Big Ten Recap: Week Two
The Wolverine takes a look around the league in the second week of the college football season:
Illinois (2-0)
Although it wasn't necessarily pretty, Illinois grinded out a 20-7 win over Western Kentucky on Saturday night ... The Illini led just 13-0 with 8:19 left in the third quarter, but added a huge score when redshirt junior quarterback Chayce Crouch ran it in from nine yards out to extend the lead to 20-0 ... Freshman running back Mike Epstein rushed for a career-high 111 yards ... Illinois started seven freshmen against the Hilltoppers, which was the most in a single game in school history.
Indiana (1-1, 0-1 Big Ten)
Indiana picked up a big road win at Virginia, 34-17 ... After fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow started just three of 10 through the air, he was benched in favor of redshirt freshman Peyton Ramsey; Ramsey then proceeded to complete 16 of his 20 passes with two touchdowns ... The victory extended the Hoosiers' non-conference road winning streak to four games.
Iowa (2-0)
Iowa grabbed a thrilling overtime win at rival Iowa State, 44-41 ... Trailing by seven with just 1:09 left in the fourth quarter, fifth-year senior running back Akrum Wadley tied things up on a 46-yard touchdown catch from sophomore quarterback Nathan Stanley ... After Iowa State took a three-point lead in overtime, the Hawkeyes won the game on a five-yard touchdown grab by freshman receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette ... Stanley had, by far, the best game of his career, throwing for 333 yards and five touchdowns ... Wadley also had an amazing game, rushing for 118 yards while hauling in another 72 through the air.
Maryland (2-0)
After last week's huge 51-41 win at then-No. 23 Texas, Maryland returned home and blew away Towson, 63-17 ... In his first career start, freshman quarterback Kasim Hill completed 13 of his 16 passes with two touchdowns ... Junior running back Ty Johnson rushed for 124 yards on just five carries, averaging an absurd 24.8 yards per carry ... The 63 points scored by the Terrapins were the most in a game since they scored 74 against Missouri in 1954.
Michigan State (2-0)
Michigan State defeated Western Michigan, 28-14, on Saturday ... After WMU posted 31 points last week at then-No. 4 USC, the Spartans held the Broncos to just 14 ... The win marks the first time since last September that Michigan State has won consecutive games ... The Spartans outgained the Broncos, 457-195.
Minnesota (2-0)
Minnesota travelled out to the West Coast on Saturday night and destroyed Oregon State, 48-14 ... With the victory, P.J. Fleck became the first Gopher coach to begin his Minnesota career with a 2-0 record since Murray Warmath in 1954 ... Minnesota led just 20-14 at halftime, but outscored the Beavers 28-0 in the second half.
Nebraska (1-1)
Nebraska dropped a shootout at Oregon, 42-35 ... After being down 42-14 heading into the fourth quarter, the Cornhuskers went on a 21-0 run, but were never able to get any closer ... Nebraska's defense gave up 566 yards of offense, including 365 through the air ... The Cornhuskers have now lost their last five games away from Lincoln.
Northwestern (1-1)
After struggling in its tight 31-20 win over Nevada last week, Northwestern was blown away at Duke, 41-17 ... The Wildcats' two offensive stars — redshirt junior quarterback Clayton Thorson and senior running back Justin Jackson — both struggled mightily; Thorson only completed 11 of his 29 passes with two picks, while Jackson rushed for just 18 yards on seven carries ... The game was all but over with 3:08 left in the third quarter, when Duke grabbed a 31-10 lead.
No. 2 Ohio State (1-1, 1-0 Big Ten)
No. 2 Ohio State got rocked at home by No. 5 Oklahoma on Saturday night, 31-16 ... The Buckeyes grabbed a 10-3 lead early in the third quarter, but were outscored 28-6 the rest of the way ... After allowing 410 passing yards last week to Indiana, the Buckeye secondary was torched once again, giving up 386 yards to the Sooner passing attack ... The loss marked the first time Ohio State fell to a non-conference opponent at home since losing to Virginia Tech on Sept. 6, 2014.
No. 4 Penn State (2-0)
No. 4 Penn State made easy work of in-state rival Pittsburgh, 33-14 ... The Panthers actually outgained the Nittany Lions, 342-312 yards, but were doomed by three turnovers ... Redshirt junior quarterback Trace McSorley threw three touchdown passes, giving him at least one scoring toss in a school-record 17 straight games.
Purdue (1-1)
Purdue blew out Ohio on Friday night, 44-21 ... The game was all but over at half, with the Boilermakers leading 34-7 ... The win was the first victory for new coach Jeff Brohm as the head man in West Lafayette ... With the victory, the Boilermakers have now won 14 straight home openers.
Rutgers (0-2)
Rutgers dropped a heartbreaker at home to Eastern Michigan, 16-13 ... After the Scarlet Knights grabbed their first lead, 13-10, with 6:07 left in the third quarter, the Eagles reclaimed it and secured the victory with two field goals down the stretch ... Rutgers has now lost 13 consecutive games, which is the longest active skid of any power conference team ... The Scarlet Knights are 0-2 for the first time since 2008.
No. 9 Wisconsin (2-0)
No. 9 Wisconsin took care of Florida Atlantic on Saturday, 31-14 ... After rushing for a team-high 87 yards last week, freshman running back Jonathan Taylor racked up 223 yards and three touchdowns against the Owls ... Fifth-year senior tight end Troy Fumagalli hauled in 105 receiving yards last Saturday, and followed it up by compiling 92 yards against Florida Atlantic.
Schedule
Friday, Sept. 8
— Purdue 44, Ohio 21
Saturday, Sept. 9
— No. 8 Michigan 36, Cincinnati 14
— No. 9 Wisconsin 31, Florida Atlantic 14
— Duke 41, Northwestern 17
— Iowa 44, Iowa State 41 (OT)
— Maryland 63, Towson 17
— Indiana 34, Virginia 17
— Michigan State 28, Western Michigan 14
— Eastern Michigan 16, Rutgers 13
— No. 4 Penn State 33, Pittsburgh 14
— Nebraska 42, Oregon 35
— Illinois 20, Western Kentucky 7
— No. 5 Oklahoma 31, No. 2 Ohio State 16
— Minnesota 48, Oregon State 14
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @AndrewVcourt and @Balas_Wolverine
• Like us on Facebook
