It was a tough week in the conference, but the season is young and the remaining opportunities are aplenty. Let's get right into the Big Ten's second week.
No. 4 Penn State 33, Pittsburgh 14
James Franklin wasn't one to mince words after the Nittany Lions got some revenge against a Pittsburgh Panthers team that likely kept them out of the College Football Playoff a season ago. Penn State's head coach likened the victory to a win over a MAC opponent.
Trace McSorley, Saquon Barkley, and Mike Gesicki led the way for the Penn State offense. McSorley ran and threw for 229 total yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Barkley ran for 88 and a score while adding another touchdown on a nifty 46-yard catch and run. Gesicki hauled in two touchdown catches in the first quarter of play.
The Panthers actually outgained the Nits but Pat Narduzzi and Co. were doomed by three turnovers. Junior tailback Qadree Ollison led the way with 96 yards rushing and another 30 recieiving.
No. 8 Michigan 36, Cincinnati 14
Luke Fickell's attempt to top the Wolverines for a sixth-consecutive season fell short on Saturday. The Wolverines won by 20+ points, but outside of the defense, it wasn't too great of a showing for Jim Harbaugh. The reaction from the Michigan faithful also was quite telling.
Do believe that's the first "booing the home team" moment of the Jim Harbaugh era here at Michigan Stadium.
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) September 9, 2017
Been a rough one for U-M
If you were hoping the Wolverine defense would take a step back this year, then early returns probably have you a bit disappointed. Obviously one has to consider the level of competition, but Don Brown has already spearheaded two stellar performances. Michigan's special teams was partially responsible for Cincinnati's first touchdown as a Bearcat punt hit a Wolverine player and was subsequently turned over.
Rashan Gary was a problem all game long and the Michigan secondary scored twice off of interceptions. Cincinnati managed just 200 yards of total offense on the day.
The offense was a slightly different story for Harbaugh as the numbers were there but they just never seemed to get rolling. Wilton Speight threw for 221 and two scores, but continues to struggle with errant throws. Kekoa Crawford and Grant Perry were both on the receiving end of the touchdown strikes. Ty Isaac continues to look like the best option in the backfield, rushing for 133 yards on 20 carries.
Speight perhaps had other things on his mind.
No cuddle? pic.twitter.com/p9fn4jn6d2
— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) September 9, 2017
Oregon 41, Nebraska 35
Completing 21 of 25 passes for 313 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions is a hell of a game for a college quarterback. That was the half-time stat line for Oregon sophomore Justin Herbert.
Royce Freeman led the ground game with 153 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Charles Nelson hauled in eight passes for 117 yards and a score. The Duck offense looked like what we've gotten used to seeing over the years, putting up 566 yards of total offense.
Tanner Lee wasn't his best in Eugene. Lee completed just 19 of 41 passes for 252 yards with three touchdowns and four crucial interceptions. Tailback Tre Bryant and wideout Stanley Morgan Jr. both topped the 100-yard mark. Bryant scored once while Morgan found the end zone twice. The Huskers did rally back quite nicely after a 42-14 half-time deficit, but they fell short in the end.
No. 9 Wisconsin 31, Florida Atlantic 14
True freshman tailback Jonathan Taylor continues to look like the real deal. The youngster led the way on Saturday as he totaled 223 yards and three scores while averaging close to nine yard per carry. Heading into the season, it looked like carries would be split in the Badger backfield, but the New Jersey native is clearly the featured back.
Junior Chris James also reached the century mark on 16 carries as Wisconsin gained 357 yards on the ground. Tight end Troy Fumagalli had another fine outing with eight receptions for 92 yards and a score. The Badger defense gave up just 248 yards and pitched a shutout in the second half.
Hurricane Irma has is slated to hit South Florida today, and the Badgers have offered to allow the Owls to use their facilities until they are able to make the trip home. Props to the University of Wisconsin for that fine gesture.
Iowa 44, Iowa State 41 (OT)
It was late in the fourth quarter and things weren't looking so hot for the Hawkeyes. Then Akrum Wadley scored an incredible touchdown to tie the game and sent things to overtime. Iowa State kicked a field goal but then the Hawkeyes answered with a touchdown pass to hang onto the Cy-Hawk trophy (still an awful name).
Akrum Wadley ties it up for Iowa! pic.twitter.com/08SejUG42N
— College Town (@CollegeT0wn) September 9, 2017
Wadley accounted for 190 total yards and two touchdowns on the day. Sophomore quarterback Nathan Stanley wasn't asked to do a whole lot last week as he only attempted 15 passes against Wyoming. It was a much different story on Saturday as the Hawkeye signal-caller completed 27 of 41 passes for 333 yards and five touchdowns.
A usually stingy Iowa defense struggled to contain Cyclone quarterback Jacob Park. The junior threw for 347, four touchdowns, and one interception. Cincinnati native David Montgomery added 112 rushing yards and a score.
| Team | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 2-0 | 1 | 2 |
| Michigan | 2-0 | 2 | 3 |
| Wisconsin | 2-0 | 3 | 4 |
| Ohio State | 1-1 | 4 | 1 |
| Maryland | 2-0 | 5 | 5 |
| Iowa | 2-0 | 6 | 8 |
| Minnesota | 2-0 | 7 | 11 |
| Michigan State | 2-0 | 8 | 9 |
| Indiana | 1-1 | 9 | 10 |
| Nebraska | 1-1 | 10 | 7 |
| Northwestern | 1-1 | 11 | 6 |
| Illinois | 2-0 | 12 | 13 |
| Purdue | 1-1 | 13 | 12 |
| Rutgers | 0-2 | 14 | 14 |
Michigan State 28, Western Michigan 14
Michigan State is just a very "blah" football team right now. I tuned in for maybe five minutes of this game and it was almost depressing to watch. The Spartans moved to 2-0 but they were far from impressive against a MAC opponent.
The good news is that Mark Dantonio's defense was pretty dang good. They allowed just 195 yards of total offense and did not give up a touchdown all day. The Broncos' two scores came via a fumble recovery and a kickoff return.
Despite the dominant statistical performance, the Spartans made some key mistakes that prevented them from taking total control of the scoreboard. The ground game was solid, rushing for just shy of 300 yards and finding the end zone three times. Quarterback Brian Lewerke has been showing off his legs this season, and he scored twice on Saturday; including a 61-yarder. L.J. Scott rushed for 86 yards and a score on 18 carries.
Duke 41, Northwestern 17
This one was a big fat "yikes" for Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats.
The Northwestern offense couldn't even get to 200 yards against the Blue Devils, and its two star players had forgettable performances. Clayton Thorson completed just 11 of 29 passes for 129 yards and two interceptions. He ended the day with -40 rushing yards thanks to four sacks. Tailback Justin Jackson carried the ball just seven times 18 yards and one score.
The Wildcat defense had no answer for quarterback Daniel Jones. The Blue Devils' sophomore threw for over 300 yards and ran for another 108 en route to a four-touchdown performance.
Indiana 34, Virginia 17
The Hoosiers looked to have a formidable offense following last Thursday's performance against the Buckeyes, but they struggled out of the gate against the Cavaliers. The offense got things turned around when senior quarterback Richard Lagow was benched in favor of redshirt freshman Peyton Ramsey in the second quarter. Ramsey completed his first 11 passes on his way to a 16 of 20 performance with 173 yards and two scores. He added 42 rushing yards and another score on the ground.
Wide receiver Simmie Cobbs was at it again on Saturday as the junior caught five passes for 62 yards and a very nice catch and run that resulted in a 29-yard score. The Hoosier defense stymied the Virginia ground game, allowing just 55 total yards on 2.2 per carry. The Cavaliers took to the air 66 times on the day but only managed 259 yards.
Maryland 63, Towson 17
I genuinely think Maryland is going to be a fun team to follow this season; even without starting quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome. D.J. Durkin and Walt Bell have a good thing going in College Park, and they're off to a 2-0 start.
True freshman Kasim Hill is the new starter for the Terps, and the offense didn't seem to skip a beat versus Towson. The ground game was especially effective putting up 367 yards and a whopping six touchdowns. Ty Johnson led the charge with 124 yards and a pair of scores. Wideout D.J. Moore hauled in seven passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns. The junior also found the end zone on a ridiculous 21-yard run.
Got to say it again: D.J. Moore is must-see TV. He's near Saquon levels. pic.twitter.com/QSnQhSDy20
— Brent Yarina (@BTNBrentYarina) September 9, 2017
The Terps will have a stiffer test next weekend when they host UCF.
Minnesota 48, Oregon State 14
P.J. Fleck took the Golden Gophers out west and brought home what was the conference's most impressive win of the weekend. The Minnesota running game simply outmatched Oregon State, and the Beavers had no answer for it.
Rodney Smith, Shannon Brooks, and backup quarterback Demry Croft led the way as the ground game notched 253 yards and five touchdowns. At one point in the fourth, the Gophers ran the ball 18 times in a row and repeatedly gashed the Beavers' defense. Brooks found the end zone three times while Smith and Croft each scored once.
Quarterback Conor Rhoda only threw eight passes on the day. He completed seven of them for 158 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore wideout Tyler Johnson led all pass-catchers with four catches for 127 yards and a score.
Purdue 44, Ohio 21
The Boilermakers put together a valiant effort in week one against Louisville, but Jeff Brohm fell just short in his debut at Indy's Lucas Oil Stadium. Brohm got his name in the win column on Friday night after Purdue jumped out to a 34-7 halftime lead over Frank Solich and the Bobcats.
Brohm promised to bring a new-look offense to West Lafayette, and it's looking like he plans on keeping his word. The Boilers notched 558 yards with a nice run/pass balance; 295 through the air and 263 on the ground. David Blough averaged an absurd 18 yards per attempt as the junior went 11 of 13 for 235 yards and three scores.
There had been some rumblings that 6-foot-4, 230-pound sophomore Elijah Sindelar could take over the reins at quarterback, but there was no evidence to support that on Friday night. Sindelar completed 4 of 10 passes for 60 yards and one touchdown in a change-of-pace type role. Four different pass-catchers hauled in touchdowns for Purdue. Sophomore tailback Tario Fuller added 142 yards rushing and a score.
Eastern Michigan 16, Rutgers 13
The Eagles had never defeated a Big Ten opponent. Is anyone surprised that Rutgers is the team that put an end to this streak? Toledo's Brogan Roback led the way for EMU as he threw for 260 yards and a touchdown. Sergio Bailey II led all receivers with five receptions for 107 yards.
For the Scarlet Knights, their performance was a far cry from how they looked a week ago against the No. 8 Washington Huskies. Quarterback Kyle Bolin completed just 17 of 37 passes for 198 yards and a pair of interceptions. Janarion Grant hauled in eight passes for 91 yards. Rutgers blocked a field goal attempt late in the game and had a chance to tie or take the lead, but late penalties plagued Chris Ash as his team was unable to score on the game's final drive.
Illinois 20, Western Kentucky 7
I can't imagine that more than a handful of humans watched this game, but the Illini moved to 2-0 thanks mostly to a strong effort on defense. Linebacker Julian Jones returned an interception for the game's first touchdown. The Hilltoppers could only manage 244 yards of offense on the day.
The Illini ground game did most of the damage on offense. Mike Epstein led all rushers with 111 yards on 21 carries. Quarterback Chayce Crouch threw for 107 yards and added another 44 and a touchdown with his legs.
Pretty big shakeup in our power rankings this week (for obvious reasons), but it should go without saying that everything is still wide open in the conference. Maryland and Minnesota have looked surprisingly good at times. Penn State and Michigan have gotten it done. Ohio State certainly has a lot to work on, but the Buckeyes remain right in the thick of things.
Elsewhere, Louisiana Tech fell to Mississippi State by a score of 57-21 and at one point they faced a 3rd down and 93. So I guess things could always be worse?
Next week's slate brings very little excitement to the table. The Buckeyes will look to contain Army's option attack (oof). Michigan hosts Air Force and the Nittany Lions take on mighty Georgia State.
