CFI: THE BIG TEN REPORT

BY MICK MILLER
BIG TEN INSIDER

Hello Wisconsin! The Big Ten is going to be one of the most interesting races in all of college football. Whether or not you believe this is a “down” season for the conference is irrelevant. The games are exciting, the action is furious, and a lot of players are stepping up with big performances in key situations. New household names are taking it to the house. The top teams want to stay there and the bottom teams want to knock them down. What is down is the Badgers 14-game winning streak and Purdue’s offense after the Buckeyes boiled them. What’s up? Let us recap this week’s conference games:

Illinois 31 (5) Wisconsin 26

Tailback Rashard Mendenhall busted up the usually stout Badger defense for 160 rushing yards and two touchdowns (also caught a touchdown pass). Defensively, safety Kevin Mitchell and cornerback Vontae Davis both intercepted Tyler Donovan (27-49, 392 yards, two touchdowns) passes to foil scoring drives, as the Illini are 3-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 1990 when they won a share of the title. Badger back P.J. Hill, who averages 133 yards per game, was held to 83 on 21 carries, and pulled Wisconsin within five at 24-19 with a one-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

What’s Next: Illinois fights in Iowa; Wisconsin plays Penn State in Happy Valley


Indiana 40 Minnesota 20

Down to their fourth-string running back, Indiana’s running game still comes up big. A career-best 90 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries by Bryan Payton paced the Hoosiers to a big win over the Golden Gophers in Bloomington. Minnesota tied the game at 14-14 at the end of the first quarter with a one-yard touchdown run by Duane Bennett, but was routed from that point on. Hoosier sophomore receiver Ray Fisher had his best game of the year with nine receptions for 106 yards while Gopher senior Ernie Wheelwright caught seven for 101.

What’s Next: Indiana invades Michigan State; Minnesota navigates to Northwestern


Northwestern 48 Michigan State 41 (OT)

The Wildcats secured their first conference win in an offensive shootout with the Spartans in East Lansing. A school record 520 passing yards by Northwestern quarterback C.J. Bacher, including a 12-yard touchdown pass to tailback Omar Conteh in overtime (one of Bacher’s five on the day), capped off the most entertaining game of the day. The Spartan running game carried them all afternoon, spearheaded by Javon Ringer's 185 yards rushing and three touchdowns while counterpart Jehuu Caulcrick added two scores. State quarterback Brian Hoyer threw four straight incomplete passes in overtime as the Spartans watched their conference record fall to 0-2. Conteh also rushed for two touchdowns for the Wildcats.

What’s Next: Northwestern hosts Minnesota; MSU invites Indiana

Penn State 27 Iowa 7

The Nittany Lions also grabbed their first taste of Big Ten victory Saturday as running back Reggie Kinlaw rushed for a personal-best 168 yards and two touchdowns against a worn-down Hawkeye defense. The Iowa offense (194 total yards) is simply struggling with injuries and cannot keep their defense off the field. Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli (18-31, 233 yards, touchdown) continues his roller-coaster season with his up and down play, but came through when needed after a couple of interceptions (and dropped touchdown pass by receiver Chris Bell) had shot his confidence. The Lion defense sacked Iowa quarterback Jake Christensen five times and held him to five yards per completion.

What’s Next: Penn State welcomes Wisconsin; Iowa invites Illinois


(4) Ohio State 23 (23) Purdue 7

The Buckeye defense cut the usual Boilermaker offensive production about in half and held them to nearly 40 points below their average in their first win over a ranked opponent this season. Purdue averted the shutout when quarterback Curtis Painter threw a one-yard touchdown pass with ten seconds left in the game. Ohio State did just enough to win as their quarterback Todd Boeckman threw for two touchdowns, but also three interceptions and the running game was very average. This loss is on Painter and Purdue’s offense, who simply could not sustain any real threat -- experiencing the first tough pass rush they faced this year.

What’s Next: OSU host Kent State; Purdue makes tracks to Michigan

Michigan 33 Eastern Michigan 22

Wolverine running back Mike Hart became the team’s all-time leading rusher with his fifth career 200-yard game, surpassing Anthony Thomas. He finished with 215 yards and three touchdowns to offset a lackluster defensive performance by Michigan. Eastern recovered an onside kick to start the second half and scored to pull within two points, but could not contain Hart as he carried the club to the win and himself into the historic lore of the school. Chad Henne threw for a touchdown and is one short of tying the conference record for touchdown passes held by Drew Brees with 77. Receiver Adrian Arrington came up big with six grabs for 102 yards a clutch touchdown as the Wolves played without star receiver Mario Manningham, suspended for an undisclosed violation.

What’s Next: Michigan plans for a Purdue visit

Photo Credit: Collegiate Images