Quick thoughts and takes on every Week 13 Big Ten game.
Michigan State 27, Rutgers 0
It was only a win over Rutgers, but Michigan State really, really, really, really needed that. It wasn’t perfect, the running game was stuffed a bit too much and the offense stalled a bit, but Cody White went off for 11 catches for 136 yards and three scores, and it was a shutout over a team that was supposed to be shutout. The program can exhale for a moment – it hit the putt.
Rutgers just doesn’t have the offensive talent. Johnny Langan completed 8-of-20 passes for 57 yards with a pick, led the team with 49 rushing yards, and Isaiah Pacheco was held to 36 yards. It didn’t help that the Scarlet Knights were playing a team that cared.
The Spartans owned this game by more than the final score. They didn’t allow a third down conversion and held the ball for almost 38 minutes. There wasn’t any drama whatsoever.
Michigan State did what it needed to do, and now it closes out with Maryland for a shot at a sixth win and bowl eligibility. Rutgers’ season will come to a brutal but merciful end at Penn State.
Iowa 19, Illinois 10
Iowa played a typical Iowa game. It battled hard, played good run defense, and did enough to keep things moving through the air. It wasn’t easy, and it was a grind to do anything on the ground, but it was the eighth win of the season with just Nebraska to go. A shot at a ten-win campaign is still there.
The Hawkeyes couldn’t get any push up front – the Illinois D line did a nice job. Iowa ended up with just 79 rushing yards, and Nate Stanley wasn’t all that sharp, but he connected on a few bit pass plays with Ihmir Smith-Marsette catching four passes for 121 yards.
Illinois played relatively well despite only scoring ten points. The running backs didn’t get the ball enough – QB Brandon Peters led the team with 76 rushing yards – but the O averaged close to five yards per carry. The passing game didn’t cluck – Peters threw two picks – but it was an okay performance despite the final score.
It was a good fight, and now Illinois gets to go for a seventh win when it finishes up against Northwestern. If a 19-10 loss on the road to Iowa was okay, a loss of any sort to this Wildcat team would be totally unacceptable.
NEXT: Ohio State 28, Penn State 17
Ohio State 28, Penn State 17
So, essentially, that’s about as bad as Ohio State can play in a whole slew of ways, Justin Fields was banged up, and there were way too many missed opportunities, and it still beat a top eight team by 11. The Buckeyes aren’t going to be that loose and sloppy again.
Fields was brilliant … except for the fumbles. JK Dobbins put one on the ground, too, but it was Fields’ fumble at the goal line early on that kept the score from being 14-0 and effectively over.
On the day, Fields completed 16-of-22 passes for 188 yards and two scores, and he took off for 68 yards doing a great job of making things happen without taking any chances down the field. He appeared to hurt his left arm, and got his leg rolled up late, but all appears to be fine. Now he has to clean up those fumbles.
Dobbins was a powerhouse. He ran 36 times for a hard 157 yards and two scores against one of the nation’s best run defenses. Once again, the Ohio State offensive line was fantastic, Dobbins was able to settle things down and take control of the game, and it kept Fields from having to take over through the air.
Oh yeah, Chase Young. So that’s what the guy looks like when he’s rested, healthy, and ticked. Five tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, four tackles for loss – he was okay. Even when he wasn’t making big plays, he required all the energy and focus of the Penn State offensive front.
Oh yeah, now Ohio State wins the East and is off to the Big Ten Championship. OF COURSE THIS WILL NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER HAPPEN, but … since the Michigan game is now, effectively, meaningless to the greater goal of wining a national title, do you sit … nah.
Beating Michigan will always be slightly bigger than winning a Big Ten championship and slightly below winning a national title to so many Buckeye fans, but if Fields really is banged up, and there’s no actual reason to play your starters since a loss to the Wolverines and a Big Ten title still means a spot in the playoff and … nah. The Michigan game is why you come to Ohio State. That, and being able to turn pro as soon as possible.
Beyond that, blast away on Michigan, and the Big Ten Championship might not matter. A dominant performance in a win over the Wolverines might lock in a College Football Playoff spot in a Four Best Team theory.
Sean Clifford was beaten up all game long, and he only hit 10-of-17 passes for 71 yards. He was simply never able to do anything. The running game didn’t help with just 99 yards and averaging fewer than three yards per carry, but the team was still in the game because of the big stops on D. The O couldn’t do anything when it had its chances.
He wasn’t Chase Young, but Yetur Gross-Matos showed off why he’s a top ten drat pick talent. Always working, he came up with five tackles, two sacks, and was always bringing the pressure. Safety Lamont Wade was fantastic, too, with eight tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.
Penn State might be out of the Big Ten championship chase now, but after it obliterates Rutgers, at 10-2 there’s an outside shot of a New Year’s Six bowl slot. Overall, the team played well enough against – arguably – the nation’s best all-around team to not drop too far in the CFP.
