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B1G Review: Week Five

Only 4 games in the B1G this weekend, but we certainly have some things to talk about

By Nick Polak
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

It was a slower weekend for the Big Ten this week, as only 6 teams were throwing footballs around. However, a few of those Big Ten teams were throwing footballs around on the same field that other Big Ten teams were throwing footballs around on. Sounds like some intense stuff. We should probably talk about it.

Illinois 50 Miami (OH) 14

The spirit of Ben Roethlisberger could only do so much for the RedHawks (Seeing as he's pretty busy with his current team. Fun fact: The Pirates had more playoff-clinching wins in September than the Steelers had victories). As far as Illinois, they were able to surpass their win total from last season already, thanks to an explosive offensive performance. This one was close for all of a quarter, after which the Illini only led 7-0. After that though, Beckman's squad started piling on. Nathan Scheelhasse threw for 278 yards, with only 5 incompletions, to supplement his 5 passing touchdowns. Don't look now, but the oft-ridiculed Scheelhasse is already only 200 yards from surpassing his total from last season. Aside from the great passing game, 7 different Illini players combined to pick up 289 rushing yards in this one. Miami was able to score two touchdowns towards the end of this one...when they were already down 43 points. The RedHawk statistical leader was Austin Gearing, who found his way to 81 rushing yards on 16 carries. The only downside for the Illini in this one, would be that they lost 2 turnovers, and weren't able to force any.

For more on the Fighting Illini, head over to The Champaign Room.

Northern Illinois 55 Purdue 24

The Huskies of Northern Illinois accomplished a first this weekend. They became the first MAC team to ever defeat two Big Ten teams in one season, and did so in quite convincing fashion. Jordan Lynch continued to make his case as one of the better quarterbacks in the country, throwing for 207 yards and 3 touchdowns, to go with 35 rushing yards. Purdue was never even really in range of this one, as the Huskies scored fast, and scored often. Northern Illinois already found themselves up by 17 at halftime, and continued to pile on after the break, adding some insult to injury with a 99 yard kick off return to start off the 2nd half.

On the Purdue side of the field, Rob Henry was benched in the first half, after going 5/16 for 130 yards, a touchdown, and 2 interceptions. He was replaced by Danny Etling, who found a little more success, throwing for 241 yards on 19/39 passing with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The Boilermakers were able to rush for 153 yards on 30 carries, while Northern Illinois found room for 177 yards on 36 carries. DeAngelo Yancey caught 7 passes for 117 yards to lead all receivers. Overall, the Boilermakers actually out-gained the Huskies in yardage, 524 to 402.

For more on Purdue, visit Hammer and Rails.

Iowa 23 Minnesota 7

Iowa continued its streak of strong play, taking down the Golden Gophers without too much difficulty. Mike Meyer was busy for the Hawkeyes in this one, hitting field goals from 49, 23, and 46 over the course of the game. The 2nd quarter featured a healthy dose of Jake Rudock, as he ran for a touchdown, and threw for one before halftime hit. The Gophers were finally able to find the end zone in the 3rd quarter, as Derrick Engel reeled in a pass from Philip Nelson, to avoid being shut out. Mark Weisman continued his stretch of strong play this season, rolling his way to 147 yards on 24 carries. Rudock ended up throwing for 218 yards with a touchdown and a interception, as well as running for 35 more yards. The Iowa defense was able to completely shut down the Minnesota run game, limiting the Gophers to just 30 yards on the ground, on 27 carries. Overall, Iowa out-gained Minnesota in total yardage 464 to 165.

For more on Iowa, visit Black Heart Gold Pants, and for more on Minnesota visit The Daily Gopher.

Ohio State 31 Wisconsin 24

This one absolutely lived up to its billing as one of the marquee games of the weekend. Braxton Miller returned to the field for the Buckeyes, and promptly played a totally Braxtony Millery game. The Heisman candidate threw for 198 yards on 17/25 passing with 4 touchdowns, while also rushing for 83 yards on the ground. The game itself started off back and forth, with each team trading touchdowns to start off the scoring. Ohio State then went on a 10 point run, , before the teams again traded touchdowns, with Ohio State getting theirs on a last second Hail Mary (Where have I heard that before?). In the 3rd quarter, OSU tacked on another touchdown to a seemingly insurmountable 31-14 scoreline. But thanks to an insane performance from 35th year senior Jared Abbrederis, who completely abused Bradley Roby all night long, Wisky wasn't out of it. Thanks to a James White touchdown run, and a Kyle French 42 yard field, the Badgers found themselves down just 7. However, the Buckeye defense was able to hold firm, as Jeff Duckworth wasn't able to find the handle on the final 4th down attempt.

On the Wisconsin side of the ball, Joel Stave threw for a very solid 295 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception on a ball that had an altered path due to the OSU front 7. Melvin Gordon was held in relative check, picking up only 74 yards on 15 carries. The aforementioned Abbrederis caught 10 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown in the losing effort. Aside from Miller's stat line, there were a few other notable performers for the Buckeyes. Carlos Hyde was able to rush for 85 yards on 17 carries, and Philly Brown caught 8 passes for 85 yards and 2 touchdowns. On the night, Wisconsin actually out-gained Ohio State in total yardage, 399-390.

For more on Ohio State, visit Land Grant Holy Land, and for more on Wisconsin head over to Bucky's 5th Quarter.

And of course, Go State.

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