Quick thoughts and takes on every Week 5 Big Ten game.
Wisconsin 24, NW 15 | Iowa 48, MT 3
MSU 40, Indiana 31 | Minn 38, Purdue 31
Ohio State 48, Nebraska 7
Penn State 59, Maryland 0
Maryland really, really didn’t show up. Give Penn State all the credit for one of the sharpest big game performances yet under James Franklin, but that was a miserable gave by a Terp team that didn’t adjust, didn’t have any answers, and was totally outclassed.
THAT’S the game we’ve been waiting for out of Penn State. Sometimes, a team needs a few warm-up games before it figures things out, and the Nittany Lions certainly looked and played tuned up. Sean Clifford was fantastic, hitting 26-of-31 passes for 398 yards and three touchdowns and a score, and ran seven times for 54 yards and a touchdown.
Josh Jackson hasn’t been on for the last few games. He missed too many open throws and plays in the loss to Temple, and he was way off against Penn State. There were plays there to be made, and he didn’t do it. He only connected on 10-of-21 passes for 65 yards and two picks.
619 yards to 128. This was total domination that kept on rolling even with the backups in – the Nittany Lions didn’t let up. Now that get a wounded Purdue team up next. Maryland has three road games in the next four, but it gets Rutgers next week.
Michigan 52, Rutgers 0
There you go, everyone. Michigan is okay, the fundamentals of the program are strong, and … its Rutgers. Even so, to look at this in another way, just imagine if this wasn’t a 52-0 blasting. Considering all the slings and arrows the program took over the last week, this was a much-needed performance, just to prove it could do it.
The passing game showed off just how good it can really be. Shea Patterson connected on 17-of-23 passes for 276 yards and a score with a pick – with three rushing scores – and the receivers ripped it up with big play after big play. There’s still a running back problem, but for now, take the 52-0, and don’t get into a twist about the 3.4 yards per carry.
Rutgers didn’t have McLane Carter, and Artur Sitkowski did what he could. He hit 17-of-24 passes, but they didn’t go anywhere. It was all check downs and short-range throws. The ground game and offensive line didn’t help a lick.
Now the Scarlet Knights get an angry and desperate Maryland team next, and Michigan gets Iowa at home. This was nice, but get by the Hawkeyes, and all of a sudden the narrative of the season changes. Illinois is after that and them come the showdowns against Penn State and Notre Dame.
Wisconsin 24, NW 15 | Iowa 48, MT 3
MSU 40, Indiana 31 | Minn 38, Purdue 31
Ohio State 48, Nebraska 7
NEXT: Wisconsin 24, Northwestern 15; Iowa 48, Middle Tennessee 3
Wisconsin 24, Northwestern 15
There’s nothing to get into a twist about with this game from the Badgers. Nah, it wasn’t a letdown after what they did to Michigan – Northwestern almost always shows up and gives them problems. Pat Fitzgerald’s team was outmanned and outclassed, and yet he and his staff were able to string this out and make it far more of a battle than it should’ve been.
One storyline will be the struggles of Jack Coan, but that almost seemed like it was by design. Jonathan Taylor couldn’t break loose, but he ran or 119 yards and a score, and the defense was dominant – it scored twice. As long as Coan didn’t make any monster mistakes, all was going to be fine. He forced one pick, but the checkdowns were about not giving the Wildcats any easy chances.
Northwestern has no offense. Hunter Johnson got hurt, but the passing game wasn’t there until he and Aidan Smith had to throw in desperation mode. However, the Wildcats outgained the Badgers 255 yards to 243, and they didn’t make the dumb mistakes and bad penalties UW did.
The Badgers get a week off against Kent State to get everything back on track before hosting Michigan State. It’s getting close to do-or-die time for Northwestern’s season. The 1-3 team has at Nebraska, Ohio State, and Iowa up next.
Iowa 48, Middle Tennessee 3
The Hawkeyes keep going about their business with methodical toughness. With two weeks off after the battle with Iowa State, they came out roaring with a 24-0 first half lead, a nearly-perfect day from Nate Stanley – completing 17-of-25 passes for 276 yards and two scores – and a dominant day from the ground attack. They looked and played about as ready as they can be for the date at Michigan.
The lines were fantastic. The Hawkeye ground game pounded away for 351 yards and close to seven yards per carry, the run defense didn’t allow anything big, and there were just enough big plays in the backfield to stop Middle Tennessee’s midrange offense. Iowa was in total control throughout. This was exactly the type of no-drama day a good team is supposed to have against a Group of Five bowl-caliber team.
PSU 59, Maryland 0
| Mich 52, Rutgers 0
MSU 40, Indiana 31 | Minn 38, Purdue 31
Ohio State 48, Nebraska 7
NEXT: Michigan State 40, Indiana 31; Minnesota 38, Purdue 31; Ohio State 48, Nebraska 7
Michigan State 40, Indiana 31
Juuuuuust when it seems like Michigan State’s defense is just that special, it gets rocked by Michael Penix Jr. and the Indiana passing game. Okay, rocked is a bit much, but the young Hoosier star was able to give it a go after being limited all week, and he completed 33-of-42 passes for 286 yards and three scores. However, there were enough big plays behind the line for the Spartans to keep IU to just 70 yards on teh ground.
Brian Lewerke wasn’t sharp, but he completed 18-of-36 passes for 300 yards and three scores, came up with a big run to set up the key late score, and for good and for bad, he led the team in rushing. We all know the MSU defense is great. The offense being able to continue to produce is the biggest key with the big part of the schedule up next. The ground game needs more big dashes out to its backs, though.
Indiana is going to be fun. Penix is a baller, Whop Philyor caught 14 passes for 142 yards and two scores, and the offense kept coming all game long against one of the nation’s best defenses. The Hoosiers get Rutgers, Maryland, Nebraska and Northwestern up next – they can absolutely win at least three of the next four, if not all of them.
The Spartans had better gear up that D again with Ohio State coming up next and Wisconsin and Penn State to follow. The pass rush was okay, but there were issues on third downs, and if Penix could to be a problem, then what will Justin Fields do?
Minnesota 38, Purdue 31
It might not always be pretty, but Minnesota is 4-0 – and it did it through the air. The backfield has all the parts back – and Rodney Smith ran for 115 yards and a score – but it was Tanner Morgan who stole the show with a 21-of-22, 396-yard, four touchdown day. Rashod Bateman cranked up 177 yards and two scores for a passing attack that averaged close to 19 yards per catch. The Purdue defense continues to be a mess, but give the Gophers credit for tweaking their style a bit with two weeks off to prepare.
The Boilermakers didn’t just lose the game, they lost star WR Rondale Moore and QB Elijah Sindelar on the same play. Moore looked like he hyperextended his knee – at least – and Sindelar took a shot to his shoulder. Jack Plummer stepped in and threw for 245 yards with two scores and two picks, and the team still has weapons, but everything has to be there to overcome the defensive issues.
Now at 1-3, Purdue is in big, big trouble with a trip to Penn State up next and dates at Iowa and Wisconsin still to face. The Gophers can’t let up with a favorable schedule ahead getting Illinois, Nebraska, at Rutgers and Maryland next. Be stunned if Minnesota isn’t 8-0 with Penn State coming to town.
PSU 59, Maryland 0
| Mich 52, Rutgers 0
Wisconsin 24, NW 15 | Iowa 48, MT 3
Ohio State 48, Nebraska 7
NEXT: Ohio State 48, Nebraska 7
Ohio State 48, Nebraska 7
If it’s possible for a 41-point game to not be as close as the final score, this was it. Ohio State just showed just how good it really is in all phases, and Nebraska showed just how far it has to go before it can remotely keep up with the elite teams.
Blow this off fast if you’re the Huskers – the Buckeyes are playing at a national title level. There’s almost nothing positive to take out of this outside of the effort to keep fighting for four quarters and the play in the second half, but this thing was over instantly.
How fast and how good was Ohio State? Justin Fields was barely touched, completing 15-of-21 passes for 212 yards and three scores, to go along with 72 rushing yards and a touchdown.
JK Dobbins ran for 177 yards, and the receiving corps made big play after big play in wide open spaces. This game played out like a light scrimmage – OSU came up with 580 yards, just two penalties, and no turnovers. The team was nearly flawless.
There was a moment in the first half when the Huskers came up with a good tempo. They were moving well and had the Buckeyes on their heels. OSU head coach Ryan Day called a time out to calm everything down and stop the rhythm, and Jeffrey Okudah picked off a pass on the next play. That was Nebraska’s night.
Adrian Martinez’s night? 8-of-17 for 47 yards and three picks, and he led the team with 81 rushing yards. That was about it. Up next for him and Nebraska are Northwestern, at Minnesota, Indiana, and at Purdue. All of them are winnable. Go 4-0 in the stretch, and the date with Wisconsin might just be for the Big Ten West.
Ohio State gets another big test with Michigan State up next. Win that, get by Northwestern, and it gets a showdown Wisconsin in Columbus.
PSU 59, Maryland 0
| Mich 52, Rutgers 0
Wisconsin 24, NW 15 | Iowa 48, MT 3
MSU 40, Indiana 31 | Minn 38, Purdue 31
