The college football season is back in full force, and the opening weekend slate was an impressive one across the country and within the Big Ten. The Dwayne Haskins Era got off to a roaring start yesterday, and while there are some concerns in the back seven of the defense, overall the Buckeyes put together a pretty impressive opener against the Beavers.
Elsewhere in the conference, the most noteworthy contest took place in South Bend, but there were some big ones in West Lafayette and Maryland as well. A couple games were surprisingly close for two of the Big Ten's best, but both were able to escape unscathed.
We offer a full recap of the week that was.
No. 12 Notre Dame 24, No. 14 Michigan 17
Shea Patterson was allegedly the missing piece that could take the Wolverines to the promised land. Last night the Ole Miss transfer recorded more turnovers (2) than he did touchdowns (0) and the most important position in sports still looks like a question mark for Jim Harbaugh.
Michigan fans were confident at first:
Im not gonna tweet during the game, you all know how I feel about #Michigan. But just so Im on the record, I dont even think this game is gonna be close. Michigan blows em out (at a minimum they win by 2 tds)!! #GoBlue #HAIL
— Ryan Ermanni (@RyanEFox2) September 1, 2018
But then life comes at you fast:
2-The reality is, our football program isnt very good. Jim Harbaugh might be the most overrated coach in sports. They werent prepared to play. The penalties, the clock management, the play calling. It all just sucked. Not a 1 game overreaction. Thats a 4 year sample size.
— Ryan Ermanni (@RyanEFox2) September 2, 2018
The Fighting Irish got off to a quick start with two touchdowns in the game's first eight minutes, and it was obvious throughout the night that Michigan just didn't have a playmaker on the offensive side of the ball. The Wolverine defense is littered with talent and mostly held its own in South Bend, but Brandon Wimbush and Co. did enough to take down the country's No. 14 team. The Irish quarterback totaled 229 yards and a score. Redshirt freshman Jafar Armstrong scored twice in the first action of his young career.
Patterson threw for 227 yards but the sacks piled up and he ended with –21 on the ground. Karan Higdon led all backs with 72 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown. Nico Collins hauled in three passes for 66 yards while Donovan Peoples-Jones added six for 38. Ambry Thomas provided Wolverine fans with some excitement when he took a kickoff 99 yards to the house.
Michigan's offense once again looked like a comedy of errors. The offensive line was problematic in 2017 and it was much of the same in South Bend, the quarterback situation seems far from fixed, and lack of execution has to be a major cause for concern.
No. 10 Penn State 45, Appalachian State 38
Appalachian State nearly pulled off another stunner on the Big Ten Network, but a late Nittany Lion score took the game into overtime and things then went downhill for the Mountaineers. It took just four plays for Penn State tailback Miles Sanders to find the end zone in the game's extra frame, and then cornerback Amani Oruwariye picked off a pass to seal the deal.
Trace McSorley accounted for 283 yards of total offense to go along with three touchdowns. Sanders ran for 91 yards and two scores of his own. Replacing Saquon Barkley will be a challenge, but the loss of DaeSean Hamilton and Mike Gesicki was a big blow to the passing game. K.J. Hamler led PSU wideouts with four receptions for 68 yards. The redshirt freshman hauled in the 15-yarder that sent the game to overtime. Juwan Johnson pitched in with six catches for 67 yards.
The Appy State offense put up 451 yards against the Nittany Lions with quarterback Zac Thomas doing the bulk of the damage. Thomas threw for 270 and two scores while adding another 43 and a touchdown with his legs.
| Team | W-L | Rank | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 1-0 | 1 | -- |
| WISCONSIN | 1-0 | 2 | -- |
| PENN STATE | 1-0 | 3 | -- |
| NORTHWESTERN | 1-0 | 4 | -- |
| MARYLAND | 1-0 | 5 | -- |
| MICHIGAN STATE | 1-0 | 6 | -- |
| MICHIGAN | 0-1 | 7 | -- |
| IOWA | 1-0 | 8 | -- |
| PURDUE | 0-1 | 9 | -- |
| NEBRASKA | 0-0 | 10 | -- |
| MINNESOTA | 1-0 | 11 | -- |
| INDIANA | 1-0 | 12 | -- |
| RUTGERS | 1-0 | 13 | -- |
| ILLINOIS | 1-0 | 14 | -- |
No. 4 Wisconsin 34, Western Kentucky 3
Stop me if you've heard this before, but Wisconsin has a fantastic offensive line, stellar running game, and a defense that looks to be up to the task. Paul Chryst's squad wasn't facing the most imposing foe, but the Hilltoppers did make a bowl appearance a season ago.
On the offensive side of the ball, I think Alex Hornibrook's game may have been the biggest surprise. I doubt many people were expecting him to throw the ball nearly 30 times in the opener – especially with the team's top two receivers out – but the junior threw for 257 yards and a pair of scores. Jonathan Taylor was his usual self rushing for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
The Badgers are replacing seven starters on defense, but that didn't matter too much in the opener. Western Kentucky put up 305 yards of total offense but the stingy defense forced two turnovers in the red zone.
No. 11 Michigan State 38, Utah State 31
With two minutes left in the game, the Spartans trailed the Aggies by a score of 31-30. It took a late touchdown run by Connor Heyward to lift the country's No. 11 team to a victory in the opener. That's hardly the start Mark Dantonio and the Michigan State faithful were looking for.
Brian Lewerke went for over 300 yards of total offense and scored twice through the air. Wideouts Cody White and Felton Davis III were on the receiving end of the touchdown strikes. White hauled in five for 70 yards on the day while Davis recorded three for 69 –– including a crucial catch on the late game-winning drive. L.J. Scott rushed for 84 yards and added another 57 on three receptions.
The Aggies had some success moving the ball against the Sparty defense, but nearly all of those yards came through the air. The ground game was held to just 25 yards on 25 attempts. Quarterback Jordan Love threw for 319 yards but was plagued by a pair of interceptions. Junior tailback Darwin Thompson found the end zone twice on the ground.
Northwestern 31, Purdue 27
The Boilermakers were a 2.5-point favorite at home, but Pat FItzgerald and the Wildcats had other plans on Thursday evening. Clayton Thorson returned from his torn ACL and threw for 172 yards, but it was the ground game that did most of the scoring for Northwestern. Cincinnati native Jeremy Larkin (La Salle) ran for 143 yards and scored twice as the Wildcats recorded four rushing touchdowns on the night.
Welcome to college football, Rondale Moore. Purdue's true freshman playmaker is a guy who was being courted by the Buckeyes and then committed to Texas before ultimately siding with Jeff Brohm. The Louisville native was beyond impressive in his debut as he scored a pair of touchdowns—one rushing and one receiving—and set a Purdue record with 313 all-purpose yards.
The Boilers will need to find an answer at quarterback if it hopes to be a threat in the West Division. Elijah Sindelar started the game but was pulled after tossing three interceptions. David Blough then took over and completed 12 of 16 passes for 74 yards. Blough added another 19 with his legs.
Maryland 34, No. 23 Texas 29
Tom Herman has probably had enough of the Terps. Last year Maryland took it to Texas in Austin, spoiling his debut as the Longhorns' fearless leader. This season, despite being 13-point underdogs in front of the "home" crowd at Landover, Maryland's FedEx Field, the Terrapins once again proved to be too much for the Horns.
Great stuff: @TerpsFootball honors late Jordan McNair on first play, and @TexasFootball declines penalty. pic.twitter.com/uEefAgX5IX
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 1, 2018
Both offenses put together eerily similar performances. Maryland ran for 143 and threw for 264 yards. Texas ran for 142 while throwing for 263. The difference was the turnover battle as the Terps forced three Longhorn miscues, including a back-breaking interception with just about a minute left in the game.
Kasim Hill threw for 222 yards and a score, but it was wideout Jeshaun Jones who stole the show. The true freshman ran for a score, caught a 65-yard touchdown pass, and threw for another score—all in the first half. Sophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger led the way for Texas. He threw for 263 yards and two scores but also had a pair of interceptions.
Maryland is now 2-22 against ranked teams dating back to 2011. Both of those wins have come against Texas. It's been a rough start for the Tom Herman (and Tim Beck) regime. Someone should alert a member of the media.
Iowa 33, Northern Illinois 7
There's not a whole heck of a lot to say about this one. Iowa's offense did what Iowa's offense usually does and the defense stymied Northern Illinois for the majority of the game. The Hawkeyes used a stable of backs to replace Akrum Wadley as Ivory Kelly-Martin, Toren Young, and Mekhi Sargent all saw plenty of action. The ground game went for 209 yards and three scores. Quarterback Nate Stanley threw for 108 yards and connected with tight end Noah Fant for a score.
The Huskies managed just 211 yards of total offense and didn't put any points on the board until late in the game's final quarter. Quarterback Marcus Childers threw for 105 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Kirk Ferentz is now in the record books as Iowa's all-time leader in wins.
Minnesota 48, New Mexico State 19
It's not often we see a true freshman walk-on starting at quarterback in the Big Ten – in fact it's only happened twice in major college football history – but that's exactly what went down Thursday in Minneapolis.
Things went pretty well for Zack Annexstad and the Golden Gophers as the offense put up 522 yards of total offense. The freshman lost a fumble in the first quarter but bounced back to finish with 220 yards and two scores through the air. Rodney Smith was productive as usual with 153 rushing yards while junior wideout Tyler Johnson hit the century mark and hauled in two touchdown passes.
A familiar name came through with the play of the game:
Antoine Winfield Jr with the Punt Return TD pic.twitter.com/XKTGvYBXA9
— College Town (@CollegeT0wn) August 31, 2018
The Aggies made it to a bowl game a season ago, but they're off to an 0-2 start in 2018. They fell last weekend to Wyoming and thus far they've given up over 600 rushing yards. The Gophers totaled 522 yards with 295 of those coming via the ground game.
Indiana 38, Florida International 28
The Hoosiers used a balanced offense and opportunistic defense to discharge of FIU. Quarterback Peyton Ramsey completed 20 of 27 passes for 156 yards and three scores. Tampa, Florida's Michael Penix was Indiana's top-rated signee for the 2018 class, and the true freshman saw action in the opener. Penix completed eight of ten passes for 96 yards and a score. Wideout Donavan Hale hauled in four passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns.
The Golden Panthers moved the ball with some success at times as they totaled 327 yards on the day. However, two lost fumbles and an interception proved to be too much to overcome.
Rutgers 35, Texas State 7
It was a bit of rocky start for true freshman quarterback Artur Stikowski, but the Rutgers running game was more than enough to top Texas State in Piscataway. Jonathan Hillman – a graduate transfer from Boston College – rushed for 60 yards and two scores. Raheem Blacksheer accounted for 150 all-purpose yards and and found the end zone twice. Stikowski completed 20 of 29 for 205 yards and the touchdown, but he also was picked off three times by the Bobcat defense.
The Texas State offense really couldn't do anything against the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers held them in check to just 169 yards of total offense. The team's lone score game via a 51-yard interception return by cornerback Kordell Rodgers.
Illinois 31, Kent State 24
It's probably going to be another rough season for Lovie Smith and the Illini. Before the game kicked off, Illinois made the surprise announcement that five players – including three starters – had been indefinitely suspended. The Illini trailed 17-3 before the offense finally got things going in the second half.
The running game accounted for all four of the team's touchdowns, and it was led by A.J. Bush and his 139-yard performance. Junior tailback Reggie Corbin chipped in with 79 yards and a pair of scores. Kent State's Woody Barrett is likely going to be one of the MAC's most talented players. Formerly a four-star Auburn signee, Barrett is now with the Flashes following a stint at a Mississippi community college (No, not that Mississippi community college). He put up 387 yards of total offense and three touchdowns.
Nebraska, Akron (CANCELLED)
The game vs. Akron has been cancelled. We will open our season against Colorado next Saturday.
— Nebraska Huskers (@Huskers) September 2, 2018
: https://t.co/qzQL2mHZwF pic.twitter.com/agv1E3J6W0
So it was a pretty good start to the season, eh?
Michigan looked a lot like the Michigan that we've come to know and adore, which led to Braylon Edwards getting incredibly mad on Twitter (and then then trying to delete the evidence). The Spartans and Nittany Lions both provided us with some unexpected excitement. There's been plenty of drama surrounding Tom Herman lately, so it was great to see Maryland taking it to Texas for a second straight season.
Hopefully you enjoyed week one because next week is looking pretty ugly. Ohio State hosts Rutgers, the Wolverines will look to bounce back against Western Michigan, and Wisconsin will probably run all over New Mexico.
The top matchup may be Penn State heading to Heinz Field to take on Pitt. And maybe the Hawkeyes and Cyclones can provide some excitement as well. Kirk Ferentz topped Matt Campbell by a field goal in 2017.
What are your biggest takeaways from week one? How are your power rankings looking?
