Big Ten Roundup: Purdue Loses at Home to Minnesota; Michigan Wins 5th Straight

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Minnesota's mastery over Purdue continued again on Saturday as the Gophers went on the road and escaped rainy Ross-Ade Stadium with a 20-13 victory.

Purdue's offense, which has been struggling for weeks now, made four trips to the red zone and had only 13 points to show for it. The Boilermakers, now 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten, have been held to just 13 points for three weeks in a row now, with only a 13-9 win over Illinois last week to show for it.

The Boilermakers moved the ball well all day, but just couldn't convert their drives into touchdowns. Quarterback Aiden O'Connell, getting his first start of the season, threw for 373 yards on 34-for-52 passing, with a touchdown pass and one interception.

The touchdown pass was a 7-yarder to Milton Wright that gave Purdue a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter. Minnesota tied it with a field goal, but then Purdue's Mitchel Fineran hit a 24-yarder, his second of the game, to put the Boilermakers back ahead just before halftime.

They wouldn't score again.

Minnesota (3-2, 1-1 in the Big Ten) scored on the first possession of the third quarter, taking the lead on a 4-yard run by Treyson Potts that capped a three-play, 75-yard drive. The big play was a 54-yard pass-and-run from Tanner Morgan to Mike Brown-Stephens.

Saturday's early games

Michigan 38, Wisconsin 17

No. 14-ranked continued its torrid start to its 2021 season, thumping Wisconsin 38-17 on the road for its fifth consecutive win.

Michigan (5-0, 2-0 in the Big Ten) has been a run-dominant team all season, but they threw for 253 yards and three scores in the rout at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Starter Cade McNamara was 17-for-28 passing for 197 yards and backup J.J. McCarthy completed his only pass for a 56-yard score to Daylen Baldwin.

"Against a tough, physical team, I thought our team played really physical," Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. "We matched it every bit."

Wisconsin (1-3, 0-2 in the Big Ten) rushed for only 43 yards on 32 carries. Quarterback Graham Mertz suffered a chest injury early in the third quarter when the score was just 13-10. With him out, Michigan scored 25 unanswered points to pull away.

Illinois 24, Charlotte 14

Illinois erased a halftime deficit with two second-half touchdowns, beating Charlotte 24-14 to end a four-game losing streak.

Running back Chase Brown was the star of the game for Illinois. He rushed for 257 yards and two touchdowns in the win. He had an 80-yard run for a score on the last play of the third quarter, and also scored on a 31-yard run earlier in the period.

Saturday's late afternoon game

Ohio State 52, Rutgers 13

The Ohio State football program seems to be finding its stride. After losing on the road to Oregon in the second week of the season, the Buckeyes have won three straight games, including a 52-13 thrashing of Rutgers.

Redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud returned to the field after taking an off week to rest an injured shoulder. He came back to throw for 330 yards and a career-high five touchdowns against the Scarlet Knights (3-2, 0-2 in the Big Ten).

Ohio State (4-1, 2-0) dominated on both sides of the ball, scoring on its first six possessions on offense while delivering a pick-6 on defense.

“Having a win like this after the last month, it’s given us a little bit of juice now as we head into the next month of October," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. "It was some tough times here, but we grew through it, we didn’t panic, and in that we might have a good team as we head into October, November.”

Saturday's night games

Penn State 24, Indiana 0

Indiana's offense was a no-show in State College, Pennsylvania, as Penn State forced eight punts, two turnovers and a missed field goal attempt to blank the Hoosiers on Saturday night.

The Nittany Lions (5-0, 2-0 in the Big Ten) showed exactly why it has one of the top defensive units in the nation. Indiana (2-3, 0-2) were stifled inside the five-yard line after a timely interception by safety Raheem Layne, running four plays that ended in a turnover on downs and no points on the board.

“I thought that was a huge play,” Penn State coach James Franklin said after the game. “Defensively, I just think we’re playing really good, complimentary defensive football. I don’t know if we’re overwhelming in any area, but I think the defense is doing their job.”

Indiana starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. exited the game after he was taken down hard on his throwing shoulder. Coach Tom Allen said the team will know more about the severity of his injury when it returns to Bloomington.

Backup Jack Tuttle completed six passes for 77 total yards in Penix's place. Both signal-callers threw interceptions on the night.

Michigan State 48, Western Kentucky 31

The Michigan State football program is off to its best start since 2015 after coming away with a 48-31 victory over Western Kentucky.

The Spartans (5-0) were led by explosive wide receiver Jayden Reed, who recorded four catches for 127 yards and a touchdown while also adding an 88-yard score as a punt returner.

Reed has scored multiple touchdowns in four straight weeks, and helped Michigan State to a 26-point lead before defeating Western Kentucky. Running back Kenneth Walker rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns in the first half.

Back in 2015, the Spartans won their first eight games and earned a trip to the College Football Playoff.

Nebraska 56, Northwestern 7

Nebraska and Northwestern have a history of games going down to the wire. The last 10 matchups between the two programs have been decided by eight points or less, but that wasn't the case Saturday.

The Cornhuskers (3-3, 1-2 in the Big Ten) steamrolled the Wildcats (2-3, 0-2) from the very beginning. Quarterback Adrian Martinez posted a career-high three rushing touchdowns and threw for another in the lopsided victory.

“We were using the last couple of weeks to fuel us this week,” Martinez said. “A big play to open the game got the crowd behind us, and that initiated it. Tonight we can say we executed the way we should."

The 49-point margin of victory was the Nebraska football program's largest in a Big Ten win. Northwestern matched the second-largest differential during a loss in the 16 years Pat Fitzgerald has served as coach.