No. 5 Michigan State 55, Penn State 16
Buckeye fans had their eyes on this one Saturday afternoon, but Penn State never really had a chance. It was pretty obvious that this just wasn't meant to be when James Franklin decided to let Christian Hackenberg throw the ball when they were inches away from scoring. Give props to Michigan State, though; they were pretty darn good on Saturday and even decided to get a little cute by letting 300-pound center Jake Allen rumble in for a touchdown run.
Connor Cook was able to suit up for the Spartans and his final game in East Lansing was a good one. Cook completed 19 of 26 passes for 248 yards and three scores. Aaron Burbridge and R.J. Shelton both hauled in touchdown passes with the former being one of the better touchdowns we've seen all season. Gerald Holmes and L.J. Scott combined for 105 yards as both were able to find paydirt.
Christian Hackenberg threw for 257 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Sophomore Chris Godwin was his top target on the day, hauling in eleven passes for 109 yards and both scores. Saquon Barkley topped the century mark again with 103 yards. The freshman was unable to find the endzone because the Penn State coaching staff would apparently rather kick chip-shot field goals.
No. 4 Iowa 28, Nebraska 20
The Hawkeyes and Huskers battled it out on Black Friday as Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa squad have now notched twelve victories for the first time in the school's history. Meanwhile, the loss also prevented any chance of Mike Riley going bowling in his first season at the Husker helm.
The Hawkeye offense wasn't able to get things going, amassing just 250 yards on the day, but the defense forcing four Tommy Armstrong turnovers proved to be the difference. Junior quarterback C.J. Beathard only managed 97 yards through the air but was able to connect with tight end George Kittle to open up the game's scoring in the second quarter. Tailback Jordan Canzeri again led the way for the Hawkeyes' offense as the senior rushed for 140 yards and two scores on 17 carries.
Armstrong's struggles were highlighted when Iowa defensive end Parker Hessee tipped a pass to himself and returned it four yards for a short touchdown. The Husker quarterback would end the day with 342 total yards, zero scores, and the aforementioned turnovers. Imani Cross led the rushing attack with 55 yards and two touchdowns.
Husker fans attempted to rattle the Hawkeyes' psyche by poking fun at their most coveted crop.
| Team | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 12-0 | 1 | 1 |
| Michigan State | 11-1 | 2 | 2 |
| Ohio State | 11-1 | 3 | 3 |
| Michigan | 9-3 | 4 | 4 |
| Northwestern | 10-2 | 5 | 5 |
| Wisconsin | 9-3 | 6 | 6 |
| Penn State | 7-5 | 7 | 7 |
| Nebraska | 5-7 | 8 | 9 |
| Minnesota | 5-7 | 9 | 8 |
| Indiana | 6-6 | 10 | 11 |
| Illinois | 5-7 | 11 | 10 |
| Maryland | 3-9 | 12 | 13 |
| Rutgers | 4-8 | 13 | 12 |
| Purdue | 2-10 | 14 | 14 |
No. 16 Northwestern 24, Illinois 14
Shortly after announcing the signing of interim head coach Bill Cubit to a two-year extension, the Illini fell to Pat Fitzgerald's Wildcats at Soldier Field.
The Wildcats were led by tailback Justin Jackson who rushed for 172 yards and a score on 37 carries. Clayton Thorson threw for 146 yards and connected with "superback" Dan Vitale for a first-quarter touchdown. For the Illini, Wes Lunt threw for 241 yards and found the endzone on a one-yard touchdown rush.
Wisconsin 31, Minnesota 21
The Badgers once again captured Paul Bunyan's Axe after running all over the Gophers on Saturday. The Wisconsin ground game racked up 257 yards while their Gopher counterparts could only manage a mere 53 yards.
Wisconsin has the axe pic.twitter.com/kHjcO3n7ZA
— DailyCardinal Sports (@Cardinal_Sports) November 29, 2015
Dare Ogunbowale and Taiwan Deal led the Wisconsin rushing attack. Ogunbowale led all rushers with 155 yards and a score. Deal added 90 yards and a pair of touchdowns. For the Gophs, junior quarterback Mitch Leidner threw for 223 yards and a score but also added three costly interceptions. Freshman tailback Rodney Smith ran for 35 yards and found the endzone once.
The home crowd got to see Jerry Kill lead his former team out on Saturday. Kill also spoke with Big Ten Network's Lisa Byington on the sidelines.
Maryland 46, Rutgers 41
Maryland rallied back from a 21-point deficit to take down the Scarlet Knights in their own backyard. Coming off of a 250-yard performance against the Hoosiers, Terps' tailback Brandon Ross once again led the way for the Maryland offense. The senior rushed 173 yards and three scores including the game-winning 80-yard scamper with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. He's now rushed for six touchdowns in the last two games. Quarterback Caleb Rowe threw for 239 yards and added another 98 on the ground. Freshman Jahrvis Davenport was his favorite target, hauling in seven passes for 89 yards.
Sophomore quarterback Chris Leviano put up big numbers for the Rutgers offense, tallying 344 yards and four touchdown passes. Leonte Carroo caught seven passes for 183 yards and a score.
Neither defense made an appearance as the two teams combined for nearly 1200 yards of total offense.
This @RFootball fan! pic.twitter.com/ZlkLGwvJ7y
— Brent Yarina (@BTNBrentYarina) November 28, 2015
Indiana 54, Purdue 36
The Hoosiers laid claim to the Old Oaken Bucket after taking down Purdue in West Lafayette. Nate Sudfeld and the IU passing game had a nice showing as the senior quarterback threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns while adding another score with his legs. Mitchell Paige and Simmie Cobbs Jr. both hauled in five passes and scored touchdowns on the day. Tailback Devine Redding tallied 144 yards rushing and a score.
The Purdue offense put up close to 500 yards of total offense but was plagued by four turnovers. Quarterback Austin Appleby threw for 332 yards with a pair of touchdowns and two interceptions. Tailback Markell Jones rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown while Appleby also found the endzone twice on the ground.
So that's a wrap for the Big Ten's regular season. There's a lot on the line next Saturday as Buckeye fans hope for a Tarheel victory or a miraculous win for the suddenly inept Gators' offense. The Hawkeyes and Spartans will go head-to-head for the Big Ten crown Saturday night in Indianapolis.
Lots of great content out there covering Ohio State's dominant performance in Ann Arbor. Don't pull a Peppers and miss out on it.
