Photo courtesy of Northwestern Athletics
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Sports Network) -
ILLINOIS: The Illini showed very little fight in Saturday's game at Michigan, getting blanked by the Wolverines in a 45-0 final. Illinois finished with just 134 total yards, compared to 527 for the Maize and Blue, and UI quarterbacks Reilly O'Toole and Nathan Scheelhaase went a combined 7-of-16 for just 29 yards. RB Donovonn Young carried the ball 16 times, but managed just 49 net yards. LB Mason Monheim led the Illini with eight tackles and a fumble recovery, but Michigan averaged nearly seven yards per carry in tallying 353 yards on the ground. Scheelhaase suffered a concussion in the game, and his status moving forward is unclear. The Illini are idle this week, giving them additional time to lick their wounds and prepare for their Homecoming game against Indiana on Oct. 27.
INDIANA: The Hoosiers fought to the end, but came up just short in their recent upset bid of the visiting Ohio State Buckeyes, falling in a 52-49 final. Despite scoring its most points ever against OSU, it was the fourth straight loss for Indiana, which opened the season with a pair of wins over FCS foe Indiana State and FBS newcomer Massachusetts. Furthermore, the Hoosiers have now dropped 11 straight Big Ten bouts, and 21 in a row to conference foes outside the state of Indiana. The IU standouts on offense included QBs Cameron Coffman (22-of-44, 275 yards, one TD) and Nate Sudfeld (6-of-10, 77 yards, two TDs), RB Stephen Houston (11 carries, 91 yards, two TDs) and WRs Cody Latimer (seven receptions, 68 yards) and Shane Wynn (three receptions, 81 yards, one TD). DB Greg Deban led the IU defense, which surrendered 353 rushing yards on the day, with nine tackles, eight of which were solo efforts. The Hoosiers step out of conference this Saturday to do battle with the Navy Midshipmen in Annapolis.
IOWA: Kirk Ferentz notched the 100th win of his career on Saturday, as his Hawkeyes slipped past Michigan State in double-overtime, 19-16. RB Mark Weisman ran for 116 yards and tied the score with a late TD run to extend the game beyond regulation. PK Mike Meyer booted four field goals on the day, including the game-winner from 42 yards out. Neither team felt completely comfortable on a soggy field, the Hawkeyes finishing with 257 total yards and the Spartans 328. QB James Vandenberg completed 19-of-36 passes for 134 yards, and both Keenan Davis and Kevonte Martin-Manley hauled in six balls apiece. LB Anthony Hitchens (15) was one of three UI defenders to log double-digit tackles in the contest. Iowa can't afford to spend too much time reveling in its recent accomplishment, as it must prepare for this Saturday's visit from the Penn State Nittany Lions.
MICHIGAN: Denard Robinson ran for 128 yards and two TDs, and added 159 passing yards and another couple of scores in leading the Wolverines to a 45-0 Homecoming victory over Illinois this past Saturday. With the effort, Robinson now has 10 career games with at least four TDs, and he became just the eighth player in NCAA history to rush for 40 TDs and pass for 40 TDs in his career. The Fighting Illini finished with just 134 yards of total offense, which included a paltry 29 yards passing. No UM player caught more than one pass in the game, with WR Jeremy Gallon's single reception going for a 71-yard TD to open the scoring. LB Jake Ryan was the Wolverines' most active defender, logging 11 tackles, 3.5 of which occurred in the Illinois backfield. Michigan has little time to bask in the glory of its recent win, as next up is a visit from rival Michigan State this Saturday.
MICHIGAN STATE: RB Le'Veon Bell ran for 140 yards and a TD, but the Spartans came out on the losing end of a 19-16 double-overtime overtime decision against visiting Iowa on Saturday afternoon. Michigan State finished with just 328 yards of total offense on a rain-soaked field, but held the Hawkeyes to 257 yards, which included a mere 134 passing. QB Andrew Maxwell was a lackluster 12-of-31 for 179 yards with no TDs and an interception, and he was sacked twice. WR Aaron Burbridge tallied 89 yards on five receptions, while Keith Mumphery added 71 yards on four grabs. MSU kickers Dan Conroy was a perfect 3-of-3 on field goal attempts. LB Denicos Allen was credited with a career-high 13 tackles, and he picked off a pass as well. Linebackers Max Bullough and Taiwan Jones, who made his first career start, pitched in with 11 and 10 stops, respectively. The Spartans will try to get back on track when they pay a visit to bitter rival Michigan this Saturday.
MINNESOTA: MarQueis Gray rushed for 86 yards and a TD, but he also threw an interception and was banged up once again after missing the previous two games with knee and ankle injuries, as the Golden Gophers dropped a 21-13 Homecoming decision to Northwestern over the weekend. Minnesota was penalized nine times for a loss of 82 yards, but the Wildcats were flagged 11 times in losing 93 yards. The Gophers committed three turnovers, and QB Max Shortell, who completed just 9-of-19 passes for 103 yards, was sacked three times. RB Donnell Kirkwood carried the ball 18 times for 73 yards. The UM defense was led by LB Keanon Cooper and his 10 tackles, two of which took place behind the line of scrimmage. Head coach Jerry Kill apparently suffered another seizure after the Northwestern game, but is expected back on the sidelines when his team tries to put the brakes on a two-game slide at Wisconsin this Saturday.
NEBRASKA: The Cornhuskers enjoyed a bye this past weekend, affording them some additional time to rest and try and figure out what went wrong in their previous outing at Ohio State as the Buckeyes claimed a 63-38 victory. This week, Nebraska heads to Northwestern to tangle with the 6-1 Wildcats.
NORTHWESTERN: Venric Mark ran for a career-high 182 yards and two TDs to power the Wildcats past the host Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday, 21-13. Northwestern won the game despite being flagged 11 times (loss of 93 yards) and outgained (327-275), as the home team was penalized nine times and was guilty of three turnovers. QB Kain Colter went a perfect 10-of-10 for 63 yards through the air, and he scored on a short run with a little more than five minutes to go in the opening quarter. Safety Ibraheim Campbell led all NU defensive players with 10 tackles, while DL Scott Tyler tallied two of the team's three sacks. With the most recent win, the Wildcats became bowl eligible for the sixth straight year. Next up for Northwestern is this Saturday's pivotal conference clash with the visiting Nebraska Cornhuskers.
OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes improved to 7-0 for the first time since the 2007 squad jumped out to a 10-0 start, although it was anything but easy as they outlasted a pesky Indiana squad on the road over the weekend, prevailing in a wild 52-49 final. It was Ohio State's 18th straight win over the Hoosiers, which includes the 2010 game which was later vacated by the NCAA. QB Braxton Miller threw for 211 yards and two TDs while rushing for 149 yards and a score, helping the Buckeyes roll up 578 yards of total offense. RB Carlos Hyde led all ground gainers with 156 yards and a TD, and WR Devin Smith finished with only two catches, but tallied 106 yards and a pair of scores. WR Corey Brown led the OSU receiving corps with six grabs (51 yards). The Buckeyes defense failed to come up with a turnover or a sack, and surrendered 352 passing yards to the Hoosiers, who scored 22 points in the fourth quarter to make a game of it. Converted FB Zach Boren led the Ohio State stand with eight tackles. The Buckeyes put their undefeated record on the line once more, as they return home to battle the Purdue Boilermakers this Saturday.
PENN STATE: The Nittany Lions were idle over the weekend, allowing them some additional time to game plan for this Saturday's trip to Iowa. Penn State opened the season with a pair of tough losses, but has bounced back to win each of its last four games, including a pair of Big Ten bouts over Illinois and Northwestern.
PURDUE: The Boilermakers were battered into submission by a bruising Wisconsin rushing attack over the weekend, as the visiting Badgers prevailed in a 38-14 final. UW's Montee Ball ran for 247 yards and three TDs, helping the Badgers hammer out 467 yards on the ground. The Purdue offense generated just 252 total yards, although RB Akeem Hunt made the highlight reel as he scored on an 81-yard run late in the fourth quarter. RB Ralph Bolden appeared in his first game of the season as he continues to rehab a serious knee injury suffered in the 2011 season finale, and he finished with seven yards on four carries. Safety Landon Feichter led the PU defensive stand, what there was of one, with a dozen tackles, 10 of which were unassisted, and he had an interception as well. LB Will Lucas made two of his four stops behind the line of scrimmage. The Boilermakers will try once again to post their first win in the month of October as they take on the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus this Saturday.
WISCONSIN: Montee Ball ran for a career-high 247 yards and three TDs to fuel the Badgers' recent onslaught in what wound up as a 38-14 win at Purdue over the weekend. Ball wasn't the only Wisconsin RB to have a field day against the Boilermakers defense, as James White finished with 124 yards and a score of his own, while Melvin Brown added 80 yards on just seven carries -- all of which led to UW amassing 467 yards on the ground in averaging better than eight yards per attempt. QB Joel Stave didn't need to do much, but still threw for 178 yards with an interception, hitting Jacob Pedersen four times for 77 yards and a score. The Badgers' 645 yards of total offense was the second- highest in program history, and the UW defense came to play as well, limiting Purdue to 252 yards (128 rushing, 124 passing) while collecting five sacks. Ball, who is now the Big Ten's all-time leader in rushing TDs with 72, will lead the Badgers into battle once again this Saturday as they play host to the Minnesota Golden Gophers.