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Big Ten Football: The Sunday Morning Recap

Posted By: DJ Hoyt

Week one of Big Ten football is over as fans returned to the stands and some early season expectations need to be reviewed

We have officially played our first week of Big Ten football in 2021, and I think I speak for most of us when I say it was good to have the fans back in the stands.

From images of the Jump Around in Camp Randall, to The Wave at Kinnick Stadium, the atmosphere and traditions that make college football great returned after missing all of last year. Hopefully we never have to miss them again.

The Lead

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#19 Penn State: 16 – # 12 Wisconsin: 10

Entering 2021, there was a sense the Penn State faithful were willing to overlook the historically bad start to last season under James Franklin. The Nittany Lions had never started a year going 0-5, but in year seven of Franklin’s watch that’s what happened.

A global pandemic that washed over the country impacted each program in its unique way, and Penn State was no exception. Players opted out, practices were cancelled, and meetings were all virtual. Add in that this was all happening while the program was attempting to install a new offensive system, and the recipe was there for a year of struggles.

Then when we were able to confirm a season would happen, injuries took away players Penn State hoped to rely on that year.

The Nittany Lions would rally late in the year and finish 4-5, but a sour taste was left in everyone’s mouth. Ending the year with a losing record is not something this fan base is used to. Still, the mood seemed to be just don’t let losing become the new norm.

As Penn State prepared for 2021, Franklin made yet another change at offensive coordinator, and brought in Mike Yurcich from Texas. This time though, Penn State would have a normal off-season to install the offense. A normal off-season to fix a defense that played below program standards. A normal off-season to get that mental toughness and resolve back.

Yesterday, PSU fans didn’t see a crisp offense. That unit still has a ways to go. However, fans did see that tough and stifling defense return. They saw a team that kept battling even when things seemed to be moving in the wrong directions. And when they got breaks, Penn State made the most of them.

Three times Wisconsin drove into the Penn State red zone, and three times the Badgers would leave with no points. Twice the defense was able to secure a turnover, including a late game drive killer. As for the one time they didn’t get a take away, they blocked a field goal to leave the game scoreless in the first half.

The offense would finally come to life in the second half, taking advantage of some blown coverages in the Badger secondary. Great teams make their opponents pay heavily for mistakes, and Penn State did just that by turning them into scores when the game was a classic defensive battle.

James Franklin should be ecstatic with the way his team traveled into a hostile environment, overcame crowd noise and a atmosphere they didn’t come close to experiencing last year, and fighting through tough stretches to earn a win. Improvements on offense will come with more game reps. The defense can continue to grow and work in a rotation of new faces as needed.

Though today, Franklin and Penn State fans can finally start moving on from that bad memory of 2020.

Around The Conference

#4 Ohio State: 45 – Minnesota: 31

C.J. Stroud began his collegiate career completing 13 of 22 for 294 yards, and 4 touchdowns. Chris Olave led the OSU receiving core with 117 yards on 4 receptions and 2 touchdowns. The Buckeyes used a four-headed attack at running back, as Master Teague, Miyan Williams, Marcus Crowley, and TreVeyon Henderson combined for 23 carries, 188 yards, and 1 touchdown.

Minnesota had success rushing against the Buckeye front, using their large offensive line open up holes and push the pile. Senior RB Mohamed Ibrahim led the team with 30 carries, 163 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Ibrahim unfortunately went down with an injury, and we still don’t know how long he may be out. His loss may put more pressure on Minnesota’s offense to explore its passing attack, which showed some potential with WR Dylan Wright flashing some play-making ability.

Michigan State: 38 – Northwestern: 21

Year two of the Mel Tucker era started off strong, as MSU came out with a physicality that Northwestern couldn’t match. The Spartans relied on its running game to open up a 21-0 lead in the first half, then relied on it some more to close out the game. Kenneth Walker III led the way on the ground with 264 yards on 23 carries and 4 touchdowns.

The Wildcat defense under new coordinator Jim O’Neil struggled to contain Walker all night. It was shades back to the Big Ten championship game last year when Trey Sermon for Ohio State carved them up for 331 yards. Due to the early deficit, Northwestern came out throwing for most of the 2nd quarter on. Hunter Johnson ended the game with a respectable stat line of 30 for 43, 275 yards throwing, and 3 touchdowns.

Nebraska: 52 – Fordham: 7

The Cornhuskers came home after a disappointing week zero, and took care of FCS school Fordham. Nebraska totaled 633 yards of total offense, and the defense recorded 3 interceptions on the afternoon.

The win over an FCS school won’t cover the sting of the defeat at Illinois, but perhaps Scott Frost and staff can use this performance to build some momentum before Buffalo in week three. On a side note, at least Nebraska fans didn’t storm the field after beating a FCS school.

Michigan: 47 – Western Michigan: 14

Michigan, under Harbaugh’s new staff, was able to take care of Western Michigan in their tune up to Washington in week two. The Wolverines leaned on their ground game for most of the afternoon, amassing 335 yards and 3 touchdowns. When Michigan did throw it was an efficient passing attack fans saw. Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy combined for 13 of 17 for 216 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The Wolverine defense, under new coordinator Mike MacDonald, started off a bit shaky before settling in and limiting the Bronco attack. Aidan Hutchinson recorded the lone sack for the unit, while also blocking a field goal midway through the third quarter.

Rutgers: 61 – Temple: 14

Rutgers used a team effort in the ground game to cruise past the Owls of Temple. The Scarlet Knights amassed 220 rushing yards on 51 carries. Nine different players registered at least one carry, and punched it into the endzone six times.

Defensively, the Scarlet Knights caused five turnovers on the day. Senior linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi forced one of those fumbles, while also recording three sacks against the Temple line. If Rutgers shows up like this next week against Syracuse, it’s possible they could go into the Michigan game on September 25th sitting 3-0.

#18 Iowa: 34 – # 17 Indiana: 6

The Hawkeyes took a game that was supposed to be even on paper and dropped it on its head. Senior DB Riley Moss picked off Indiana QB Michael Penix Jr. twice, returning each for a touchdown. The Iowa defense harassed Penix all afternoon, and ended with three interceptions, though could have had four if not for a penalty. The Iowa rushing game did enough to control the game, as Tyler Goodson led the Hawkeyes with 19 carries for 99 yards and a score.

For the Hoosiers, it’s a very disappointing start to the year after carrying high expectations of competing in the East. They will have plenty of work to do to be considered a contender again after struggling mightily on Saturday.

Maryland: 30 – West Virginia: 24

Regional rivals Maryland and West Virginia renewed acquaintances and the Terrapins pulled away late to start 2021 with a win. Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa finished 26 of 36 for 332 yards and 3 touchdowns. Maryland’s lethal duo at receiver, Dontay Demus Jr. and Rakim Jarrett, both finished with 6 catches for over 100 yards and a score.

Maryland kept the Mountaineers from establishing anything on the ground, as they held them to 48 yards rushing on 21 carries. When WVU did throw, they struggled with efficiency as they completed just over 50% of their throws, along with two interceptions.

Purdue: 30 – Oregon State: 21

Jeff Brohm and the Boillermakers started off the year on the winning end, relying on their potent passing game to defeat the Beavers. Jake Plummer went 29 of 41 for 313 yards and 2 touchdowns. David Bell and Payne Durham combined for 15 receptions and 254 yards as they torched the Oregon State secondary all night.

Purdue’s defense did a fine job limiting the Beaver attack on the ground, holding them to just 78 yards on the night. That’s a good start for new coordinator, Brad Lambert, who was hired this off-season to fix a porous unit from a year ago.

UTSA: 37 – Illinois: 30

Illinois fans were thrilled with last week’s win over Nebraska, and were probably thinking of an 2-0 start to 2021. Unfortunately, the Roadrunners came into Champaigne and accumulated almost 500 yards of total offense with a balanced attack on their way to a victory.

Quarterback Artur Sitkowski wasn’t as accurate as he was in replacing Brandon Peters last week, but still produced 266 yards and 3 scores on 22 completions.

Tweets From The Weekend

Players Of The Week

Offense

RB Kenneth Walker III – Michigan State.

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Walker helped Michigan State to a 38 – 21 victory over Northwestern on Friday night by rushing for 264 yards and 4 touchdowns on 23 carries. We thought Walker had the potential to see time this year, but admittedly thought it would be part of a running back by committee. Friday night he looked like the featured back.

Defense

DB Riley Moss – Iowa

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Moss led a Hawkeye defense that intercepted Michael Penix Jr. three times on Saturday. Moss had two interceptions and he returned both of them for touchdowns. He would add just one tackle to his stat line, but any time a defensive player outscores the opposition by eight points… that just begs for recognition.

Lead Game Next Week

#11 Oregon vs #4 Ohio State