The ninth week of the season saw Clemson survive in Tallahassee while the No. 4 Huskies and No. 5 Cardinals both came away with narrow victories on the road.
In Big Ten country, the weekend was highlighted by an unbeaten Nebraska team traveling to Madison and the Wolverines looking to avenge last season's heartbreaker to Sparty.
No. 11 Wisconsin 23, No. 7 Nebraska 17
Two weeks after falling to the Buckeyes in overtime, Paul Chryst and the Badgers would return to Camp Randall to host another Top-10 team and find themselves in a similar predicament. This time it was Wisconsin that would prevail in overtime en route to handing another unblemished team its first loss.
The Badgers got out to an early lead but Nebraska fought back to tie things up with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Corey Clement then gashed the Husks for a 41-yarder which setup the potential game-winning field goal, but Andrew Endicott couldn't connect on the 45-yard attempt. Dare Ogunbowale's 11-yard touchdown in overtime was too much as Mike Riley's Huskers couldn't convert on their lone overtime possession.
If Nebraska loses at Ohio State next week, Wisconsin controls its fate for Big Ten West title. Badgers loom as a 2-loss CFP threat.
— Jon Solomon (@JonSolomonCBS) October 30, 2016
The quarterback play was pretty lackluster for both teams on Saturday. Alex Hornibrook completed 10 of 16 passes for 71 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Senior Bart Houston threw for another 43 yards and added another pick. Ogunbowale led all rushers with 120 yards and the score. Corey Clement rushed 19 times for 82 yards.
It wasn't the best night for Tommy Armstrong Jr. either. The senior connected on 12 of 31 passes for 153 yard and two interceptions. The signal-caller did add 39 yards rushing and a score on the ground. Terrell Newby rushed for 77 yards while Jordan Westerkamp caught three passes for 62.
No. 2 Michigan 32, Michigan State 23
The ending to last season's Michigan/Michigan State game was probably one of the more lol-worthy things we have ever seen. Alas, yesterday the Wolverines were victorious over their in-state foes for the first time since 2012. Jim Harbaugh and Co. used a 20-point second quarter that the Spartans were unable to bounce back from.
Paul Bunyan in Michigan's locker room with Jabrill Peppers. pic.twitter.com/Hes8yT79jw
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) October 29, 2016
Wilton Speight completed 16 of 25 passes for 244 yards with one interception. Amara Darboh was his favorite targeting on the day, hauling in eight passes for 165 yards to lead all wideouts. The Wolverines continue to make great use of their talented backfield, ending the day with 42 carries for 192 yards and three scores. True freshman wide receiver Eddie McDoom actually lead the way on the ground with 53 yards on just two carries. Karan Higdon – who is suddenly better than Mike Weber according to nearly every #MichiganMan – added 44 yards while DeVeon Smith found the endzone twice.
Jabrill Peppers' Heisman campaign continues to gain a bit of steam as the all-purpose star rushed for 24 yards and a score while adding some more points on a botched Sparty two-point conversion attempt.
Jabrill Peppers stat line: 1 rushing TD, 7 tackles, 2 TFL, a sack
— Brandon Justice (@LandOfJustice) October 29, 2016
For the Spartans, Brian Lewerke and Tyler O'Connor combined for 184 yards through the air, including a touchdown and an interception. L.J. Scott led all running backs with 139 yards. The sophomore's first-quarter touchdown gave Michigan State a short-lived 7-0 lead.
No. 24 Penn State 62, Purdue 24
The Nittany Lions and Boilermakers were tied 17-17 at halftime. Purdue could only manage seven second-half points while the Nits put up nearly half a hundred. The win means James Franklin will be going bowling once again and remains in the chase for the Big Ten's Eastern Division.
Saquon Barkley had himself a nice little Saturday as the sophomore rumbled for 207 yards and two touchdowns on just 18 carries. Barkley also hauled in three passes for another 70 yards, making him the game's leading receiver as well. Trace McSorley threw for 228 yards and three scores with backup tailback Andre Robinson hauling in a pair of those touchdown passes.
REPLAY: Saquon Barkley, topping 200 yards on the day and 500 over his last three games. Worth another watch or 5.https://t.co/A6n9VR30qc
— Derek Levarse (@TLdlevarse) October 29, 2016
The Purdue ground game could only manage 46 yards on the day. When you consider that tailback Markell Jones netted 46 yards on his own, that probably tells you all you need to know about the rest of the Purdue running game. Sophomore quarterback David Blough completed 34 of 50 passes for 281 yards and a pair of scores.
| Team | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 8-0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 2 | 2 |
| Wisconsin | 6-2 | 3 | 4 |
| Nebraska | 7-1 | 4 | 3 |
| Penn State | 6-2 | 5 | 6 |
| Iowa | 5-3 | 6 | 6 |
| Minnesota | 6-2 | 7 | 7 |
| Maryland | 5-3 | 8 | 8 |
| Northwestern | 4-4 | 9 | 9 |
| Indiana | 4-4 | 10 | 10 |
| Michigan State | 2-6 | 11 | 11 |
| Purdue | 3-5 | 12 | 12 |
| Illinois | 2-6 | 13 | 13 |
| Rutgers | 2-6 | 14 | 14 |
Minnesota 40, Illinois 17
The Gophs led by just seven points at the end of the third frame but used 19 fourth-quarter points to pull away from the Illini. Anytime Memorial Stadium is heavily impacted by wind (which is often), I'm reminded of the 2011 Ohio State game in which the Buckeyes threw the ball a whopping four times. The wind was definitely a fact on Saturday, though it didn't stop the passes from flying.
Mitch Leidner was 10 of 19 for 112 yards but the Gophs' ground game did the majority of the work. Rodney Smith hit the century mark and found the endzone twice in a game that saw Minnesota rush for a modest 171 yards but five touchdowns.
The Illini offense managed just 245 yards on the day as they were plagued by three turnovers. Freshman Jeff George Jr. was 16 of 34 for 156 yards and a touchdown but also lost a pair of fumbles. Reggie Corbin rushed for 83 yards and Ke'Shawn Vaughn added a touchdown. George Jr. also totaled −49 yards rushing which probably wasn't too helpful for the Illini.
Indiana 42, Maryland 36
After rushing for just 84 yards against Northwestern, the Indiana ground game returned in a big way on Saturday. The Hoosiers compiled 414 yards rushing which featured three different players topping the century mark.
Devine Redding ended the day with 17 carries for 130 yards and a score. Tyler Natee – all 270 pounds of him – added 111 yards and found the endzone while Zander Diamont ran for 104 and two scores. Junior quarterback Richard Lagow didn't need to do a whole lot through the air as the Texan was 16 of 25 for 207 yards.
Perry Hills led the Terps with 248 yards passing and two scores, but the senior also coughed up the football twice. Ty Johnson had another productive outing rushing for 142 yards and a score on just 13 carries. D.J. Moore hauled in five passes for 81 yards and a touchdown.
The Hoosiers need two more wins to become bowl-eligible. With Purdue and Rutgers both still remaining on the schedule, that is looking pretty likely for Kevin Wilson and Co.
So, not a huge surprise that Nebraska was unable to keep their flawless season going. Before heading to Madison, their signature wins came against a now unranked Oregon squad and a 4-4 Northwestern team.
The #ArchieCurse continues to plague the Spartans who are battling Purdue, Illinois, and Rutgers for the bottom spot in the power rankings.
UPDATE: Michigan State is now 2-7 since Connor Cook dissed Archie Griffin. #ArchieCurse pic.twitter.com/QTbqGgSmWT
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 29, 2016
Next week's schedule features a nice little banger in Columbus as the Buckeyes will host the Huskers while donning the Chic Harley throwbacks. A rejuvenated Penn State team will welcome the Hawkeyes to Happy Valley and Michigan will square off against former defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin.
Speaking of bangers, the Eleven Dubgate will be going down next Saturday. Be sure to stop on by and enjoy some great company with all proceeds going to DownSyndrome Achieves.
