Big Ten Review: Week 8

Another critical week in Big Ten action left a few would-be contenders by the wayside, and gave the nation’s number one team a bit of a scare. Let’s break it down, in order of how much fun these games were to watch:

Game of the Week:

Penn State 36, Indiana 31 – Penn State got one I didn’t expect them to get, knocking off a pesky Indiana squad that really could have and should have won this game. The Hoosiers and Lions were an even match in yardage (387-386) and first downs (25-up), but Indiana couldn’t overcome killer fumbles. Kellen Lewis is quite an athlete, he really is, but he’s not a big-time winner yet because he’s shown an inability to rise to a moment. Case in point: Lewis ripped off a 56-yard touchdown run to bring Indy within 5 with three minutes to play. After the Hoosier D helped get the ball back, Lewis fumbled at his own 29, ending the comeback hope. With Illinois tagged for two Big Ten losses, it looks like the Nittany Lions have the inside track on a 3^rd place finish.

Best of the Rest:

Ohio State 24, Michigan State 17 – Looked like we might have a rout on our hands, eh? This isn’t the John L. Smith edition Spartans, folks. Down 24-zip late in the third, Michigan State raised the collective blood pressure of the state of Ohio with two, count ‘em, two defensive returns for touchdowns in a span of just 56 seconds. MSU closed to 24-14 just like that, but only got three points from two final possessions as the OSU offense was able to run the ball and milk clock despite not reaching paydirt again. This was closer than a lot of people expected, but let’s not sound the alarms just yet – the Spartans deserve credit for showing some moxie, but the Buckeye defense still held them to 3 points, 180 yards and 9 first downs. If offenses can’t score on Ohio State, they can’t beat them.

Ho Hum:

Northwestern 26, Eastern Michigan 14 – Let’s just squint and pretend Northwestern got a road win over the Detroit Lions. OK, not really, but the Wildcats did win on the Lions’ home turf, beating EMU in the Eagles’ once-a-year game at Ford Field. This game was one of those where you’re really not sure if Eastern gagged it away or Northwestern sacked up when it needed to be tough. The ‘Cats forced four turnovers inside their own 10-yard line as Eastern showed why, despite making improvements on both sides of the ball, the Eagles can’t break out of the MAC West cellar. I’m not sure if I tolerated this game because it was mildly entertaining or because it aired on Friday night. Probably better not to ask too many questions.

North Dakota State 27, Minnesota 21 – Don’t pretend you didn’t know it was coming, Part One. The Bison have been blowing people up all year, including Central Michigan, a way better squad than the Gophers, who ND State beat by 30! So it shouldn’t have shocked anyone that North Dakota State, now the proud owners of Division I’s longest win streak, outgained Minny by almost three hundred yards and ten first downs. The only thing that surprised me, honestly, was that the Bison didn’t win by more. ND State got 263 yards rushing from Tyler Roehl while about 30 thousand of their fans cheered in the Metrodome. I keep thinking back to how impressive Tim Brewster was at Big Ten Media Day; dude needs to pull a David Copperfield with this defense, and fast.

Boooooooooooooring

Wisconsin 44, Northern Illinois 3 – Don’t pretend you didn’t know it was coming, Part 2. On, Wisconsin. To a meaningless rout over the Mid-American Conference’s worst football team, and its second-string, sophomore quarterback. This is how the recent Wisconsin myth was built, folks – on the backs of wins that look better on paper than in reality and with a few close, clutch wins in Big Ten crunch time. We all knew this would happen – the Badgers would come home needing an ego boost after two crushing losses on the road; they’d bruise an undersized, outmanned opponent just like they should, and then they’d blow up the scoreboard until they felt better about themselves. Donovan threw for 91, Hill ran for 184. Blah, blah, blah. With Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan up next, the Badgers might not win again until Nov. 17^th at Minnesota.

Purdue 31, Iowa 6 – Don’t pretend you didn’t know it was coming, Part 3. The Iowa defense, gutsy through they are, can’t handle the spread-out passing attack. They can’t. They showed that against Indiana, showed it in stints against Iowa State, and showed it big time in West Lafayette against the Boilers. Purdue didn’t get fancy, they just did what they knew they could do to win, grinding out 29 first downs with 315 passing yards and getting 65+ rushing yards from both Sheets and Taylor. I’m sorry that you lost to the Big Ten’s 10^th best team, Illini fans, but the Hawk D is built for an attack like Illinois’ and, at this point, not much else.