedule to a 12-0 record. Now Iowa is headed for 7-5, the sign of perpetual mediocrity.
After this dominant performance, it's time for the nation to reconsider the Gophers as a force to be reckoned with. They are one of only four Big Ten teams to control their destiny in the conference championship race, and they have an outside chance of breaking into the top 25 rankings by year's end. With games remaining against Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin, Minnesota needs all the gravitas it can muster.
No. 25 Wisconsin 34, Purdue 16
| School | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 8-1 (5-0) | 1 | 3 |
| Michigan State | 7-2 (4-1) | 2 | 5 |
| Minnesota | 7-2 (4-1) | 3 | 10 |
| Nebraska | 8-1 (4-1) | 4 | 4 |
| Wisconsin | 7-2 (4-1) | 5 | 1 |
| Maryland | 6-3 (3-2) | 6 | 7 |
| Purdue | 3-7 (1-5) | 7 | 9 |
| Penn State | 5-4 (2-4) | 8 | 8 |
| Rutgers | 5-4 (1-4) | 9 | 11 |
| Michigan | 5-5 (3-3) | 10 | 6 |
| Illinois | 4-5 (1-4) | 11 | 13 |
| Iowa | 6-3 (3-2) | 12 | 2 |
| Northwestern | 3-6 (2-4) | 13 | 12 |
| Indiana | 3-6 (0-5) | 14 | 14 |
On paper, Wisconsin-Purdue was the largest mismatch on Week 11's Big Ten slate. Thanks to Wisconsin's balanced, well-oiled offense and Purdue's tenacity, it was the second-best game of the weekend.
Per usual, the Badgers started slow. Melvin Gordon got Wisconsin going with two touchdown runs, and Joel Stave had a great game throwing the ball (17-27, 190 yards, 2 TDs). The only Purdue player to stand out was kicker Paul Griggs, who kicked three field goals. Purdue brought it within 24-16, but Wisconsin pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Purdue's performance in recent games shows how far the program has come in one year and how much further it has to go. Last year Purdue was the pathetic cellar dweller of the Big Ten; now it gives ranked teams a run for their money.
It may not mean much this season, but the Boilermakers could surprise people next year. Beef up recruiting, enlist better bagmen and this Purdue team could win seven games in 2015.
Week 12 brings some good action, namely a matchup between ranked Nebraska and Wisconsin teams and a consolation game between Michigan State and Maryland. Whatever happens, it ought to be better than this week's clownshow. See you all then.
