Wisconsin 48, Michigan 28
Wisconsin barely broke a sweat in rolling out to a 24-0 halftime lead, then tried to coast most of the rest of the way in Ann Arbor. QB Scott Tolzein was almost perfect in the first half, completing his first 12 attempts before being intercepted as the 2nd quarter wound down, preventing the Badgers from going up 31-0 after Michigan fumbled a kickoff return. The 2nd half was positively Tresselesque, as the Badgers ran on 35 of 36 offensive plays to close out the win. The Wolverines made some plays of their own to close the deficit to 31-21 entering the fourth quarter, but James White and Montee Ball's 354 combined rushing yards and 6 touchdowns were simply too much for the Wolverines to overcome. When Wisconsin wanted to score, it did. Hopefully Ohio State can replicate this offensive performance against the Wolverines next week. For Wisconsin, only Northwestern stands between them and an 11-win regular season.
Michigan State 35, Purdue 31
It looked for the longest time like Michigan State was going to gack up a shot at the Rose Bowl with a home loss to a Purdue team on its last legs. The Boilermakers were up by 15 when Michigan State closed the gap to 28-20 with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Danny Hope's team responded with a field goal to go up 31-20. True to form, the Purdue defense surrendered a touchdown and 2-pt conversion to Sparty on the next possession. Then the special teams contributed to the implosion, having a punt blocked and recovered by the Spartans at the Purdue three yard line. With gimme field position, the Spartans scored on a Kirk Cousins keeper with 4:32 to go. The Purdue offense drove the field, but Rob Henry tossed his second pick of the game to seal the deal for the Spartans. Cousins finished 28/37 for 277 yards and three touchdowns. Sparty travels to Penn State next week, while the Boilers close the season against rival Indiana.
Penn State 41, Indiana 24
In a very odd "home game" for Indiana in Landover, Maryland - State College is 205 miles from Landover, Bloomington is 648 - Penn State triumphed on the back of a rebound game for QB Matthew McGloin. The sophomore walk-on threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns, one coming in the second quarter and another coming in the third. Even so, the Hoosiers hung tough for far longer than they probably should have. The game was tied, 24-24, before Penn State went on a 17-point run by scoring twice on special teams, ending the game with a touchdown late in the fourth. Tandon Doss totaled 7 grabs for 90 yards and a score in the losing effort.
Illinois 48, Northwestern 27
Mikel LeShoure and the Illini rushing attack went berserk against the Northwestern defense, piling up 520 yards on the ground to just 40 through the air for Nathan Scheelhaase. LeShoure did the bulk of the work, toting the rock 33 times for a school-record 330 (!) yards and scoring the Illini's first two touchdowns of the game. The "banned" end zone was utilized at least once on a 1st-quarter pick six by the Wildcats. LeShoure and back-up Jason Ford finished with five touchdowns on the ground together in yet another dominant rushing performance by a Big Ten team. The Illini are now bowl-eligible. Ron Zook's team closes the season in two weeks at Fresno State, while Northwestern faces the almost impossible task of upsetting Wisconsin in Madison with their back-up QB.
