Big Ten Roundup: Illinois Loses Grip on Division Race After Upset Loss to Michigan State
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Illinois had been cruising toward its first-ever Big Ten West title during a surprising six-game winning streak, but that all came to a crashing halt on Saturday when they lost 23-15 to a struggling Michigan State that had won only one game in six weeks.
Illinois (7-2, 4-2 in the Big Ten) still leads the Big Ten West by a game, but now they've let everyone else back in the race. Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Purdue are all 3-3, just a game behind.
The Fighting Illini couldn't finish drives, and were stopped on fourth down five times. The Spartans (4-5, 2-4), reeling from an ugly incident last week at Michigan, played without eight suspended players but had their best game of the year. Quarterback Payton Thorne was 19-for-29 passing for 188 yards and two scores
"I remember my dad telling me, 'There's a lot of opportunity in adversity,'" Thorne said. "Obviously, it was a pretty adverse situation this week. We definitely had some things happen to us that you wouldn't normally wish to happen, but we came out here and we played with the guys we had and the coaches we had and we played our butts off."
Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne (10) passes the ball as Illinois linebacker Gabe Jacas (17) pressures during the first half at Memorial Stadium. (Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports)
No. 2 Ohio State 21, Northwestern 7
It wasn't pretty in bad weather conditions, but No. 2 Ohio State overcame driving rain and 40-mile-per-hour winds to remain unbeaten with a 21-7 win over Northwestern on a sluggish Saturday afternoon in Evanston.
Ohio State (9-0, 6-0 in Big Ten) struggled out of the gate and didn't take the lead until midway through the third quarter, when running back Miyan Williams scored on a 27-yard run. He had 111 yards rushing and two scores. Quarterback C.J. Stroud struggled in the wind, completing just 10 of 26 passes for 76 yards.
Northwestern (1-8, 1-5) lost its eighth straight game despite actually gaining more yards (285-283) than Ohio State.
"I've never been around conditions like this," Day said. "It must have been 30-mile-an-hour winds. And if you've ever tried to golf in 30-mile-an-hour winds, it's hard to get off the tee, (let alone) throw a football. We saw this coming, so we had a plan. ... There were times I was concerned about the snap coming back."
No. 5 Michigan 52, Rutgers 17
Blake Corum rushed for 20 carries for 109 yards and two touchdowns and Donovan Edwards added another 109 yards on the ground as No. 5 Michigan (9-0, 6-0 in the Big Ten) rolled to an easy 52-17 victory after a slow start.
Rutgers (4-5, 1-5) struggled to run the ball all night against the Michigan defense, gaining only 14 yards on 19 carries. The Scarlet Knight actually led 17-14 at halftime but gave up four third-quarter touchdowns to the Wolverines. To read the complete game story, CLICK HERE
No. 15 Penn State 45, Indiana 14
Penn State's defense pushed Indiana around all day, and running back Kaytron Allen had 86 yards and three touchdowns in the Nittany Lions' easy victory. Penn State (7-2, 4-2 in the Big Ten) also got a big day from quarterback Sean Clifford, who was 15-of-23 passing for 233 yards.
Indiana (3-6, 1-5) started Jack Tuttle at quarterback for the first time all year and he was 9-for-12 passing with a touchdown to tight end A.J. Barner, but he was forced to leave with a shoulder injury after a sack. Quarterbacks Brendan Sorsby and Dexter Williams, both making their college debuts, were a combined 7-for-17 passing with three interceptions. To read the complete game story, CLICK HERE
Iowa 24, Purdue 3
Two interceptions in the first half by sixth-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell dug a hole too deep for Purdue (5-4, 3-3 in Big Ten) to climb out of in a disappointing 24-3 home loss to Iowa.
Iowa (5-4, 3-3) was led by running back Kaleb Johnson, who rush for 200 yards and a touchdown on a wet and windy day at Ross-Ade Stadium. The Hawkeyes entered the game averaging 248.6 yards of total offense per game, which ranked last in the Big Ten. They amassed 258 yards in the first half alone, taking advantage of a pair of second-quarter interceptions thrown by sixth-year Purdue senior quarterback Aidan O’Connell. To read the complete game story, CLICK HERE
Wisconsin 23, Maryland 10
Isaac Guerendo had ran 89-yard touchdown and combined with Braelon Allen for 233 rushing yards as Wisconsin defeated Maryland 23-10. For the Badgers (5-4, in the 3-3 Big Ten), it was their third win under interim coach Jim Leonhard, who took over for Paul Chryst last month.
The Maryland (6-3, 3-3) struggled in the windy and rainy conditions in Madison, with quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa just 10-for-23 passing for 77 yards. Their only touchdown came in the final minute of the game when the outcome was no longer in doubt.
Minnesota 20, Nebraska 13
Mohamed Ibrahim rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns and Minnesota (6-3, 3-3 in the Big Ten) became bowl eligible with a 20-13 win over Nebraska. It was the Gophers' fourth straight win in the series.
The Cornhuskers (3-6, 2-4) led 10-0 at halftime, allowing Minnesota just 31 yards of total offense, but then gave up 20 unanswered points. Their passing attack was a mess once again. Quarterbacks Logan Smothers and Chubba Purdy combined to complete just 11 of 26 passes for 121 yards and and interception.
Minnesota backup quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis started the second half after Tanner Morgan was injured on the final play of the second quarter and led the Gophers to scores on four of his first five possessions.
Week 11 Big Ten schedule (Nov. 12)
- Indiana at No. 2 Ohio State, Noon ET (TV: FOX)
- Purdue at No. 16 Illinois, Noon ET, (TV: ESPN2)
- Rutgers at Michigan State, Noon ET, (TV: Big Ten Network)
- Nebraska at No. 5 Michigan, 3:30 p.m ET (TV: ABC)
- Maryland at No. 15 Penn State, 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: FOX)
- Wisconsin at Iowa, 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: FOX Sports 1)
- Northwestern at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network)
Week 12 Big Ten schedule (Nov. 19)
- No. 2 Ohio State at Maryland
- No. 16 Illinois at No. 5 Michigan
- No. 15 Penn State at Rutgers
- Indiana at Michigan State
- Iowa at Minnesota
- Wisconsin at Nebraska
- Northwestern at Purdue
Week 13 Big Ten schedule (Nov. 25-26)
- FRIDAY'S GAME
- Nebraska at Iowa, 4 p.m. ET (TV: FOX)
- SATURDAY'S GAMES
- No. 5 Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State, Noon ET (TV: FOX)
- Michigan State at No. 15 Penn State
- No. 16 Illinois at Northwestern
- Purdue at Indiana
- Rutgers at Maryland
- Minnesota at Wisconsin
