Service academies and a little bit of MACtion were the themes of the week for the Big Ten. It was the least impressive slate of the season thus far, but there were some surprises as teams prepare for conference play.
No. 7 Michigan 29, Air Force 13
Last week true freshman Donovan Peoples-Jones was pulled from Michigan's punt return team after a pair of miscues in the first half against Cincinnati. This week he was given another chance and DPJ made the most of it, coming through with a 79-yard touchdown return that finally gave the Wolverines some momentum early in the third quarter.
Need a kickstart to your 2nd half? Dial up a 79-yard @umichfootball punt return. pic.twitter.com/1qP7AonC6Q
— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) September 16, 2017
Michigan's offense put up close to 200 yards in the first half, but it struggled to find the end zone; instead settling for three Quinn Nordin field goals. Nordin would hit two more in the second half and the Wolverine offense did score once thanks to a 36-yard scamper by Karan Higdon. It was another lackluster performance by Wilton Speight as he completed 14 of 23 passes for 169 yards and no scores.
Michigan DE Chase Winovich on Air Force's resiliency:"I feel bad for the terrorists those guys are eventually going to go up against."
— Dan Murphy (@DanMurphyESPN) September 16, 2017
The Air Force option attack totaled 232 yards of offense. Tailback Timothy McVey and quarterback Arion Worthmon led the way on the ground. Worthman completed just one pass, but it did go for a 64-yard touchdown. McVey is an Ohio native and attended Cleveland's Saint Ignatius High School.
No. 5 Penn State 56, Georgia State 0
This one was expected to be a blowout, and that's precisely what transpired in Happy Valley as Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley did what they do against the Panthers.
McSorley scored five touchdowns while throwing for 309 yards and rushing for another 24. Barkley actually didn't do a whole lot on the ground, running for just 47 yards on 10 carries. The passing game was a different story for the country's top tailback, however. The Heisman hopeful caught four passes for 142 yards and a score. The touchdown came on an 85-yard catch and run.
The Nittany Lion defense forced five turnovers on the day, but they were hit with a blow when starting defensive end Torrence Brown was carted off with a leg injury.
No. 10 Wisconsin 40, BYU 6
Wisconsin is one of the most booze-loving states in this great country. BYU is a Mormon school and Provo, Utah has exactly two bars in the entire city. What happens when these two entities clash?
Inside ABG's Bar in Provo that opened early for Badgers fans. The owner told me he "only expected a couple of people." pic.twitter.com/x50AMUvS0z
— Alec Ausmus (@A_Twice27) September 16, 2017
The Badgers used a sound running game and efficient quarterback play to top the Cougars. Alex Hornibrook was a ridiculous 18 of 19 for 256 yards and four touchdowns. True freshman Jonathan Taylor continues to impress, rumbling for 128 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Quintez Cephus had two touchdown receptions while A.J. Taylor and tight end Troy Fumagalli both scored as well.
And the Provo spirits have likely run dry.
Northern Illinois 21, Nebraska 17
It was a dreadful day for Mike Riley and the Cornhuskers as they fell behind 14-0 thanks to two first-quarter pick sixes by the Northern Illinois defense. Nebraska tried to get on the board as the half expired, but they were unable to convert as the field goal attempt was blocked.
The Husker faithful was not too pleased.
That was one of the worst first half of a football game I have ever seen by an offense. When will the leader step up and make a play.
— Tommie Frazier (@TouchdownTommie) September 16, 2017
Nebraska surged back in the second half and briefly took the lead early on in the fourth quarter. After NIU answered and recaptured the lead with about nine minutes left, the Huskers were unable to respond and ultimately fell short.
Tanner Lee threw for just shy of 300 yards but also tossed three crucial interceptions. Mikale Wilson led the way on the ground with 90 yards. The Husks had no answer for NIU tailback Jordan Huff. The senior entered the game with 97 yards on the season. Against Nebraska he compiled 145 yards and a touchdown on just 16 carries.
Minnesota 34, Middle Tennessee State 3
P.J. Fleck and the Golden Gophers used an impressive ground game and opportunistic defense to move to 3-0 on the season.
Kobe McCrary rushed for 107 yards and three scores to lead the offense. Rodney Smith also ran for 107 as Minnesota dominated the time of possession. Conor Rhoda completed 11 of 18 passes for 122 yards. Jacob Huff added a 67-yard interception return touchdown to put the Gophs up 20-3 heading into the half.
Minnesota will be off next weekend before hosting Maryland on Sept. 30. That is shaping up to be a good one.
| Team | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 3-0 | 1 | 1 |
| Michigan | 3-0 | 2 | 2 |
| Wisconsin | 3-0 | 3 | 3 |
| Ohio State | 2-1 | 4 | 4 |
| Maryland | 2-0 | 5 | 5 |
| Minnesota | 3-0 | 6 | 7 |
| Iowa | 3-0 | 7 | 6 |
| Michigan State | 2-0 | 8 | 8 |
| Indiana | 1-1 | 9 | 9 |
| Purdue | 2-1 | 10 | 13 |
| Northwestern | 2-1 | 11 | 11 |
| Nebraska | 1-2 | 12 | 10 |
| Illinois | 2-1 | 13 | 12 |
| Rutgers | 1-2 | 14 | 14 |
Iowa 31, North Texas 14
The final score wasn't all that close, but the Hawkeyes weren't exactly impressive against North Texas. With the Nittany Lions coming to town next week, they'll need to put in a lot of work to have any shot at winning.
Iowa scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull away from the Mean Green. The running game accounted for 238 yards and two scores despite losing tailback Akrum Wadley and James Butler to injuries. The Hawkeyes ran the ball 59 times with Toren Young and Ivory Kelly-Martin carrying most of the load. Kelly-Martin scored twice and quarterback Nathan Stanley threw for 197 yards and two scores.
The injuries to Wadley and Butler do not appear to be serious.
Purdue 35, MIssouri 3
The 2017 Boilermakers are a far cry from what we saw a season ago. Yes, they lost a close one against Louisville to start the season, but Jeff Brohm actually has Purdue looking like a competent Big Ten team. That continued on Saturday when they went on the road and crushed an SEC opponent.
The Boilers continue to use a two-quarterback system and both David Blough and Elijah Sindelar made an impact this weekend. Blough led the way completing 22 of 28 passes for 187 yards and a score. He also added a rushing touchdown. Sindelar threw for 85 yards and a touchdown of his own. Sophomore Tario Fuller led all ball-carries with 90 yards and a touchdown.
Mizzou running back Demarea Crockett entered the game with close to 300 yards through just two games, but the Boilermaker defense made him a non-factor. Crockett rushed for just 19 yards on 10 carries.
Northwestern 49, Bowling Green 7
The Wildcats bounced back following last week's dismantling at the hands of the Duke Blue Devils. Sometimes a tasty MAC opponent can be just what the doctor ordered (sorry Nebraska).
It was the Clayton Thorson/Justin Jackson show once again for Northwestern as the duo did the bulk of the work for the offense. Thorson completed 23 of 30 passes for 370 yards and two touchdowns. He added another 28 with his legs. Jackson scampered for 121 yards and three scores. Wildcat receiver Garrett Dickerson caught nine passes for 150 yards.
No. 22 South Florida 47, Illinois 23
I spent about 45 minutes of my Friday night watching Illinois play football on television. That probably gives you an idea of how exactly how exciting my life is. The Illini lost their first game of the season and they may lose every single one moving forward, including the Oct. 14 showdown with almighty Rutgers.
USF quarterback Quinton Flowers is a fun player to watch. He threw for 280 yards and four scores while running for 106 and another score. Love Smith simply had no answer for Flowers and Charlie Strong's offense. The Bulls put up a whopping 680 yards of total offense and had three players top 100 yards rushing.
Illinois scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to make this one a little better than it actually was. Jeff George Jr. threw for 211 yards with a touchdown and two picks. The running game could only manage 67 yards on the night.
Rutgers 65, Morgan State 0
Morgan State must be pretty bad at football. Chris Ash and the Scarlet Knights put up 65 points and shut out the Bears who are now 0-3 on the season.
It was a true freshman quarterback who stole the show with his legs as Johnathan Lewis rushed for four touchdowns in the game. Lewis ran for 58 yards and threw for another 12 and a score as he spelled senior Kyle Bolin under center. Bolin threw for 140 yards and a touchdown of his own. Rasheem Blackshear led all rushers with 102 yards and a pair of scores.
Morgan State could only reach 145 yards of total offense while turning the ball over four times.
Last week Nebraska announced Mike Riley's contract extension through the 2020 season. Regardless of how Husker fans thought about it a week ago, they can't be pleased with the recent events in Lincoln. Nebraska is a in a bad place right now, and we have them ahead of only Illinois and Rutgers in the power rankings.
Michigan's offense has to be a concern for Jim Harbaugh. They're putting up some yardage, but scoring touchdowns is a whole different ballgame. Quinn Nordin may be the team's MVP right now.
Jeff Brohm continues to do big things for Purdue, and if it keeps up then one has to wonder exactly how long he will last in West Lafayette. Penn State looks like a well-oiled machine, Wisconsin's offense is rolling, and Iowa needs to step it up with conference play kicking off.
Next week's schedule features Penn State traveling to Iowa, Purdue hosting the Wolverines, and Michigan State taking on the Fighting Irish. Ohio State will take on UNLV at noon on Saturday.
