Week four saw the last big non-conference slate of the season, and the Big Ten performed admirably. The conference's ranked teams kept up their winning ways and a few others are making a case for the Top 25.
Michigan 31, No. 22 BYU 0
For the first time in what seems like forever, the Michigan Wolverines looked like a complete football team while facing a solid opponent. Senior quarterback Jake Rudock didn't put up huge passing numbers, but he was able to find the endzone three times on the day. Rudock finished 14 of 25 for 194 yards and one touchdown; also adding 30 yards on the ground with a pair of scores. De'Veon Smith led the way for the Michigan ground game. The junior rushed for 125 yards including a nifty 60-yard touchdown.
Amara Darboh's big week got even better as he continues to be Rudock's go-to guy, hauling in four passes for 57 yards and a score. Last week Michigan State wide receiver Aaron Burbridge had the catch of the week. Darboh takes home the honor for week four.
Falling? Check. One-handed? Check. @umichfootball's Darboh with the #BTNStandout grab. Brought to you by #GrubHub. http://t.co/zKWX9eH77r
— Michigan on BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) September 26, 2015
The Wolverine defense continued its strong play on Saturday. The Cougars didn't surpass the 100-yard mark until their final drive of the game as quarterback Tanner Mangum was held to just 55 yards passing.
West Virginia 45, Maryland 6
The Terps were dominated in every aspect of the game in Morgantown. The Mountaineers put up over 600 yards on offense and their opportunistic defense didn't allow Maryland to get on the board until the fourth quarter. WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen refused to take his foot off of the pedal, faking a punt while up 38-0.
Dana Holgorsen is going for the jugular. West Virginia picks up a fake punt and is throwing deep up 38-0 on Maryland.
— Jon Solomon (@JonSolomonCBS) September 26, 2015
West Virginia quarterback Skyler Howard threw for 294 yards and four touchdowns. Shelton Gibson – a Cleveland Heights native – led the air attack with six catches for 118 yards and two scores; taking out a Maryland cheerleader in the process.
Maryland quarterbacks combined for five interceptions on the day; four of those coming from Caleb Rowe, who was ultimately benched. Senior running back Brandon Ross rushed for 130 yards on fifteen carries.
No. 2 Michigan State 30, Central Michigan 10
It was an up-and-down game for the Spartans on Saturday. The opening drive saw CMU wide receiver Mark Chapman get behind the Sparty secondary for a 42-yard pass and catch. The Chippewas' drive ended with a blocked field goal – one of two blocks for the Michigan State special teams. Madre London put the Spartans on the board in the first quarter and Connor Cook later found Josiah Price to give Michigan State a 17-0 lead.
The Chippewas outgained the Spartans on the day as their pass defense continued to struggle. Junior quarterback Cooper Rush completed 26 of 39 passes for 285 yards and a score. CMU ended the day with 340 yards of total offense.
Connor Cook completed 11 of 19 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. Madre London and L.J. Scott continue to lead the way on the ground. London ran for 73 yards and a score while Scott added 54 yards on eight carries. Sophomore running back Gerald Holmes scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to help the Spartans pull away.
No. 22 Wisconsin 28, Hawai'i 0
Since their opening loss to Alabama, the Wisconsin defense has allowed a total of three points in three games. Max Wittek and the Hawai'i offense could only manage a total of 255 yards against the stout Badgers' defense. Wittek completed 15 of 32 passes for 189 yards. Linebacker Joe Schobert added two sacks for the Badgers.
Joel Stave had a relatively quiet night as the ground game did most of the work for the Wiscy offense. Stave completed 14 of 23 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt freshman Taiwan Deal recorded his first 100-yard game, rushing 26 times for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Dare Ogunbowale added 85 yards and a touchdown of his own. The Wisconsin offense totaled 512 yards on the night with 326 of those coming on the ground.
No. 17 Northwestern 24, Ball State 19
Northwestern trailed Ball State at halftime, but they were able to shake of the sluggish start and pick up their fourth win of the season. The Wildcats rallied with 17 third-quarter points to regain the lead and never gave it up again.
Clayton Thorson threw for 256 yards and three scores while adding another 45 yards on the ground. Running back Justin Jackson had a huge night rushing for 184 yards on 33 carries. "Superback" Dan Vitale led all Wildcat pass-catchers with five catches for 108 yards and two scores.
A super play for @NUFBFamily's superback! Dan Vitale takes it 66 yards to the house. Brought to you by @hotelsdotcom http://t.co/gTzpmNvQok
— Northwestern on BTN (@NUOnBTN) September 27, 2015
The bad news for Northwestern? They were hit with a rash of injuries. Tight end Garrett Dickerson, offensive tackle Geoff Mogus, and safety Godwin Igwebuike all left the game in the first half and would not return. Igwebuike was replaced by Kyle Queiro who would also leave the game, reportedly with a broken arm.
Ifeadi Odenigbo is the SEVENTH injury for #Northwestern. This could be a very expensive win for the Wildcats...assuming they hold on.
— Louie Vaccher (@WildcatReport) September 27, 2015
Minnesota 27, Ohio 24
The Gophs used a late touchdown to escape with a win over the Bobcats. True freshman running back Shannon Brooks rushed for 82 yards and two touchdowns including the game-winning score with just thirty seconds left in the game. Quarterback Mitch Leidner led Minnesota down the field for the go-ahead score. The junior threw for 264 yards on the day, a new career high.
Gophs' return man Craig James had a rough game, muffing two punts early on and then fumbling in the fourth quarter. His fumble was recovered by the Bobcats and led to a touchdown by running back A.J. Ouellette. Redshirt freshman Rodney Smith led the way on the ground, notching 94 yards for Minnesota.
The Gophers have also been bitten by the injury bug as seven starters are out, including both safeties.
Penn State 37, San Diego State 21
After going down to Temple in the season opener, the Nittany Lions won their third in a row against San Diego State. Christian Hackenberg had his best game of the season, completing 21 of 35 passes for 296 yards and three scores. True freshman Saquon Barkley continues to look like the best option in the backfield as he gained 62 yards on just eight carries. Barkley also found the endzone on a nice 22-yard run after catch. Starting tailback Akeel Lynch could manage just 18 yards on ten carries.
The Penn State defense was solid again, giving up just 242 yards of total offense while forcing three turnovers. The Nits were up by just six points as the fourth quarter got underway, but a key turnover helped them pull away. Defensive end Carl Nassib stripped the ball from quarterback Maxwell Smith; Austin Johnson – a 323-pound defensive tackle – scooped it up and rumbled 71 yards for a score.
Look at @PennStateFball DT Austin Johnson go! Run, big fella, run! Brought to you by @hotelsdotcom. http://t.co/KY88xoyGsl
— Penn State on BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) September 26, 2015
Indiana 31, Wake Forest 24
The Hoosiers remain undefeated on the season, picking up win #4 on the road. Quarterback Nate Sudfeld threw for 205 yards and a couple scores. Junior tailback Jordan Howard led the way on the ground with 168 yards and a touchdown. Simmie Cobbs Jr. caught seven passes for 75 yards and a score.
The Deacons rallied after finding themselves down 31-10 with just ten minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Wake Forest quarterback Kendall Hinton ran for a touchdown and threw for another to trim the lead to just seven. After a late onside kick recovery, Wake had a chance to tie things up but failed to convert on a fourth-down pass to the endzone.
The Hoosiers are now on their longest winning streak of the last 28 years. They'll host the Buckeyes next week as two of the conference's unbeatens face off.
Iowa 62, North Texas 16
The Hawkeyes continued their strong play this weekend, moving to 4-0 after taking down the Mean Green. Junior quarterback C.J. Beathard had an efficient day, completing 18 of 21 passes for 278 yards and two scores. Tailback Jordan Canzeri had his best game of the season for Iowa. The senior rushed for 115 yards and four touchdowns, bringing his season total up to eight.
North Texas was able to move the ball a bit but the Hawkeye defense clamped down when they needed to, forcing three turnovers on the day. A pair of Iowa linebackers found the endzone in the second half. Sophomore Josey Jewell recorded a 34-yard pick-six and Bo Bower added an 88-yarder of his own late in the fourth quarter.
| School | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 4-0 | 1 | 1 |
| Michigan State | 4-0 | 2 | 2 |
| Northwestern | 4-0 | 3 | 3 |
| Iowa | 4-0 | 4 | 5 |
| Wisconsin | 3-1 | 5 | 4 |
| Michigan | 3-1 | 6 | 7 |
| Indiana | 4-0 | 7 | 9 |
| Minnesota | 3-1 | 8 | 6 |
| Penn State | 3-1 | 9 | 10 |
| Nebraska | 2-2 | 10 | 8 |
| Illinois | 3-1 | 11 | 11 |
| Rutgers | 2-2 | 12 | 13 |
| Maryland | 2-2 | 13 | 12 |
| Purdue | 1-3 | 14 | 14 |
Nebraska 36, Southern Miss 28
The Huskers were able to hold off a fourth-quarter rally by the Golden Eagles on Saturday. After going down by 22 points, Southern Miss came storming back with 21 points in the fourth quarter. The two teams combined for nearly 1100 yards of total offense.
Tommy Armstrong led Nebraska with 368 yards passing and two scores; also adding 63 yards and another touchdown on the ground. Two Husker wideouts topped 100 yards for the day. Jordan Westerkamp hauled in eleven passes for 118 yards and a touchdown while Brandon Reilly had three grabs for 112 yards.
For the Golden Eagles, quarterback Nick Mullens threw for 447 yards and a pair of scores. Wide receiver Michael Thomas had five catches for 121 yards. Mullen also connected with Casey Martin for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
Rutgers 27, Kansas 14
The Scarlet Knights snapped a two-game losing streak with a home win over the Jayhawks on Saturday. Quarterback Chris Laviano connected on 18 of 25 passes for a pair of touchdowns; also adding 44 yards on the ground. Sophomore tailback Josh Hicks ran for 113 yards and two scores of his own. Junior receiver Andre Patton caught five passes for 53 yards.
Jayhawks' quarterback Montell Cozart threw for 193 yards on the day. Senior running back De'Andre Mann rushed for 40 yards on eight carries. Ke'aun Kinner found the endzone twice on the ground as the Kansas offense put up 342 yards of total offense.
Illinois 27, Middle Tennessee 25
The Illini managed to pull out an ugly come-from-behind win at home against the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee. Trailing 25-24 with just over two minutes left to play, Taylor Zalewski nailed a 51-yard field goal to put the Illini back on top. The Blue Raiders then drove down the field and attempted a go-ahead field goal of their own, but kicker Cody Clark was unable to convert.
Quarterback Wes Lunt was 29 of 49 for 238 yards and a touchdown. Josh Ferguson and Ke'Shawn Vaughn led the ground game for the Illini. Ferguson rushed for 83 yards while Vaughn added 80 yards and a score. Geronimo Allison had another big day; the senior wideout hauled in ten passes for 128 yards.
Bowling Green 35, Purdue 28
The Boilermakers continued to struggle on Saturday, falling at home to Bowling Green while wearing some hideous alternates. Purdue kicker Paul Griggs missed a 32-yarder with the game tied and just under three minutes remaining. The Falcons then drove 80 yards with running back Travis Greene scoring the game-winner with just nine seconds left on the clock.
Redshirt freshman David Blough made his first start for Purdue and completed 28 of 39 passes for 340 yards and a pair of scores. Gregory Phillips and DeAngelo Yancey each caught four passes and found the endzone.
Bowling Green quarterback Matt Johnson – the nation's leading passer – threw for 402 yards and a touchdown. Gehrig Dieter hauled in ten passes for 96 yards. The Falcons outgained the Boilermakers 539 to 426 on the day.
The win gave Bowling Green their second victory of the season, both of which have come against Big Ten opponents; something BGSU bookstores are apparently pretty proud of.
The Bowling Green bookstore is selling this shirt after knocking off Purdue http://t.co/aKPvqDYnjZ pic.twitter.com/o122QYTnmX
— SI Extra Mustard (@SI_ExtraMustard) September 26, 2015
Checking in with a 12-2 record, it was a solid weekend for the conference. Perhaps teams like Nebraska and Minnesota could have won a bit more convincingly, but the Husks seemed to lose focus late in the game and the Bobcats were undefeated coming into their showdown with the Gophs. Jim Harbaugh had Michigan firing on all cylinders against a ranked BYU squad. Could the Wolverines find themselves in the Top 25 soon?
Five teams still have yet to lose, but that number will go down next weekend as the Buckeyes will travel to Bloomington to kick off their conference schedule. Other games to watch for? Iowa will look to stay unbeaten as they go to to Camp Randall, Minnesota travels to Northwestern, and Michigan takes on the Terps.
Also, a friendly reminder: Mike Hart is now 0-5 against Ohio State.
