B1G Review, Week 3: Good TV, Average Outcomes

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The entire conference was active this week, going 6-8 against opponents from around the country. There were several close games and a few explosive offensive performances; when the dust settled, a single team was left unbeaten. Today we’ll summarize every game and look at our first conference rankings.

 

B1G Offensive Player of the Week:

QB Wayne Murray, Michigan State – 25 of 44, 358 yards, 5 TDs

 

B1G Defensive Player of the Week:

DT Javy Axelrod, Ohio State – 6 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks

 

Illinois 21, Boston College 10

Illinois bounced back from an upset loss with a perfectly balanced offense (220 yards passing, 238 rushing) while taking away the pass to force BC into a one-dimensional offense. Michael Rosier shone with 3.5 TFL as the defense led the way to a much-needed win.

 

Florida State 27, Michigan 14

Vlad Dawson threw 2 short TDs – one set up by his own 50-yard run, and another in garbage time. Meanwhile the defense gave up 347 yards and 3 TDs to Kelly Jarwin, and the game was essentially over after 3 quarters. After an 0-2 start, is it time to spin the QB carousel again?

 

Stanford 36, Penn State 27

Derrick Marshall shone, going 36-50 for 372 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT. But the defense continues to struggle against the run, surrendering 169 yards to Vontae Knebel and failing to get off the field on critical 3rd downs. The Nittany Lions squandered an early 10-point lead but could have come back in the 4th quarter, until a potential game-tying drive went the wrong way and ended in a safety.

 

Boise State 30, Rutgers 29

In one of the craziest endings of the season so far, Devin Brebbia went from hero twice over to zero in a matter of moments. The quarterback led a final drive late in the 4th and kicked the game-tying field goal, his 3rd of the day. After a Broncos touchdown in overtime, he ran 25 yards for a matching score…only to miss the extra point and lose the game. A shocking ending to a wild game in Idaho.

 

Michigan State 48, Eastern Michigan 34

Wayne Murray was unstoppable, throwing for 358 yards and 5 touchdowns. Up 48-13 in the 4th quarter, the defense took it easy and allowed the Eagles to score 3 quick rushing touchdowns, driving the remaining few faithful fans into a frenzy. But the Spartans finally made a stop when they needed to, and the clock ran out on any comeback hopes.

 

Iowa State 27, Iowa 14

The offenses combined for 965 yards, but 4 turnovers and overly-conversative play-calling kept the point totals artificially low. There were 7 punts from the opponent’s side of the field (3 from Iowa, 4 from State), including Cyclone punts from the Hawkeye 35- and 32-yard line.

 

Mississippi State 14, Maryland 7

Despite holding a Double Wing team to 39 yards rushing, Maryland lost after constructing the oddest 7 points imaginable: two safeties and a field goal. A key interception led to the first Bulldogs touchdown, and they scored another with under 2 minutes to go. Maryland also missed 3 field goals. It was a troubling day for a team that looked to be on the verge of a breakout year.

 

Notre Dame 17, Minnesota 7

Adrian Johnson threw two interceptions and averaged barely 5 years per attempt as the Golden Gophers’ air raid attack was smothered by the Notre Dame backfield, led by Le’Raven Simonson (6 tackles, 2 INTs). The defense notched two picks of their own, but neither led to any points.

 

Nebraska 31, Florida 0

After two games without an offensive score, the Cornhuskers surprised everyone by blanking the Gators in Lincoln. Francis Guerrero accounted for 340 yards and all 4 touchdowns – 2 each via ground and air. He did have some ball security issues, losing a fumble and throwing an interception. The defense held Florida to under 200 total yards, including 2.6 yards per attempt from Morgan Neal.

 

Northwestern 50, Bowling Green 35

Never a dull moment in a Northwestern game! Once again, the Wildcats gave up yards and points in bunches but accumulated even more on their way to victory. Eliezer Brothers racked up 215 yards and 4 TDs rushing, while Randy Madsen passed for 345 and 3 scores of his own. The defense was gashed, but managed a pair of interceptions and two sacks as well.

 

Ohio State 30, Colorado 0

In another surprising result, Ohio State earned their first victory in convincing fashion by beating up on the Buffaloes. Dylan Gomes went 31 of 41 for 335 yards and 2 TDs (with 2 INTs), and Doug Brothers had an amazing 47 touches for 211 total yards. Meanwhile, the defense held Colorado to a ridiculous -14 rushing yards on 20 carries.

 

Texas Tech 24, Purdue 21

Despite being 35-point favorites at home, the Boilermakers stumbled against Texas Tech. Neither QB could break a big play, as both finished under 150 yards passing. But Xavier Means and Glover Evans chewed up yards (and clock) on the ground all game, and the two combined for a 13-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds to complete the upset.

 

Wisconsin 14, Akron 13

It wasn’t flashy, but Wisconsin played mistake-free football and did just enough to win the game after Lance Enright engineering a scoring drive in the final 5 minutes of the game. Colton Porter caught both of Enright’s touchdown passes and led all receivers with 86 yards.

 

California 28, Indiana 17

The Hoosiers made of a game of it, as Aaron Gossett rewarded his coaches’ confidence with 378 passing yards on 26 of 40 passing in a new scheme. But the defense had no answer for Garrett Dupre, who amassed 289 yards and 3 touchdowns by game’s end. His final score with 6 minutes to go put the last nail in the coffin; Indiana nearly scored again before running out of time, but the end result wasn’t in doubt.

 

Conference Standings

 

Western Division

Team	Conference	Overall	Next Game
Nebraska	1-0	2-1	Minnesota
Purdue	1-0	1-2	BYE
Wisconsin	0-0	1-1	BYE
Iowa	0-0	1-2	BYE
Minnesota	0-0	0-2	at Nebraska
Illinois	0-1	2-1	BYE
Northwestern	0-1	2-1	BYE

 

Both Illinois and Northwestern seem poised to move up after an early misstep, but Nebraska has a chance for an early lead in the Division race when they host Minnesota next week.

 

Eastern Division

Team	Conference	Overall	Next Game
Indiana	1-0	1-2	BYE
Michigan State	0-0	2-0	BYE
Maryland	0-0	2-1	BYE
Rutgers	0-0	1-2	BYE
Ohio State	0-0	1-2	BYE
Michigan	0-0	0-2	Oklahoma State
Penn State	0-1	1-2	at Texas Tech

 

Still anyone’s race in the East, though we won’t get any new conference games until week 5. Nebraska-Indiana in week 6 could be important.