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.
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