Other than the big Illini win in the Dome, here’s a rundown of the Big Ten action from the weekend:
Game of the Week:
Iowa State 15, Iowa 13 – I was lucky enough to witness this one in person, and what more could you want from college football than a bitter rivalry game decided by an embattled kicker with one second to play. Sure, maybe neither of these two teams will be that good this year, but this was a great college football game; emotion, big hits, only 5 combined penalties, just one turnover and last second heroics. Bret Culbertson’s fifth field goal of the day sailed through the uprights with just one second to play, setting off a wild celebration in Ames, and sending Iowa to its 7th defeat in 10 tries against their in-state rival.
Where do the Hawks Go From Here? There’s no need to panic just yet, as the Cyclones gave a big-time effort Saturday, and even very good Iowa teams struggle in Ames. The Hawkeye defense is very good, having allowed just six field goals and zero touchdowns in 12 quarters this year. But the offense couldn’t push around an average defensive line and Iowa’s receiving corps didn’t find many openings against State’s back four. If the offensive line can figure out how to open holes, this team can win eight games. If not, they’ll be home for the holidays.
Best of the Rest:
Michigan State 17, Pitt 13 – This game announced the arrival of the Mark D’Antonio era in East Lansing, with the Spartans building an early lead against a similarly acquitted opponent and holding it, using a late Brett Swenson field goal to extend their one point lead to the final margin. The Panthers had a chance at the end, but couldn’t connect on a 40-yard hail mary pass in the final seconds. Other than giving up one 62-yard TD pass, the Spartan defense was excellent.
Where do the Spartans Go From Here? Its on to South Bend, and there’s absolutely no excuse for a classic MSU meltdown next week against the woeful Irish. MSU is better and more athletic at every single position than Notre Dame, but who knows if there is some lingering animus over last season’s choke to end all chokes?
Florida Atlantic 42, Minnesota 39 – The Gophers might not be good, but at least they’re exciting. Surrendering 580 yards, 463 in the air, to the FAU Owls just isn’t something competent teams do, and Minnesota is a hair away from being 0-3 against 3 non BCS-teams right now. Minnesota put together another huge second half, getting 24 points starting at 10:28 in the third, but yikes: could they get out of the gate worse? Either Tim Brewster is the best half-time adjuster in the biz, or the worst pre-game motivator.
Where do the Gophers go From Here? Minnesota is looking like they may have the worst defense in the Big 10, and that’s a bad recipe to take in to battle with Purdue. The Boilers are dicing secondaries left and right; can Minny give themselves a chance by starting competently?
Wisconsin 45, Citadel 31 – This contest started like a heavyweight fight, with the Citadel matching Wisconsin score for score all the way through half time. PJ Hill never stopped running, logging 5 TDs and 168 yards rushing. Tyler Donovan looked efficient and effective, but where was the defense? 31 points against Citadel? 254 yards passing surrendered by this typically staunch unit? Weird.
Where do the Badgers go from Here? As weird as it sounds, Wisconsin is the last thing standing between the Big Ten and nationwide calls of “Overrated” right now. Michigan was exposed against Appalachian State, Ohio State still carries the doubts from last year’s Florida debacle, and the mantle has been passed to Wisconsin. With Minnesota, Michigan, Northwestern and Iowa all suffering embarrassing losses in the last two weeks, the whispers of ‘overrated’ are starting to increase. A great season by the Badgers will be the best antidote.
Ho-Hum
Duke 20, Northwestern 14 – Oh, Wildcats. How did this happen? Northwestern outpassed Duke 368-246, outrushed them 138-63, and had more first downs 25-15. And yet, somehow, thanks mostly to 13 penalties for 125 yards, Northwestern ended the nation’s longest losing streak at 22. CJ Bacher tossed for 368 yards, including a first half pick in the end zone, killing one of many promising drives.
Where do the Wildcats go from Here? They go straight to Columbus, everyone’s favorite Big Ten destination to get healthy…not. If the ‘Cats can overcome the shame of losing to Duke, they may yet find a couple winnable games down the road – they won’t have a chance at OSU, but the Sept. 29th date against Michigan in Evanston is still circled on the calendar.
Ohio State 33, Washington 14 – This was a ho-hum affair, and that’s just what Jim Tressel wanted to see. Ohio State trailed 7-3 at half, but asserted their dominance immediately in the third quarter, getting a 68 yard TD pass from Todd Boeckman to Brian Robiskie and a 14-yard TD run by Chris Wells to grab a 17-7 lead they never relinquished. By the 59 minute mark, OSU was up 27-7, and had earned back a bit of the respect from last year’s national title game.
Where do the Buckeyes Go From Here? With the way the rest of the conference looks, they may go all the way to a Big Ten title. Who looks better so far? The Bucks should cruise to 8-0 if they can get past Purdue, and then they trip to Happy Valley on October 27th. For now, the focus is on two tune-ups against N’Western and Minnesota, and getting QB Todd Boeckman as many reps as possible.
Indiana 41, Akron 24 – The Hoosiers survived some second quarter defensive gaffes to hold off a solid Akron team, and Kellen Lewis looked an awful lot like Antawn Randle-El, throwing for 137, rushing for 199, and accounting for all 5 Indiana TDs. Equally impressive was Lewis’ passing efficiency when not dashing out of the pocket – he went 19 of 24.
Where do the Hoosiers go from Here? A 3-0 start is a rarity in Bloomington, and with games left against Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Ball State and Northwestern, getting to 7 wins looks very possible. Kellen Lewis has been unreal against the early schedule; we’ll see how he looks against Big Ten Ds, but for now – we’re awfully impressed.
Penn State 45, Buffalo 24 – For 27 minutes Buffalo and Penn State looked like well-matched teams, working to a 3-3 tie just three minutes before the half. The Lions got a couple quick TD throws from Anthony Morelli to take a 17-3 lead in to half, and built the lead to 31-3 before Buffalo finally scored again with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Giving up some points to Buffalo isn’t the disaster it used to be, but still – there are some raised eyebrows in State College after seeing Drew Willy throw for 330 yards.
Where do the Lions go From Here? With Wisconsin fairly non-impressive and Michigan probably out of the picture, Penn State is thinking Big Ten title. This week PSU heads to the Big House, and the results will be fascinating. Can this defense shut down a Michigan team that finally has a bit of momentum on its side. State avoids Northwestern and Minnesota, so there aren’t getting any favors there. To win, the defense has to stay awesome.
Boorrrrrrrriinng
Michigan 38, Notre Dame 0 – Yeah, it was boring. We warned you. Michigan is a good football team dressed up in a bad start, and Notre Dame is an awful football team. Mike Hart will run on anybody and everybody this year and, if Chad Henne returns, I won’t be that worried about Michigan for the rest of the year. This isn’t a conference title team, but it’ll be hard for them to finish worse than 4th in the conference if they stay healthy.
Where does Michigan go from here – You thought the ND game was big? Wait until Penn State arrives this week. A win against the Lions would instantly erase most Ann Arbor memories of the big Appalachian State incident and reestablish Michigan as a player in the Big Ten race. This is a huge football game for the rest of the Big Ten season, probably one of the biggest conference tilts in recent years not involving Ohio State.
Purdue 45, Central Michigan 22 – Purdue lit up another MAC team with a weak secondary. Curtis Painter is starting to get plenty of situation in these circumstances – he has 952 yards and 13 TDs in just three games. I don’t care if the secondaries stink – he’s doing something right. Establishing the run with Kory Sheets and Jaycen Taylor has probably been Painter’s biggest asset, and the two combined for three first quarter first downs and 172 yards overall. The skilled, versatile receiving corps has helped, too.
Where do the Boilers Go From Here? How will the defense react when the offense isn’t scoring points by the truckload. Its easy enough to look decent when your offense spots you a 31 point lead, but when games are tight, it’s a different story. Eventually, Painter will make some mistakes, and the defense will need to be on the ball. October 6th and Ohio State are decent bets for when this phenomenon may first occur.
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