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Big Ten Football: The Sunday Morning Recap

Posted By: DJ Hoyt

Michigan State shows they have a true Heisman contender and grit needed to win the East

The Lead

Michigan State has never had a Heisman Trophy winner. If Kenneth Walker III continues to play like this, that has a very good chance of changing.

In their biggest game of the year, undefeated MSU beat previously undefeated Michigan behind Walker’s five rushing touchdowns. With the win, Michigan State improves to 8-0 on the year and retains bragging rights over in-state rival Michigan for the second year in a row.

Walker entered the day as the NCAA leader in average rushing yards per game with 142.4. Down to the individual carry, he was averaging about 6.6 yards a pop. It was no secret Michigan would have to come into this game and limit Walker if they wanted to win.

Whatever the Wolverines tried though, it didn’t work. Walker would improve on his averages, recording 197 yards on 23 carries. Good for 8.56 yards per carry.

There may not be another player in the country that has meant as much to their team as Walker has to MSU. At times this season the Spartans have seen some great performances from other players on offense. Quarterback Payton Thorne has had a solid year, even if Saturday wasn’t his best game. Receivers Jalen Nailor and Jayden Reed have had stellar moments as well.

However, in every game so far, Walker has been the consistent force that has lifted this offense and team to another level. That consistency showed up again when MSU found itself down 30-14 to Michigan midway through the third. Walker, who had already scored twice for MSU, would be leaned on heavily to lead the Spartan comeback. He would dazzle on runs and scrore three more times, completing the 37-33 comeback win in front of the MSU faithful.

Wake Forest fans are probably waking up Sunday celebrating their team being a perfect 8-0. However, if they look north to East Lansing, they have to wonder how they could have let a player like Walker leave via the transfer portal.

Either way, kudos to Mel Tucker and his staff for identifying Walker in the transfer portal as a key target. Then, another kudos to Tucker and company for utilizing that talent in such a way that MSU may have their first Heisman player in school history.

The Harbaugh Conumdrum

If you are being honest with yourself, you can say that Harbaugh has brought Michigan back to relevancy and not be wrong in that statement.

Problem is, Harbaugh wasn’t hired to just make Michigan relevant. He was supposed to make them elite.

Each year there has been some excuse for why the Wolverines haven’t been able to take that next step.

Excuses have ranged at times from lack of player development, outdated offensive schemes, defenses schemes that can’t slow down elite talent, and fluke plays costing the team games.

At some point however, the excuses have to end. Saturday was yet another big stage that Michigan found itself on, and another big stage they would falter on. The Wolverines had MSU where they wanted them on Saturday, up 30-14 in the third. Michigan could rely on their defense and lean on their rushing attack to put MSU away.

Instead, two staples of the Michigan’s team floundered. The defense would allow MSU to eat up yards on the ground and eventually take the lead, while their rushing attack never really materialized when they needed it.

Michigan signed Harbaugh to an extension this past off-season. However, those that know the structure of the contract believe their is ample opportunity to move on from Harbaugh after one year and not have to pay a large buyout.

Administrators for the Wolverines have to be asking if they have the right guy in place, as the Wolverines cannot afford to become perceived as the fourth best team in their division.

And Then There Were Two

The battle for Paul Bunyan may have taken place in East Lansing, MI, but the battle for his axe later this year may decide who represents the West.

Iowa had their chance to firmly re-enter the race for the West title, but had to get past rival Wisconsin in order to do so. A game where I thought Wisconsin would be the team struggling to move the ball and looking one dimensional, it was Iowa who would come out flat on offense and do hardly anything all day.

The Badgers, now winners of four in a row, defeated the #9 Hawkeyes at home, 27-7. Wisconsin didn’t play some impressive offensive game that overcame a very good Iowa defense, they just didn’t make mistakes to lose them the game. For once this year when playing on a larger stage, it would be Wisconsin’s opponent that would cough up the ball and put their defense in a precarious position.

Iowa has had just two outings this year that I felt showcased good to great offensive play. Their win against Maryland, and their win against Penn State. In all the other games, their stellar defense masked the issues that plagued their offense. Hawkeye fans were waiting for some type of adjustment to possibly come, but now with two divisional losses, it appears Iowa has run out of time.

Minnesota meanwhile traveled to Northwestern and disposed of the Wildcats, 41-14. The Golden Gophers resembled the team that some predicted they may be before the year began, using a strong defensive outing and overwhelming running game to secure the victory.

Ky Thomas and Mar’Keise Irving would both rush for over 100 yards for the second consecutive week, and may be starting to form a solid one-two punch at tailback. Their play, along with NU unable to slow down the rush, allowed Minnesota to possess the ball for a shade over 40 minutes and prevented NU from any type of upset.

Now it is just Minnesota and Wisconsin who sit in the West undefeated in divisional play. Barring any slip ups from either team, the November, 27th matchup between these two schools wont be just for Paul Bunyan’s Axe and bragging rights, but also for a shot at the Big Ten title.

Ohio State Tested

The Buckeyes have been on a roll the past four weeks, easily disposing of the competition they came up against. Saturday night, Penn State was finally able to push the Buckeye squad where pure talent wouldn’t be enough to prevail.

Still, Ohio State came out on top and beat a resilient Penn State squad, 33-24.

C.J. Stroud finally found himself in some situations where he had pressure in his face, and still had to make accurate throws in tight windows. Stroud would pass this test, completing 22 of 34 throws for 305 yards and a score.

Penn State appeared to come into this game focused on stopping the run, and bottled up TreVeyon Henderson in the first half. The second half, Henderson exploded for some big gains, and allowed the Buckeyes to begin pulling away.

Still, this was the first Buckeye game in a while that required the defense to do it’s part in order to pull out the victory. The OSU defense would play arguably their best game all year, as they were able to limit an PSU offense that looked dramatically different from the week prior.

The Buckeyes had four sacks and recorded three turnovers, one of which was a fumble returned for a touchdown in the second quarter, putting them up 17-7. Should the unit continue to play like this, Ohio State could very well run the table in the East and return to the conference title game. However, they will have to get past the upstart Spartans first.

Penn State fans have to feel a bit disappointed after this game. Not because it was a loss, but because the team we saw tonight was clearly the team we thought would show up against Illinois as well. If it had been, the mood around the program may be very different than it is right now.

Instead of feeling like Penn State has fallen just short of toppling the top dog in the East, many wonder if PSU is at a crossroads with Franklin at the helm.

What Will Nebraska Do?

Nebraska was a team that had a fan base ready to forgive them for a season opening debacle against Illinois. Playing tough and losing one possession games to Oklahoma, MSU, and Michigan had Husker fans thinking a turn for the better was coming.

However, that wouldn’t be the case.

Saturday the Cornhuskers dropped another conference matchup when they fell to Purdue, 28-23. This comes on the heels of losing to Minneosta, 30-23.

Nebraska now sits 3-6 on the season. As the tweet by Rittenberg above mentions, they wrap up the year facing some very difficult opposition. It would not be difficult to see this team end the year 3-9 with OSU, Wisconsin, and Iowa left to play.

If 3-9 comes to fruition, you would have to think that it’s hard for Frost to remain at Nebraska. Four years in, and a season record of 3-9 would become Scott Frost’s worse finish while coach of his Alma Mater.

Fans can point to the close losses as an indicator the team isn’t far off from turning things around. What’s more concerning to me though, is it doesn’t seem to matter who the opponent is as Nebraska plays to their level. Play a good team and Nebraska plays up to their level, but not good enough to win. Play a bad team and Nebraska plays down to their level, but again, not good enough to win.

Before the year began, it was reported Scott Frost and Nebraska had violated NCAA rules related to analysts and practices. One thought floating around is that while the NCAA may not be able to punish the program too severely due to their own reorganization, AD Trev Alberts could use the violations to fire Frost with cause citing the NCAA violations.

If that happens, the reason for the change could stem mostly from on field results that routinely saw Nebraska unable to pull out a win.

A potential 3-9 finish could see the patience finally run out.

Tweets of the Week

Players of the Week

Offense

Kenneth Walker III – RB – Michigan State

I don’t think this is a surprise if you read The Lead (above), but Walker takes the award this week. 23 carries, 197 yards, and 5 touchdowns. An elite performance on a huge stage when his team needed it most.

Defense

Jalen Graham – LB – Purdue

Graham helped lead the Boilermakers to a win over Nebraska by recording six tackles and two interceptions. One of those interceptions he returned for a touchdown, as Purdue went on to win 28-23.

Question of the Week

Who wins the East and who wins the West Divisions this year?

Provide your answer in the comments below.