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Ohio State blows out Indiana, 38-15. Now, it's time to do the same to That Team Up North.
No. 3 Michigan 41, Illinois 8
The Wolverines led 21-0 at the end of the first and 31-0 at halftime, meaning this game went just about how everyone expected it would.
Wilton Speight had an efficient outing completing 16 of 23 passes for 253 yards and a pair of scores. The running game notched 270 yards and three touchdowns with Karan Higdon leading the way. The sophomore rushed for 106 yards and one score on just eight carries. De'Veon Smith added 76 yards and a touchdown while Khalid Hill also found paydirt.
Amara Darboh led all receivers with five receptions for 99 yards. His five catches were more than the lllini totaled as a team (4). Jehu Chesson hauled in three passes for 44 yards while Jake Butt and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. both scored touchdowns. It was the first in the career of the Michigan legacy.
The Wolverine defense continues to be one of the more dominant units in the nation as Lovie Smith's squad could only manage 172 yards on the day. Illini signal-caller Jeff George Jr. connected with Malik Turner for a 43-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
No. 8 Nebraska 27, Purdue 14
The Huskers were trailing at the half and facing the first loss of their 2016 campaign, but 17 points and a second-half shutout by the defense was enough to help Mike Riley come out unscathed. Still, it wasn't the most impressive performance at home against an inferior opponent.
Tommy Armstrong totaled 303 yard and two scores while Terrell Newby led the way on the ground with 82 yards. Brandon Reilly hauled in four passes for 73 yards and De'Mornay Pierson-El caught three for 69 yards and a touchdown (nice).
The Husker defense was the story of the day as they held Purdue to just 94 yards in the second half. David Blough completed 25 of 43 passes for 309 yard with a two touchdowns and one interception. DeAngelo Yancey hauled in four passes for 100 yards and two scores. The Boilermaker ground game just couldn't get anything going, ending the day with 24 yards on 22 carries.
No. 10 Wisconsin 17, Iowa 9
The Badgers relied heavily on senior tailback Corey Clement as they bounced back after suffering back-to-back defeats against two of the country's top-five teams. Clement ended the day with a Ron Dayne-like 35 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown.
Paul Chryst elected to use both freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook and senior Bart Houston. The freshman saw the bulk of the snaps and completed 11 of 19 for 197 yards. The Badgers implemented a bit of a read-option attack when Houston was in the game. The one-time starter completed four of six passes for 59 yards and connected with tight end Troy Fumagalli for a 17-yard touchdown strike.
With just about five minutes remaining in the game and trailing 14-6, the Hawkeyes drove down to the Wisconsin 20-yard line, and on fourth down and five Ferentz elected to try a field goal. The kick, of course, was missed.
Following the game, the man who is set to lead the Iowa program until I am well into my 40s was struggling to grasp basic mathematics.
This man gets paid many millions of dollars to coach football. pic.twitter.com/fiTU50BYVu
— MakeIowaAwesomeAgain (@PV_GIA) October 22, 2016
Though they had something brewing on the potential game-tying drive, the Hawkeye offense managed just 236 yards on the day. C.J. Beathard threw for 153 yards while Akrum Wadley and LeShun Daniels Jr. were both held in check. The duo combined for just 79 yards on 20 carries.
| Team | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 7-0 | 1 | 2 |
| Ohio State | 6-1 | 2 | 1 |
| Nebraska | 7-0 | 3 | 3 |
| Wisconsin | 5-2 | 4 | 4 |
| Penn State | 5-2 | 5 | 6 |
| Iowa | 5-3 | 6 | 5 |
| Minnesota | 5-2 | 7 | 7 |
| Maryland | 5-2 | 8 | 9 |
| Northwestern | 4-3 | 9 | 10 |
| Indiana | 3-4 | 10 | 8 |
| Michigan State | 2-5 | 11 | 11 |
| Purdue | 3-4 | 12 | 14 |
| Illinois | 2-5 | 13 | 12 |
| Rutgers | 2-6 | 14 | 13 |
Minnesota 34, Rutgers 32
The Gophs found themselves up 21-3 after the first quarter, but Chris Ash and the Scarlet Knights made things interesting in Minneapolis. Rutgers rallied back and took a one-point lead into the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, but Minnesota kicker Emmitt Carpenter nailed a 28-yard field goal to put the Gophs back on top with ten seconds remaining.
The Minnesota ground game led the way as the backfield amassed 243 yards and three touchdowns. Tailback Rodney Smith stole the show with a 94-yard kick return touchdown to go along with 111 rushing yards and another score on the ground. Shannon Brooks and Mitch Leidner also added rushing touchdowns.
Giovanni Rescigno made his first career start for the Scarlet Knights and added a spark to the offense. The sophomore threw for 220 yards and three scores but also coughed up the ball on three separate occasions. Justin Goodwin rushed for 97 yards and hauled in a touchdown pass while Andre Patton and Jawuan Harris also found the endzone via Rescigno touchdown passes.
Maryland 28, Michigan State 17
Mark Dantonio gave the nod to Brian Lewerke again as the Spartans traveled to College Park and left with their fifth-consecutive loss. The redshirt freshman threw for 156 yards and an interception while adding another 79 on the ground. Michigan State's running game continues to be unpredictable. After seeing just six total carries in the last two games, sophomore L.J. Scott rushed 20 times on Saturday and came away with 128 yards and a score.
This was the fifth straight week that Michigan State was a favorite in Vegas. Lost all five games outright.
— Drew Hallett (@DrewCHallett) October 23, 2016
Perry Hills was back under center after missing the Minnesota game with an injury. The senior completed 21 of 27 passes for 200 yards and two scores while adding another 20 on the ground. The Terps' ground game gashed the Spartans, totaling 247 yards and pair of touchdowns. Ty Johnson led the way with nine carries for 115 yards. True freshman Lorenzo Harrison added 105 yards and a score.
Northwestern 24, Indiana 14
The Hoosiers dropped their third-straight in Evanston on Saturday. The Wildcats jumped out to a 24-3 halftime lead and the game was never in jeopardy despite their offense getting shutout in the second half.
Clayton Thorson threw for 285 yard and three touchdowns and added another 22 yards rushing. Austin Carr once again led the Northwestern arial attack attack as the senior hauled in seven passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Justin Jackson added 94 yards on 28 carries.
Two turnovers hurt the Indiana offense and they were only able to find the endzone once once on the day. Richard Lagow threw for 319 yards but was picked off twice by the Northwestern defense. Nick Westbrook led all receivers with ten receptions for 126 yards and the sophomore found the endzone on a three-yard rush. The rest of the Hoosiers' scoring came via a pair of field goals and a safety.
So, last night was not fun and everyone is sad and gloomy today. The good news is that Ohio State is still very much in the playoff picture, though a number of improvements obviously will need to be made.
The Buckeyes will look to bounce back next week against Northwestern. The Spartans will host the Wolverines, and the weekend's biggest matchup will take place in Madison when the unbeaten Huskers come to town.
