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Big Ten Football: The Sunday Morning Recap

Posted By: DJ Hoyt

Week 11 brought about some clarity to divisional races, as we move toward the end of the season

The Lead

The ‘Spoilermakers’ arrived to Columbus looking to upset #4 Ohio State on Saturday. The only thing that was spoiled was any hopes of a repeat of the 2018 game.

Ohio State scored early and often against the #19 Boilermakers, winning 59-31.

Coming into the game, questions about the Buckeye offense and its recent deficiencies in the running game and red zone, along with some decision making by QB C.J. Stroud hounded the team. Perhaps the questions lit a fire under the team, or perhaps some experts were right when they said this was a bad match up for Purdue. Whatever the case, the Buckeye offense appeared to be back in high gear, scoring 45 points at the half.

One piece that was certainly back for OSU was receiver Garrett Wilson. After missing last week’s game against Nebraska, Wilson sparked the offense with an all-around effort on Saturday. He finished the day with 10 receptions for 126 yards and three touchdowns. He also would rush it once, taking it 51 yards to the house. Stroud clearly liked having Wilson back, as he had an extremely efficient day throwing the ball going 31 of 38, for 361 yards, and five touchdowns.

This offense was the unit fans were spoiled with for multiple weeks after the Oregon loss. When operating at full capacity, the Buckeyes look like one of the four best teams in the country. Their defense did what is required of them, and that was to get a few stops and return the ball back to their high powered offense.

I’ve mentioned it before, but this is the way OSU may have to win the Big Ten and have any chance in the CFP if selected. Score a ton, and have the defense get a few stops. That might be uncomfortable for Buckeye fans who expect to see defense, but those major adjustments will have to wait for the off-season.

Ohio State now gets set for another test, as they host Michigan State next weekend. The Spartans won again on Saturday, beating Maryland 40-21, meaning that both these teams will show up with one loss on their records and looking for sole control over the Big Ten East Division.

Purdue on the other hand still has the potential for a great year when considering preseason expectations. They have games remaining against three win Northwestern, and two win Indiana. Both of those contests should have the Boilermakers favored to win.

If Purdue pulls out the win in both games, they would finish 8-4 and match their best win total since 2007.

Iowa Beats Minnesota, Putting Wisconsin On Top Out West

The Hawkeyes beat Minnesota in the battle for the Floyd of Rosedale trophy, 27-22. The win improved Iowa to 8-2 on the year, though their two losses come from conference and divisional foes Purdue and Wisconsin.

After dropping last week’s game to Illinois, Minnesota had to win out in order to maintain a shot at winning the West and making it to Indianapolis. Now, with three conference losses and two within the division, that scenario appears highly unlikely.

With the Hawkeye win, the true beneficiaries are the Wisconsin Badgers. The Badgers now sit atop the West standings with no divisional losses on the year, and hold the head-to-head over Iowa.

If Iowa hopes to win the West, they’ll need to win out against Illinois and Nebraska, then hope Wisconsin drops one of their remaining two games for a third conference loss. Wisconsin has Nebraska left to play on their schedule, followed by Minnesota.

It’s a shame that Iowa wasn’t able to fix some of their offensive issues when these two teams met earlier in the year, as Alex Padilla at quarterback has sparked some life into the Hawkeyes’ attack. However, that’s the way football works sometimes. You don’t find an answer until it’s too late.

If Iowa gets the help they need to reach the Big Ten title game, it can help salvage a season that started off with much promise, as the Hawkeyes at one point were the #2 team in the country. If they cannot, the two losses will be an annoying point of frustration for some fans all off-season.

Braelon Allen Is Wisconsin’s Future At RB

Braelon Allen is just 17 years old, but you would never guess it by looking at him. The true freshman, a 4-star athlete from Wisconsin, is 6’2″ and 238 pounds according to ESPN. His build stood out when you would watch his high school tape, as he looked like a man among boys, playing both offense and defense.

On Saturday though, he looked like the next great Wisconsin running back.

Allen would carry the Badgers to a 35-7 victory over Northwestern, churning up 173 yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns. Allen took over the starting job this weekend when Chez Mellusi was lost for the season with a leg injury. Wisconsin has relied on its ground game to ignite the six game win streak they currently are on, and after the injury to Mellusi there was some concern of a drop off.

Allen emphatically answered that question, as Wisconsin ended the game with 268 yards on the ground. For Paul Chryst, it had to be reassuring to see the offense maintain the effectiveness in the ground game when a injury could derail a season this late in the year.

Braelon Allen though may become a name many opposing fans will have to get to know. He now has six straight 100 yards rushing games, which ties a freshman record set by Anthony Davis in 2001. Quite frankly, it’s hard to not see Allen’s career trajectory heading in an upward direction.

The traits Allen brings to the position feels like pure Wisconsin: tough, physical, and explosive. Traits that should make any Badger fan proud, and excited for the future.

Michigan Rallies, While Penn State Reflects

Michigan pulled out the come from behind victory against Penn State yesterday, winning in Happy Valley 21-17.

Michigan, and specifically Jim Harbaugh, received much praise on social media from many of the national writers after the win. This felt like the type of game that usually ends with Harbaugh having to explain away a call that backfired, or complaints leveled against a third party. However, this time the Wolverines made more plays when they needed to, and kept their Big Ten title and CFP chances alive.

Behind a defense that sacked PSU QB Sean Clifford seven times, Michigan would frustrate the Nittany Lion offense with pressure all day. It kept PSU from truly establishing a rhythm on offense, and kept the game close enough that a few big plays could turn the game around. That ultimately would come to fruition when TE Erick Hall caught a pass and ran 47 yards for a touchdown to take the lead with 3:29 left in the game.

The win showed a perseverance and toughness that Michigan hasn’t displayed all that often under Harbaugh, at least during big games. Perhaps the Wolverines can use this win and harness the emotions around it to finish strong on the year and finally change the narrative about dropping big games.

That same narrative though is becoming louder at Penn State.

The season started off in fine fashion for James Franklin and PSU. Wins over Wisconsin on the road and over Auburn at home gave the perception this program was returning to great, if not approaching elite form. However, after the loss to Iowa, the bottom has fallen out of the program.

Questions about if Franklin will remain coach kept popping up as head coach openings appeared, and there was some concern from the fan base he may leave right as things appeared to be turning around. Now that the program has fallen to 6-4, some fans wouldn’t mind seeing Franklin accept another job.

PSU has one remaining marquee game on its schedule. Michigan State hosts the Nittany Lions in the last game of the season. It will be Franklin’s final attempt to quiet the noise about his poor record against top teams, while building momentum for the off-season.

Should Penn State lose, it’ll become another mark on his record while at PSU and surely will see him enter 2022 on the hot seat.

Rutgers & Maryland On A Collision Course For Bowl Eligibility

With Rutgers’ win over Indiana, 38-3, and Maryland’s defeat to #7 Michigan State, 40-21, these two programs could be on a course to knock the other out of bowl eligibility at season’s end.

Since both programs joined the conference in 2014, they have largely been the bottom dwellers of the East Division. Both programs have gone through an extensive rebuilding under their respective administrations, and are looking to show clear momentum with a bowl birth at the end of the year.

While technically either team could win in week twelve and become bowl eligible, it’s unlikely Rutgers will upset Penn State or Maryland will upset Michigan. Should both lose, they would enter their contest with identical 5-6 records.

The two programs play in the final week of the season, which has been unofficially referred to as rivalry week around the sport. Neither Rutgers nor Maryland had much of a rivalry with the other before joining the Big Ten, and that really hasn’t changed since joining the conference either. Mainly due to the down state both programs have found themselves in lately.

However, a battle for a bowl birth will result in this game finally carrying some weight.

It could be the catalyst that changes this game from some arbitrary rivalry, to one that starts to develop some level of animosity and tension.

Tweets Of The Week

Players Of The Week

Offense

Garrett Wilson – WR – Ohio State

In Ohio State’s victory over Purdue, Wilson became the first player in Ohio State’s history to have three receiving touchdowns along with a touchdown rush in a game. Adding to the scores, he ended with 10 receptions for 126 yards and one carry for 51 yards.

Defense

Aidan Hutchinson – DL – Michigan

Hutchinson led the way of seven sacks against Penn State in Michigan’s 21-17 victory. He recorded on the day seven tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble. Hutchinson is regarded as Michigan’s best defensive player, and on Saturday he certainly played like it.