Big Ten Recap: Week Five
The Wolverine recaps the fifth week of action in the Big Ten.
Illinois (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten)
Despite having a bye week last Saturday, Illinois came out incredibly flat on Friday night against Nebraska, losing 28-6 ... The Illini were outgained, 411-199 ... Illinois was never really in the game, finding itself in a 14-3 deficit less than five minutes into the second quarter.
Indiana (2-2, 0-2 Big Ten)
Indiana was blown away at No. 4 Penn State on Saturday, 45-14 ... The Hoosiers got off to a disastrous start, trailing 28-0 after the first quarter ... Indiana was actually only outgained by 18 yards (370-352), but were doomed by four turnovers ... After winning the John Mackey National Tight End of the Week award this past week, senior tight end Ian Thomas followed it up by hauling in 91 yards ... One positive note for the Hoosiers in this contest was was that they held the Nittany Lions' rushing attack to just 39 yards.
Iowa (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten)
Iowa fell to 0-2 in the conference after a 17-10 loss at Michigan State ... The Hawkeyes trailed 14-0 after the first quarter, and never led in the contest ... Fifth-year senior running back Akrum Wadley was completely shut down, only rushing for 30 yards on 17 carries ... Coming into the game, sophomore quarterback Nathan Stanley's 12 touchdown passes were tied for the sixth-most in the nation, but he did not throw one today.
Maryland (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten)
Maryland bounced back nicely from its 38-10 loss to UCF last week, winning at Minnesota 31-24 ... With sophomore Tyrell Pigrome and freshman Kasim Hill both out for the year with injury, sophomore quarterback Max Bortenschlager had a very efficient day, completing 18 of his 28 passes for two touchdowns and no picks ... With the game tied at 24 with 1:10 left, junior running back Ty Johnson ripped off a 34-yard touchdown run for the game-winning score ... The Gophers attempted to mount a game-tying drive after that, but redshirt junior cornerback JC Jackson picked off Minnesota fifth-year senior quarterback Conor Rhoda to seal the victory.
Michigan State (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten)
Michigan State bounced back from its blowout loss to Notre Dame last week by defeating Iowa, 17-10 ... Junior receiver Felton Davis hauled in nine catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns, all of which were career highs ... Sophomore linebacker Joe Bachie led the defense with nine tackles, a sack and 3.5 tackles for loss.
Minnesota (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten)
Minnesota's undefeated season came to an end on Saturday, when it fell 31-24 to Maryland at home ... The Gophers played from behind all game, tying the Terrapins on three different occasions, but were never able to grab a lead ... Minnesota's two-headed monster at running back — junior Shannon Brooks and redshirt junior Rodney Smith — were completely shut down, only rushing for 39 and 35 yards, respectively.
Nebraska (3-2, 2-0 Big Ten)
Nebraska won in blowout fashion at Illinois on Friday night, 28-6 ... The Cornhuskers controlled the game throughout, leading 21-3 at halftime ... Two of Nebraska's best players missed the game due with injury — sophomore running back Tre Bryant and senior safety Joshua Kalu ... Redshirt junior quarterback Tanner Lee — whose nine interceptions are the most in the country — tossed three touchdown passes and did not turn the ball over.
Northwestern (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten)
Despite leading 10-7 at halftime, Northwestern wound up falling at No. 10 Wisconsin, 33-24 ... The Wildcats attempted to mount a game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter, but redshirt junior quarterback Clayton Thorson was sacked in his own end zone, all but sealing a Badger win ... Northwestern was unable to get any kind of ground game going, only rushing for 25 yards with 0.7 yards per carry average.
No. 11 Ohio State (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten)
No. 11 Ohio State demolished Rutgers, 56-0 ... The game was all but over at halftime, with the Buckeyes leading 35-0 ... Ohio State racked up 628 yards of offense, compared to Rutgers' 209 ... Sophomore running back Demario McCall ran for 103 yards on just 11 carries.
No. 4 Penn State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten)
No. 4 Penn State blew away Indiana in Happy Valley, 45-14 ... Junior running back Saquon Barkley was shut down by the Hoosier defense, only rushing for 56 yards on 20 carries — he did throw a touchdown pass and ran back a kick for a score though ... Fifth-year senior receiver DaeSean Hamilton had a phenomenal afternoon, racking up 122 yards and three touchdowns.
Rutgers (1-4, 0-2 Big Ten)
Rutgers was destroyed at home by No. 11 Ohio State, 56-0 ... The Scarlet Knights hung tough until 7:34 left in the second quarter, when Buckeye redshirt junior receiver Johnnie Dixon hauled in a 70-yard touchdown to extend the OSU lead to 21-0 ... The loss marked Rutgers' biggest margin of defeat since Michigan beat it 78-0 last October.
No. 10 Wisconsin (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
No. 10 Wisconsin held off Northwestern, 33-24, in a hard-fought battle on Saturday ... After posting just seven points in the first half, the Badgers' offense exploded in the second half for 26 points ... Senior safety D'Cota Dixon sealed the victory for Wisconsin when he sacked redshirt junior quarterback Clayton Thorson in his own end zone with just 58 seconds left in the game ... Despite posting a 70 percent completion percentage coming into the game, redshirt sophomore quarterback Alex Hornibrook only completed 11 of his 20 passes with two interceptions ... Fifth-year senior linebacker Garret Dooley had an outstanding game, compiling three sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss ... Fifth-year senior tight end Troy Fumagalli missed the game with injury.
Results
Friday, Sept. 29
— Nebraska 28, Illinois 6
Saturday, Sept. 30
— No. 10 Wisconsin 33, Northwestern 24
— Maryland 31, Minnesota 24
— No. 4 Penn State 45, Indiana 14
— Michigan State 17, Iowa 10
— No. 11 Ohio State 56, Rutgers 0
Bye: Purdue, No. 8 Michigan
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