B1G Review, Week 4: Quality over Quantity

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It was a quiet week for the conference, with 10 teams inactive. But those few active teams showed up in a big way, logging two out-of-conference wins and providing a thrilling game on Saturday night. All 3 games featured come-from-behind wins in the second half.

 

B1G Offensive Player of the Week:

QB/RB Vladimir Dawson, Michigan – 16 carries, 156 yards, TD

 

B1G Defensive Players of the Week:

OLB Spencer Lacombe, Michigan – 6 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 2 sacks

CB Ramon Carpenter, Minnesota – 4 tackles, 3 INTs

 

Michigan 24, Oklahoma State 16

The defense shone for the Wolverines, as they picked off Troy Marvin twice and sacked him 4 times. He threw for 320 yards, but it took him 53 attempts as he got minimal help from the run game. Meanwhile, Vladimir Dawson ran for 156 yards and a touchdown on only 16 attempts. Garett Carlin did his part on special teams, going a perfect 4-4 on kicks and dropping eight punts inside the Cowboys’ 20-yard line.

 

Penn State 27, Texas Tech 24 (OT)

The Nittany Lions rallied from a 21-7 fourth-quarter deficit, tying the game with Chris Brooks’ 3-yard carry on the final play of regulation. After giving up a field goal in overtime, Dan Glennon took a second-down handoff 18 yards for the winning score. Derrick Marshall pushed through 4 sacks (one that resulted in a safety) to go 27-34 for 2 TDs, with 2 INTs.

 

Nebraska 17, Minnesota 13

Down 13-0 at halftime, the Cornhuskers turned a 4th-down stop and 2 interceptions into 17 points to steal the victory and keep the Golden Gophers winless. The game was dominated by defense, with 10 combined sacks and 5 interceptions (compared to 3 offensive touchdowns). Ramon Carpenter pulled down all 3 picks for Minnesota, but it was Elijah Guerrieri whose interception led to the game-winning score.

 

Conference Standings

 

Western Division

Team	Conference	Overall	Next Game
Nebraska	2-0	3-1	BYE
Purdue	1-0	1-2	#6 Alabama
Wisconsin	0-0	1-1	at Ohio State
Iowa	0-0	1-2	at Rutgers
Illinois (#22)	0-1	2-1	Northern Illinois
Northwestern	0-1	2-1	BYE
Minnesota	0-1	0-3	at #12 Michigan State

 

Nebraska will get at least one more week atop the division, as their defense continues to lead them to victory. Wisconsin and Iowa begin conference play with tough road games, while Illinois looks to improve its overall record against an in-state rival. Meanwhile, Purdue faces a huge challenge against resurgent Alabama.

 

Eastern Division

Team	Conference	Overall	Next Game
Indiana	1-0	1-2	#21 Tulane
Michigan State (#12)	0-0	2-0	Minnesota
Maryland	0-0	2-1	at Michigan
Michigan	0-0	1-2	Maryland
Ohio State	0-0	1-2	Wisconsin
Rutgers	0-0	1-2	Iowa
Penn State	0-1	2-2	BYE

 

Indiana faces yet another ranked OOC opponent, while Michigan State looks poised to start a run as they begin conference play against Minnesota. Maryland gets a chance to rebound at the Big House when they travel to face Michigan.