Conference play kicked off this weekend and it was highlighted by one lackluster performance in East Lansing. The Buckeyes' bye is now behind us, so let's rejoice in knowing that there won't be another Saturday like yesterday until (hopefully) after the Big Ten Championship game on Dec. 3.
No. 11 Wisconsin 30, No. 8 Michigan State 6
Alex Hornibrook's first start was a memorable one for the Badgers. The redshirt freshman took over for senior Bart Houston last week against Georgia State and got the nod this week in East Lansing. The Badgers – led by a defense that forced four turnovers – would go on to hold the Spartans without a touchdown. Michigan State entered the game as four-point favorites.
This one was still a game at the half as the Badgers went in with a lead of 13-6. Hornibrook tossed a touchdown pass and Corey Clement found the endzone in the second quarter to give Wisconsin the edge. Paul Chryst discussed only kicking field goals within 25 yards due to the absence of kicker Rafael Gaglianone. The Badgers missed an extra point in the first half.
The third quarter is where things went terribly wrong for Mark Dantonio. The Spartans forced a punt on the half's opening drive, but the game-changing play would come via an L.J. Scott fumble on Michigan State's second play of the third quarter. Safety Leo Musso would scoop and score from 66 yards out.
Hornibrook wasn't spectacular for the Badgers. He appears to be lacking in the arm strength department but does have a knack for putting the ball where it needs to be. He also came up big on a couple of crucial third and longs. The freshman ended the day 16 of 26 for 195 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Corey Clement found the endzone twice but could only manage 54 yards on 23 carries. Jazz Peavy led all pass-catchers with four receptions for 96 yards.
The Spartans may be on the verge of a bit of a quarterback controversy, though their head coach is saying otherwise. Lima, Ohio native Tyler O'Connor was atrocious on the day. The senior was 18 of 38 for 224 yards and three interceptions and his performance has some fans clamoring for redshirt freshman Brian Lewerke. Lewerke came in on the Spartans' final drive and was 2 of 4 for 26 yards.
That's one way for Dantonio to skip out on the presser. Disappear. Or turn in to a 22 year old kid. #MSUVSWIS #dantoniodisappearing pic.twitter.com/7Jcn8I0EQe
— Matt Camps (@oktoberrust) September 24, 2016
The Michigan State ground game pulled a similar disappearing act, totaling just 75 yards on 27 carries. L.J. Scott led the way with 61 yards. Donnie Corley continues to look like a future star at wideout. The true freshman hauled in four passes for 84 yards despite the erratic quarterback play.
No. 4 Michigan 49, Penn State 10
Things continue to go swimmingly for James Franklin and the Nittany Lions.
James Franklin squandering a timeout to save a 21-yd FG from becoming a 26-yarder when down 28 perfectly sums up his stint at Penn State
— Kyle Jones (@Jones) September 24, 2016
Late in the second quarter, Michigan had more points (28) than Penn State had total yards (24). The Nittany Lion defense was gashed by a Wolverine rushing attack that amassed 329 yards and six scores while averaging seven yards per carry. The Penn State front seven was decimated by injuries and they were hit with one of the worst targeting ejections you will ever see when linebacker Brandon Smith was booted early in the second quarter.
Penn State LB Brandon Smith has been ejected for targeting. pic.twitter.com/WYy7jgLNn2
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) September 24, 2016
Wilton Speight threw for 189 yard and a score. De'Veon Smith topped 100 yards and added a touchdown while running backs Ty Isaac, Chris Evans, and Karan Higdon each found the endzone as well.
The Nits ended the day with 199 yards of total offense and finally made it to the endzone in the fourth quarter. Trace McSorley threw for 121 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Saquon Barkley was held in check with just 59 yards on 15 carries.
The lone bright spot for Penn State may have been 260-pound kicker Joey Julius who continues to do damage to smaller humans on kickoffs.
The Wolverines welcomed the return of starting cornerback Jourdan Lewis, but it looks as though their other starter may be lost for the season as Jeremy Clark is believed to have suffered a torn ACL.
| Team | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 3-0 | 1 | 1 |
| Michigan | 4-0 | 2 | 3 |
| Wisconsin | 4-0 | 3 | 5 |
| Nebraska | 4-0 | 4 | 4 |
| Michigan State | 2-1 | 5 | 2 |
| Minnesota | 3-0 | 6 | 7 |
| Maryland | 3-0 | 7 | 8 |
| Iowa | 3-1 | 8 | 6 |
| Indiana | 2-1 | 9 | 9 |
| Penn State | 2-2 | 10 | 10 |
| Illinois | 1-2 | 11 | 11 |
| Northwestern | 1-3 | 12 | 14 |
| Rutgers | 2-2 | 13 | 13 |
| Purdue | 2-1 | 14 | 12 |
No. 20 Nebraska 24, Northwestern 13
The newly minted Top 25 Huskers kept things rolling Saturday night against Pat Fitzgerald's Wildcats. For Nebraska, it was senior quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. who stole the show. The signal-caller threw for 246 yards and a score while adding a new career high of 132 yards rushing. Terrell Newby ran for 69 yards and scored a touchdown of his own.
Clayton Thorson led the Northwestern attack with 292 yards of total offense to go along with a pair of touchdowns. The sophomore was also picked off twice. Justin Jackson led the ground game with 79 yards while Austin Carr was the game's leading receiver with 109 yards and a score.
With three losses already on the young season, the Wildcats have matched their total from last year's 10-3 campaign.
Iowa 14, Rutgers 7
The game's lone turnover was a costly one for Chris Ash and the Scarlet Knights. Senior wideout Andre Patton caught a pass from Chis Laviano in the fourth quarter and then coughed it up, allowing the Hawkeyes to take over in Rutgers' territory. Iowa tailback Akrum Wadley found the endzone from 26 yards out on the very next play. Wadley's score would prove to be the game-winner as both offenses struggled on the day.
Hawkeye quarterback C.J. Beathard threw for 162 yards and a score while adding another 37 with his legs. Wadley added 84 yards while backfield mate LeShun Daniels Jr. tallied another 77 on 13 carries. Senior tight end George Kittle hauled in two passes for 56 yards including a 36-yard score.
For the Scarlet Knights, Laviano connected on 13 of 24 passes for 190 yards and a score. Robert Martin led all running backs with 106 yards on 21 carries while Janarion Grant caught five passes for 98 yards.
Grant – the top playmaker for the Scarlet Knights – left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury. He was later spotted on the sideline with crutches. His status certainly appears to be iffy for next week's game in Columbus.
Minnesota 31, Colorado State 24
The Golden Gophers have a little-known true freshman defensive end by the name of Tai'yon Devers, and he might be my favorite non-Buckeye in the entire country. In his three collegiate games, Devers has nearly decapitated two quarterbacks. It happened in week one against Oregon State and it happened again yesterday.
There are hits on the quarterback, and then there are Tai'yon Devers hits on the quarterback. O-U-C-H. https://t.co/cs5ZwE7QFv
— Brent Yarina (@BTNBrentYarina) September 24, 2016
The Gophers used an impressive ground game to down the Rams. Sophomore tailback Rodney Smith found the endzone twice while rushing 17 times for 99 yards. Shannon Brooks added 85 and a score while quarterback Mitch Leidner rushed for 50 yards and also found the endzone. Brooks was the team's leading rusher in 2015 and made his season debut on Saturday after nursing a foot injury.
The Gophs still have some work to do on defense as they remain prone to the big play. The Rams recorded 11 plays that went for 15+ yards.
Wake Forest 33, Indiana 28
It was a battle of the unbeatens in Bloomington, but five Hoosier turnovers would prove to be too much for Kevin Wilson's squad to overcome.
Indiana quarterback Richard Lagow put up a nice stat line but was also responsible for all five of the turnovers. The junior completed 28 of 47 passes for 496 yards and three scores. Hoosier wideout Ricky Jones caught eight passes for 208 yards while Nick Westbrook totaled 129 yard and a pair of touchdowns. Tailback Devine Redding was mostly held in check, gaining 68 yards on 16 carries.
Demon Deacon defensive back Jessie Bates – who hails from Fort Wayne, Indiana – recorded two of the team's five interceptions and took one of them back 55 yards for a touchdown. The Wake Forest offense was led by quarterback John Wolford who threw for 172 yards and a score. Matt Colburn led all rushers with 103 yards.
Purdue 24, Nevada 14
What do we know about Purdue football? It seems like hardly anything. I know I would have picked Nevada to win this one, so I guess good for Darrell Hazell and the Boilers.
The Wolfpack went up early by a score of 7-0, but the Purdue offense got it together – despite four turnovers – en route to a performance that saw them put up 466 yards of total offense. Sophomore quarterback David Blough had an efficient outing, connecting on 21 of 30 passes for 300 yards with a pair of touchdowns and one pick. Markell Jones again led the way on the ground with 125 yards and a score to go along with two lost fumbles. Wide receiver Bilal Marshall and tight end Brycen Hopkins bought caught touchdown passes on the day.
The Wolfpack could only manage 253 yards of total offense. Senior quarterback Tyler Stewart led the way with 183 total yards and a pair of scores.
How is quarterback play so terrible in the SEC that Florida and LSU are both starting PURDUE TRANSFERS tomorrow?
— Jay Ingles (@JayIngles) September 24, 2016
Interestingly, LSU and Florida both started former Purdue quarterbacks on Saturday (Austin Appleby and Danny Etling) and both failed to lead their teams to victory.
Is it that surprising that Paul Chryst and the Badgers pulled out a victory in East Lansing? Probably not. Is it surprising how poorly the Spartans played? Absolutely. Tyler O'Connor definitely doesn't look like a quarterback who's capable of beating the 2016 Buckeyes or Wolverines. Fortunately for Mark Dantonio, they still have over a month before hosting their in-state rivals and the Buckeyes won't be coming into town until Nov. 19.
The Huskers continue to look like a team on the up and up, though their win over the Ducks looks a little less impressive now that Oregon fell at home to Colorado. The Gophers remain unbeaten but it's a little tough to get a feel for how good they truly are. Things will get interesting for them in November when they travel to Lincoln and Madison.
Next weekend's headliner will certainly be the Badgers traveling back to the Mitten State to take on the Wolverines. The Buckeyes will host Rutgers and Michigan State will be looking to bounce back in Bloomington.
