Big Ten Recap - Week 12

In a battle of two teams committed to running the ball, Wisconsin naturally had the edge, beating Nebraska by 16 in Lincoln. The two teams ran for a combined 593 yards. After a scoreless first quarter the Wolverines led by Shea Patterson routed Sparty. The good news for Spartan fans is the next two games are against Rutgers and Maryland. Northwestern fans had a brief reprieve from a nightmare season with a win over UMass, but are back in the fire next week when Minnesota comes to Evanston. Penn State won a crucial game to keep their championship hopes alive, and now face the buzzsaw that is Ohio State. Meanwhile the Gophers let their grasp on the West loosen as red-zone inefficiency doomed them a week after it helped them pull off the upset.

Scoreboard

Wisconsin 37, Nebraska 21

Michigan 44, Michigan St. 10

Northwestern 45, UMass 6

Penn State 34, Indiana 27

Ohio St. 56, Rutgers 21

Iowa 23, Minnesota 19

Major Storylines

• The Big Ten West race will likely come down to Wisconsin’s visit to Minnesota in the final week of the season. Iowa’s win over Minnesota means that Wisconsin controls their path back to the Big Ten championship game after back-to-back losses earlier in the year had them needing help. The Badgers host Purdue next week. Meanwhile the East could be decided with an Ohio State victory on Saturday.
• Jonathan Taylor ran for 204 yards against the Cornhuskers. He has now run for 200+ yards three times against Nebraska, and 11 times in his career. His 5,634 career yards move him into first place above Herschel Walker for most yards rushing through a junior season. Nebraska’s Dedrick Mills had an impressive day as well, with 188 yards on 17 carries in the loss.
• A trio of QBs had prolific days passing the ball, all throwing for over 365 yards. Peyton Ramsey (31-41, 371 yards) and Tanner Morgan (25-36, 368 yards) only managed 1 TD each, while Shea Patterson (24-33, 384 yards) threw for 4.

Next Week:

(#9)Penn State at (#2)Ohio State

(#8)Minnesota at Northwestern

Illinois at (#20)Iowa

Michigan State at Rutgers

(#15)Michigan at Indiana

Nebraska at Maryland

Purdue at (#14)Wisconsin