Big Ten Conference News and Notes

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) –

ILLINOIS: A pair of noteworthy streaks continued in Saturday’s matchup between the Fighting Illini and Ohio State Buckeyes, as the former lost their 20th straight Big Ten bout, while the latter streaked to their 22nd consecutive victory overall. Despite the loss and some apparent tension existing between the coaching staff, Illinois showed some pride in the 60-35 home setback, as they posted 420 yards of total offense, with QB Nathan Scheelhaase completing 33-of-50 passes for 288 yards, two TDs and two INTs. He was sacked five times. Steve Hull tallied eight receptions for 105 yards and a score for the Illini, who also saw Josh Ferguson average 4.6 ypc on his way to 69 yards and a TD. Scheelhaase also had a rushing score, and V’Angelo Bentley returned a punt 67 yards for a TD midway through the second stanza. Bentley became the first player in school history to return a kickoff (vs. Southern Illinois) and a punt for a TD in the same season. Illinois surrendered 591 yards to the Buckeyes, the majority of which came on the ground (441, five TDs), and Zane Petty led the UI stance, what there was of one, with a career-high 15 tackles. Illinois will try once again to record the first conference win in the Tim Beckman era, now in his second season, when it plays at Purdue this Saturday.

INDIANA: The Hoosiers took it on the chin in their recent trip to Wisconsin, falling to the Badgers in a 51-3 final. Indiana’s school-record streak of 10 straight games of scoring 28 or more points came to an end. There wasn’t much to get excited about if you’re an Indiana backer, as the team generated just 224 yards of total offense, compared to 676 for the home team, which came within 10 yards of matching the school-record for rushing yards in a single game by churning out 554 on the day. The Badgers averaged 11.1 ypc and totaled six TDs on the ground against an IU defense that was on the field for nearly 38 minutes. Nate Sudfeld completed only 9-of-22 passes for 99 yards with an INT, and Kofi Hughes had four grabs for 60 yards. Cody Latimer tallied five catches for 42 yards, while Stephen Houston ran for 61 yards on 15 carries. Clyde Newton paced the IU defense with 14 tackles, but the unit as a whole did not record a turnover and had only one sack. The Hoosier go from the frying pan into the fire this week, as they travel to Columbus to tangle with undefeated Ohio State.

IOWA: The Hawkeyes were idle over the weekend, giving them additional time to prepare for this Saturday’s visit from the Michigan Wolverines. At 6-4 overall and 3-3 in conference, Iowa is already eligible for a bowl game. The team can however, improve its postseason prospects by beating both Michigan this week, and Nebraska on Nov. 30.

MICHIGAN: It wasn’t pretty, and it took a lot longer than expected, but the Wolverines earned their seventh win of the season, third in conference, by outlasting the Northwestern Wildcats in three overtimes this past Saturday, 27-19. Neither team could do much during regulation, as six combined field goals had the game knotted at 9-9 heading into the first extra session. Devin Gardner, who went 24-of-43 for 226 yards and a TD, scored the game-winning TD on a five-yard run in the third overtime period. Derrick Green led the UM ground attack with 79 yards on 19 carries, while Jeremy Gallon was high man in the receiving corps with 10 grabs for 115 yards. Devin Funchess added 61 yards on seven catches. In all, Michigan totaled 365 yards compared to 322 for the Wildcats, and Gardner was sacked five times. Michigan moved the chains on only 3-of-17 third down opportunities. James Ross III paced the UM defense with 13 tackles, which included one of the team’s two sacks on the day. The Wolverines play at Iowa this Saturday, and then close out the regular season at home against hated rival Ohio State on Nov. 30.

MICHIGAN STATE: The Spartans claimed a 41-28 win at Nebraska on Saturday, giving the team at least a share of the Legends Division title. Michigan State, which beat the Cornhuskers for the first time in eight tries, took advantage of five turnovers (one INT, four fumbles) to post its sixth straight win, all in conference, and improve to 9-1 overall. The Spartans were actually outgained, 392-361, despite holding a near two-to-one edge in time of possession (38:37 to 21:53). Nebraska became the first team this season to rush for more than 100 yards (182) against the MSU defense. As for the Spartans’ own rushing attack, Jeremy Langford ran for 151 yards and three TDs. Connor Cook threw for 193 yards and a score, and Tony Lippet led the receivers with four grabs for 67 yards. Kurtis Drummond paced the Spartans defense with 10 tackles, and he had both a pick and a forced fumble. Michigan State will earn a trip to the Big Ten Championship Game with one more win, or one loss by Minnesota. The Spartans play at Northwestern this Saturday.

MINNESOTA: The Golden Gophers had this past weekend off, affording them some extra time to game plan for this Saturday’s pivotal clash with visiting Wisconsin. At 8-2 overall and 4-2 in conference, Minnesota is already eligible for a bowl game, but can improve its postseason prospects with wins in its final two games.

NEBRASKA: The Cornhuskers turned the ball over five times on Saturday against visiting Michigan State, leading to 24 points for the Spartans and resulting in a 41-28 loss. The setback snapped what had been a modest two-game win streak for Nebraska, which fell two games behind MSU in the Big Ten’s Legends Division with only two games remaining. Ameer Abdullah ran for 123 yards, and with 182 rushing yards in all, the Huskers became the first team this season to surpass the century mark against the MSU defense. The QB tandem of Tommy Armstrong, Jr. and Ron Kellogg III combined to throw for 210 yards with three TDs and one INT. Kenny Bell paced the receiving corps with seven grabs for 81 yards and a score, while Sam Burtch turned five catches into 86 yards and a TD. The Huskers allowed 361 yards to the Spartans, and came up with nine TFL, including two sacks. They did not force a turnover. Five different guys posted eight tackles apiece for Nebraska, which plays at Penn State this Saturday.

NORTHWESTERN: The Wildcats stood toe to toe with the visiting Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, the game going into three overtimes before the home team suffered the 27-19 setback. Northwestern, which had never played a game longer than two OTs, has lost six in a row, all in conference, since opening the season at 4-0. The ‘Cats need to win their final two regular season games — vs. Michigan State this Saturday, and at Illinois on Nov. 30 — to be eligible for a bowl bid. NU amassed 322 yards of total offense against Michigan, as Trevor Siemian completed 19-of-28 passes for 153 yards with no TDs and an INT, while Kain Colter led the ground attack with 78 yards and a score on 19 carries. Christian Jones caught five balls for 54 yards. Defensively, the Wildcats stood tall and were credited with 10 TFL and five sacks. They did not record a turnover, but got double-digit stops from both Traveon Henry (career-high 13) and Damien Proby (11). Kicker Jeff Budzien booted four field goals and had an extra point to finish with 13 points, and he now has 261 in his career, which is just one away from tying Brian Gowin’s school record.

OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes used a bruising ground assault to notch a comfortable win at Illinois over the weekend, matching the program record for consecutive victories at 22 with the 60-35 triumph, while saddling the Fighting Illini with their 20th straight Big Ten defeat. Carlos Hyde rushed for 248 yards and four TDs, while Braxton Miller added 184 yards and two additional scores for an Ohio State offense that finished with 591 total yards, averaging 8.2 yards per play. Miller completed only 13-of-29 passes for 150 yards, but he tossed a pair of scoring strikes, one each going to Corey Brown and Hyde. The OSU defense permitted 420 yards to the Illini, but posted six sacks, one of which resulted in a safety, and came up with a pair of interceptions, one of which was returned 63 yards for a TD by Bradley Roby. Ryan Shazier continued his outstanding season by recording 16 tackles, 11 being solo efforts, and he was credited with the sack for a safety. C.J. Bennett finished with 14 stops, and he too had a pick, while Joey Bosa notched 2.5 sacks. Ohio State returns home for this week’s clash with Indiana, before traveling to Ann Arbor to battle bitter rival Michigan in the regular season finale on Nov. 30.

PENN STATE: The Nittany Lions scored early and often in knocking off visiting Purdue over the weekend, 45-21. Penn State rolled up 289 yards on the ground and 212 through the air, while controlling the clock for 36:29. The Lions converted a staggering 10-of-12 third-down opportunities, and they scored on all seven trips to the red zone, six of which were TDs. Zach Zwinak paced the PSU ground gainers with 149 yards and he scored three times, while Bill Belton added 81 yards and a TD on 19 totes. Christian Hackenberg went 16-of-23 for 212 yards with a TD and an INT, and star wideout Allen Robinson finished with eight grabs for 98 yards, and now has 81 on the year to break his own single- season school record set last year (77). As for the PSU defense, it allowed just 41 net rushing yards, thanks in large part to six sacks of PU quarterback Danny Etling. The Lions also came up with three takeaways, and Adrian Amos led the way with eight tackles, which included 1.5 sacks. Penn State will close out the home portion of its 2013 schedule this Saturday against Nebraska.

PURDUE: The Boilermakers lost for the eighth straight time over the weekend, falling at Penn State in a 45-21 final. Purdue, which has only win over FCS foe Indiana State back in early September, produced a meager 264 total yards, including just 41 on the ground in the setback. Akeem Hunt was stymied to the tune of 22 yards on only six carries. The rushing total was skewed by the fact that Danny Etling was sacked six times for a loss of 42 yards. Etling did throw for 223 yards with a TD and an INT, hitting Cameron Posey six times for 64 yards, and DeAngelo Yancey four times for 83 yards. The PU defense was torched for 501 yards (289 rushing, 212 passing), but came up with a pair of turnovers in more than 36 minutes on the field. Will Lucas paced the unit with 10 tackles, but the Boilermakers made only two stops in the PSU backfield and failed to record a sack. There are only two games left for Purdue to claim its first win over a FBS squad this season, and it will host Illinois this Saturday, then visit Indiana on Nov. 30.

WISCONSIN: The Badgers used a punishing rushing attack to rout visiting Indiana over the weekend, churning out 554 yards on the ground in what turned out to be a 51-3 final. It was the fifth straight win for Wisconsin, which winds down the regular season with two games, the first being this Saturday at Minnesota, followed by a Nov. 30 visit from Penn State. James White ran for a career-high 205 yards against the Hoosiers, which included a 93-yard scoring jaunt, while Melvin Gordon tacked on 145 yards and a TD of his own. The rushing total fell just 10 yards shy of the school record, which ironically enough was set in last year’s meeting with the Hoosiers. Even reserve back Corey Clement got in on the action, amassing 108 yards and two TDs on only 11 carries, while standout receiver Jared Abbrederis turned three totes into 86 yards and a pair of scores. QB Joel Stave completed only seven of his 15 passes for 122 yards, with three of them going to Jacob Pedersen for 92 yards. The UW defense allowed just 224 total yards to the Indiana offense, which turned the ball over twice in a little more than 22 minutes of possession time. Chris Borland paced the Badgers with 10 tackles, while Sojourn Shelton recorded a pick. The UW defense was not credited with a sack, despite the Hoosiers attempting 30 passes.

Categorized in: NCAA Football