Big Ten weather returned to the Midwest on Saturday as a number of games featured heavy winds and a bit of wintry precipitation. The penultimate weekend of conference play saw very few surprises, and the stage is officially set for a fairly important football contest that will take place in Columbus.
Only 6 minutes of game time elapsed between these two screengrabs. pic.twitter.com/zDxX79W82u
— Dr Cork Gaines (@CorkGaines) November 19, 2016
No. 3 Michigan 20, Indiana 10
The Wilton Speight v. John O'Korn quarterback battle was one of the more interesting storylines of the offseason. After Saturday's game against the Hoosiers, it's blatantly obvious as to why Speight – who hadn't exactly been lights out – was given the nod over the Houston transfer. The Wolverines found themselves down 10-6 in the third quarter before clamping down and pulling away.
O'Korn was 7 of 16 for 59 yards and zero touchdowns against an Indiana defense that had been giving up 236 passing yards per game to opposing offenses. The Wolverine ground game did virtually all of the work on Saturday, accounting for 225 yards and both touchdowns. De'Veon Smith had a productive outing as the senior rushed for a career-high 158 yards and a pair of scores. True freshman Chris Evans added another 39 yards while O'Korn chipped in with 19.
Highlights: Michigan vs. Indiana
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) November 20, 2016
Michigan beats Indiana 20-10 behind a career day from De'Veon Smith.#GoBlue https://t.co/I0Xm6s07BF
Jim Harbaugh's defense and special teams once again paved the way. Indiana tailback Devine Redding was held to just 50 yards on 22 carries while Richard Lagow completed less than 50% of his passes for 191 yards and zero scores. Wolverine kicker Kenny Allen converted on both field goal attempts and the special teams again came through with another blocked punt.
Jabrill Peppers continued his torrid pace to the Heisman Trophy as the do-everything phenom finished with two yards on two carries while also fumbling once.
No 8. Penn State 39, Rutgers 0
Give Chris Ash and Rutgers some credit: they really have been at their best when playing against the stiffest competition.
Rutgers was out-gained by Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State 2,258 to 382.
— Matt Brown (@MattBrownCFB) November 20, 2016
The Scarlet Knights also managed to score exactly zero points in those four games, so there's also that.
The Nittany Lions got off to a sluggish start but rebounded nicely with 30 second-half points. The ground game was as impressive as ever, putting up 339 yard and three scores while averaging about seven yards per carry. Saquon Barkley led all rushers with 92 yards and a score. Three other Nits – Trace McSorley, Miles Sanders, and Tommy Stevens – all topped 50 yards on the ground.
The Rutgers' offense totaled 87 yards on the day. Yes, eighty-seven. So there really isn't anything to say about that effort. Yikes.
No. 7 Wisconsin 49, Purdue 20
Purdue was surprisingly leading Wisconsin after one quarter of play. The Badgers then remembered that they were facing a team being coached by someone named "Gerad Parker" and then proceeded to score 35 points in the second quarter en route to a 29-point road victory.
The Wisconsin quarterback carousel continues to be tough to keep up with, but both Alex Hornibrook and Bart Houston were fairly efficient in West Lafayette. Houston entered the game on the third drive and helped to orchestrate the second-quarter scoring barrage. The senior completed five of six passes for 102 yards and a score on the day. Hornibrook was also solid, completing seven of nine attempts for 89 yards and a touchdown.
The Badger ground game is where Paul Chryst again found most of his success. Wisconsin rushers totaled four touchdowns on the day while grinding out 221 yards on 56 attempts. Corey Clement rushed for 112 yards and a score and Bradrick Shaw found the endzone twice.
Play of the game?
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 19, 2016
Hard to argue with @_TJWatt's. https://t.co/eyYmK47E4W
Purdue quarterback David Blough threw for 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns but was plagued by three interceptions. One of those turnovers came courtesy of T.J. Watt who would bring it back 17 yards for a score. Not sure if you've heard, but he has an older brother who is in the National Football League and often does similar things.
The Badgers very much remain in the hunt for one of the four playoff spots as they continue to hold the division tie-breaker over Nebraska.
No. 18 Nebraska 28, Maryland 7
The Huskers relied on backup quarterback Ryker Fyfe and Terrell Newby as they cruised to a home victory over the Terps. The senior signal-caller threw for 220 yards and a touchdown while Newby found the endzone three times for the Husks. Fyfe, a former walk-on, connected with Jordan Westerkamp eight times for 85 yards and a score. Newby just missed the century mark, finishing with 98 yards on the ground.
Maryland couldn't get anything going on offense as the Huskers held them in check with just 207 yards on the day. The Terps used yet another quarterback as true freshman Max Bortenschlager got his first career start. The youngster completed 14 of 29 passes for 191 yards and a score.
This D.J. Moore TD is the only highlight Maryland has today.
— Testudo Times (@testudotimes) November 19, 2016
(Via @BigTenNetwork) https://t.co/7XToc2Z7xd
https://t.co/RR1JdjjaTK
The bulk of Maryland's production came on a 92-yard pass and catch to wideout D.J. Moore. The fourth-quarter score was one of the finer plays you'll see all season and also a play that defensive coordinators may use to demonstrate why arm-tackling isn't the ideal technique to employ.
| Team | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 10-1 | 1 | 1 |
| Michigan | 10-1 | 2 | 2 |
| Wisconsin | 9-2 | 3 | 3 |
| Penn State | 9-2 | 4 | 4 |
| Nebraska | 9-2 | 5 | 5 |
| Iowa | 7-4 | 6 | 6 |
| Minnesota | 8-3 | 7 | 7 |
| Maryland | 5-6 | 8 | 8 |
| Northwestern | 5-6 | 9 | 9 |
| Indiana | 5-6 | 10 | 10 |
| Michigan State | 3-8 | 11 | 12 |
| Illinois | 3-8 | 12 | 11 |
| Purdue | 3-8 | 13 | 13 |
| Rutgers | 2-9 | 14 | 14 |
Minnesota 29, Northwestern 12
The Northwestern offense outgained the Gophs on Saturday but Pat Fitzgerald was plagued by a number of redzone woes. The Wildcats lost a pair of fumbles and failed on two fourth-down conversions in Minny territory. The Minnesota defense also pitched in with a season-high seven sacks.
Senior quarterback Mitch Leidner threw for 179 yards and a score and added another 28 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Clayton Thorson led the way for the Wildcats, throwing for 276 and a score. Tailback Justin Jackson added 90 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Austin Carr, the Big Ten's leading receiver, hauled in five passes for 68 yards before exiting the game after a helmet-to-helmet hit.
Iowa 28, Illinois 0
The summary from this one basically is that Illinois is not a good football team and Iowa is playing pretty well coming off their defeat of Jim Harbaugh's Wolverines.
The Hawkeye defense pitched its first shutout since 2010 as Lovie Smith's squad couldn't get anything going on a blustery Champaign day. Illinois managed just 198 yards of offense to go along with a pair of turnovers. Iowa scored 21 second-half point behind LeShun Daniels Jr. and a strong ground attack that found paydirt three times.
C.J. Beathard threw for just 80 yards and one interception on the day. Daniels rumbled for 159 yards and two scores, including a 50-yard scamper. Akrum Wadley also added 82 yards and a touchdown. For the Illini, quarterback Wes Lunt totaled 137 yards and one pick. Senior wideout Zach Grant led all receivers on the day with eight receptions for 65 yards.
Iowa's 7th win kicks in guarantee for Kirk Ferentz potentially worth $2M https://t.co/vHyVmYmRDX via @usatoday
— Geoff Love (@gdlcolorado) November 20, 2016
Kirk Ferentz tied Lloyd Carr for No. 6 all time on the Big Ten win list. His contact extension continues to be a thing of beauty.
So everything went about as expected in Big Ten country, and really there weren't a whole lot of surprises around the nation. There had been some rumblings that Louisville perhaps had a shot to jump into the College Football Playoff picture, but the Cardinal hopes were dashed by our old friend Tom Herman on Thursday night.
The Washington Huskies' signature win thus far came against a Utah team that was ranked No. 12 heading into the weekend. The Utes fell at home yesterday to an Oregon squad that entered the game at 4-6, so that's probably not the best thing for Chris Petersen's Huskies.
Next weekend is kind of a big deal. The Game will go down in old Columbus town and Buckeye fans will be hoping Mark Dantonio can then pull off the upset in Happy Valley.
The best week of the year has officially arrived.
