This weekend's slate would probably fall into the "meh" category, but a couple of Big Ten teams did have the opportunity to bounce back following their first loss of the season. There were a couple surprises and our power rankings have gone through some changes, though the top group remains the same.
And how about that sweet sound of the football clanking off the upright to secure the shutout in Piscataway?
Let's take a look at the week that was.
No. 4 Penn State 45, Indiana 14
Saquon Barkley opened this game with a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown. He continues to be very good at this whole football thing and #sources say he may have a future in the National Football League.
Barkley is likely the Heisman frontrunner right now, but he actually wasn't quite up to his usual standards yesterday. He recorded just 56 yards on 20 carries while going up against a defense that was shredded by J.K. Dobbins in the season opener. The junior did add 51 yards on four receptions and tossed a touchdown pass as well.
Trace McSorley had another big day throwing for 315 yards and three total scores. DaeSean Hamilton was his favorite target as he hauled in nine passes for 122 yards and three touchdowns; one of those courtesy of the Barkley pass. Hamilton passed Deon Butler and is now the Nittany Lions' all-time receptions leader.
The Hoosiers were plagued by four turnovers on the day. Richard Lagow and Peyton Ramsey combined for just 175 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception. Simmie Cobbs Jr. hauled in five passes for 44 yards and a score.
No. 10 Wisconsin 33, Northwestern 24
| Team | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 5-0 | 1 | 1 |
| Michigan | 4-0 | 2 | 2 |
| Ohio State | 4-1 | 3 | 3 |
| Wisconsin | 4-0 | 4 | 4 |
| Maryland | 3-1 | 5 | 8 |
| Minnesota | 3-1 | 6 | 6 |
| Michigan State | 3-1 | 7 | 10 |
| Iowa | 3-2 | 8 | 5 |
| Indiana | 2-2 | 9 | 7 |
| Purdue | 2-2 | 10 | 9 |
| Nebraska | 3-2 | 11 | 12 |
| Northwestern | 2-2 | 12 | 11 |
| Illinois | 2-2 | 13 | 13 |
| Rutgers | 1-4 | 14 | 14 |
The Wildcats did a fine job staying with the Badgers early on, but the Wisconsin defense really took over in the second half. It seemed like every time I flipped over to this game Clayton Thorson was getting sacked or running around for his life.
Alex Hornibrook didn't have his best day as he completed 11 of 20 passes for 197 yards with a touchdown and a pick. He toughed things out after being seen hobbling a bit early on in the game. Top target Troy Fumagalli was held out with a leg injury, but wideout Quintez Cephus was up to the task. He hauled in four passes for a game high 99 yards. True freshman tailback Jonathan Taylor had another fine showing with 80 yards and a pair of scores.
Thorson was sacked eight times on the day with three of them courtesy of Badger linebacker Garrett Dooley. The junior threw for 219 yards, three touchdowns, and a pair of interceptions—including a disastrous fourth-quarter pick six. The Wildcat ground game just couldn't get anything going. Justin Jackson rushed for just 25 yards on nine carries. As a team, Northwestern ran for 25 yards on 34 attempts. The sacks led to a -41 yard showing for Thorson, which probably isn't ideal for Pat Fitzgerald and Co.
Michigan State 17, Iowa 10
The Spartans looked anything but formidable last week when they fell at home to the Irish by a score of 38-18. They bounced back nicely in their first conference matchup, however.
It was two first-quarter touchdown passes that really was the difference in this one. Brian Lewerke twice connected with Felton Davis III to put the Spartans up 14-0 early on. Iowa answered with a touchdown in the second quarter, but both offenses struggled in the second half en route to a less-than-exciting Spartan victory.
Lewerke threw for 212 and added another 42 with his legs. The rest of Mark Dantonio's ground game netted just 46 yards. L.J. Scott had an especially tough afternoon, gaining 28 yards on 14 carries. Davis III was clearly the go-to guy on the day as he hauled in nine passes for 114 yards and the two scores.
The Hawkeyes could only manage 231 yards of total offense and struggled through two big third-quarter turnovers. Nathan Stanley connected on 16 of 31 passes for 197 yards. Akrum Wadley gained just 30 yards on 17 carries as the Iowa running game was beyond bad, totaling 19 yards on 25 attempts.
Maryland 31, Minnesota 24
This may have been the best of the noon games yesterday as the Gophers are no longer among college football's unbeatens.
The Terps rebounded after last week's abysmal performance against UCF. Two starting quarterbacks have now been lost for the season, but Max Bortenschlager had a respectable showing in Minneapolis. He competed 18 of 28 passes for 154 yards and two scores. The sophomore also rushed for 18 yards and a touchdown.
D.J. Moore was once again the favorite target as he caught eight passes for 90 yards and added a score. Moore has now had at least seven receptions and scored a touchdown in each of Maryland's four games. Hopefully Greg Schiano and the Ohio State cornerbacks have been paying attention.
Ty Johnson led the way with 130 yards on the ground, including the go-ahead touchdown with just over a minute left in the game.
ICYMI: Ty Johnson iced it for @TerpsFootball, sending Minnesota to its first loss. pic.twitter.com/yPjwY27n9l
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 30, 2017
Minnesota quarterback Conor Rhoda had a chance to tie things up, but the senior tossed his second interception which promptly ended any hopes of overtime. Rhoda recorded 229 yards and a score on the day. Shannon Brooks, Rodney Smith, and the Gopher ground game were held in check. They could only manage 80 yards on 31 carries. Brooks and Smith both did find the end zone.
Nebraska 28, Illinois 6
Following losses to Oregon and Northern Illinois, the Cornhuskers have gotten exactly what they needed these last two weekends: matchups with the Big Ten's two worst teams.
Tanner Lee led the way for Nebraska and the signal-caller finally looked like what Husker fans have been expecting. He completed 17 of 24 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns. The Tulane transfer entered the game as the FBS leader with nine interceptions, but he didn't turn the ball over once on Friday night. Devine Ozigbo led all rushers with 106 yards and a score.
Stanley Morgan Jr. and De'Mornay Pierson-El both hauled in touchdown passes. Morgan Jr. recorded a career high eight receptions for 96 yards. Pierson-El added four for 94.
There's not too much to say about the Illini offense. Lovie Smith's squad only managed 199 yards in front of the home crowd. Quarterback Chayce Crouch completed 9 of 15 passes for just 99 yards an an interception.
Not a whole lot of takeaways from this weekend really. Penn State took it to Indiana, and outside of his big kickoff return, Saquon Barkley did one of those disappearing acts that he's known to do from time to time. Last year there were three games where he failed to hit the 60-yard rushing mark. He's obviously extremely talented, but this was just one of those days for him on the ground.
Michigan State's defense came to play against Iowa. I suppose the result may be surprising to some, but the Spartans actually were favored at home. They still need to get that running game going, however. Maryland continues to look like a bit of a dangerous team despite being on its third starting quarterback of the season.
The excitement level should go up a few notches next weekend. The Buckeyes will host Maryland and its potent offense. Penn State travels to Evanston while the Badgers take on Nebraska in Lincoln. The big one will be in Ann Arbor with the Spartans and Wolverines squaring off.
Welcome to October. The best part of the calendar each and every year.
