Around the Big Ten, Week 2 Wrap Up

 

The Ohio State Buckeyes Took #12 Miami, FL to task and Spartan Nation was there. Photo courtesy of Bill Marklevits.

 Illinois (1-1)

Illinois 35Â S.Illinois 3

The Illini picked up their first win of the season in Champaign on Saturday, courtesy of their in-state FCS foe Southern Illinois, in a blow-out. The Saluki’s plainly looked out-matched in the contest as the Fighting Illini’s defense held them to a single field goal; while their Big Ten opponent by contrast, had 4 different players chime in with touchdowns. Illini QB (Fr.) Nathan Scheelhaase, had a good day through the air connecting on 14 of 18 for 229yds and no interceptions. Scheelhaase’s 54yd strike to WR AJ Jenkins got the offense rolling early in the 1st quarter on their way to the 32pt win. AJ Jenkins had 114 receiving yards to lead all receivers at game’s end.  Illini RB Mikel LeShoure gave another strong performance this week with a 115yrd effort to go with his 2TD’s. Converted back-up Illinois QB (Sr.) Eddie McGee had a rough day playing his role in throwing two picks, however. The Saluki’s lone field goal came in the 2nd quarter of play. The Illini scoring summary for the game looked like this: 1st Quarter, AJ Jenkins 45yd pass from Scheelhaase. Mikel LeShoure 1yd run. 2nd Quarter, Mikel LeShoure 8yd run. #rd Quarter, Justin Lattimore 33yd pass from Scheelhaase. 4th Quarter, Jason Ford 1 yd run.

This week’s possible chink in the Illini armor, comes from -converted wide receiver to back-up quarterback- Eddie McGee. If starting freshmen QB, Scheelhaase, goes down during a long Big Ten season, it may be a particularly long season for the Illini based on McGee’s performance against this rather soft Saluki defensive unit.

Next Foe: Home against Northern Illinois, noon ET, BTN.

 

 

Indiana:Â

Bye week.

 

Iowa (2-0)

(9)Iowa 35Â Iowa St 7Â

Coach Rick Ferentz’s Hawkeyes looked particularly tough in this blow-out against their in-state rival- Cyclones. Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads dished out some lofty praise for the Hawkeyes following the game in stating, “They talk about Iowa as a contender for the national championship, and they should.” Particularly complimentary too, was that Rhoads said his Cyclones “played a heck of a game,” despite the 28pt drubbing they took.  The Hawkeyes rushed against the Cyclones 50 times in an old school, pounding style, rushing attack. Hawkeye RB Jewel Hampton returned from suspension and picked up 84yds on 20 carries, accounting for one TD. QB Ricky Stanzi threw for a pair of TD’s and picked up another on the ground. On the day Stanzi completed 11 of his 18 throws for a total of 204yds. Leading the Hawkeye receivers in yards were Marvin McNutt and Allen Reisner. McNutt tallied 75 yds on only two receptions, while Reisner had three catches for 66yds. The Hawkeye defense gave every appearance of being a stout group once again in limiting the Cyclones output and forcing three interceptions. The Hawkeye scoring summary went like this: 1st Quarter, Marvin McNutt 9yd pass from Stanzi. 2nd Quarter, Jewel Hampton 2yd run. Allen Reisner 2yd pass from Stanzi. Stanzi 1 yd run. 3rd Quarter, Adam Robinson 39yd run.

Few, if any, potential chinks in the Hawkeye armor were on display in this game. In fact so far this year Stanzi has seemed to remedy his 15 interception turnover problem from a year ago, going interception free thus far in his 2010 campaign. The Hawk’s will be a tough, tough win, again this year for any opponent. Next they travel to Arizona Stadium to play the Wildcats. They’ll need to bring their A-game to remain undefeated in this far distant and hostile environment.

Next Foe: At Arizona, Sat, Sept 18, 10:30PM ET, ESPN.

 

 

Michigan (2-0)

Michigan 28Â Notre Dame 24

Michigan snuck out of South Bend once again with a win, after one of the most thrilling Big Ten non-conference games this year, to-date. Once again the win comes largely, courtesy of Wolverine Sophomore -phenom QB Denard Robinson. For anyone thinking his performance against UConn last week was an aberration, his performance on Saturday against the Irish should have remedied that notion. He’s the real deal. He once again displayed that he’s got a rocket-burner and an altogether not infrequent- crisp and steady throwing arm- on his way to another school record setting 502 total offensive yards. 258 of those yards came by way of the ground on 28 keepers, and 244yds passing, connecting on 24 of 40 attempts. The other big story in this game came when Irish QB Dayne Crist was knocked out of play for a spell after mounting a dominant early first quarter 71 yard drive, and capitalizing on a QB keeping one yard TD run. Crist was pulled out soon thereafter, with supposed vision difficulties. Reportedly however, Crist did not suffer a concussion. In any event Crist did not see action again until the second half. Filling in for him was back-up QB Nate Montana, son of NFL great Joe Montana. Montana gave a serviceable, but shaky effort. It wasn’t until Crist returned that the momentum shifted to the side of the Irish, once again. Had Crist been healthy and able to give a 4 quarter effort, the outcome most likely would have been different. As it was though, Denard Robinson was able to secure the win with a 2yd TD run with 27seconds on the clock. In the end though, the rainbow that could be seen overhead Notre Dame Stadium, nor the Crist to Kyle Rudolph 95yd 4th quarter hook-up, could ultimately save them. The luck of the Irish ran out, as Denard ran the ball home for the late win. Kyle Rudolph led the Irish receivers with 164yds on 8 receptions. Martavious Odoms led the receiving game for the Wolverines however, with 7 grabs for 91 yards. Both defenses gave slightly fallible performances, but both teams displayed offensive prowess. The scoring summary for the game looked like this: 1st Quarter, ND’s Dayne Crist 1 yd run. UofM’s Roy Roundtree 31yd pass from Robinson. UofM’s Stephen Hopkins 1yd run. 2nd Quarter, Denard Robinson 87yd run. 3rd Quarter, ND’s TJ Jones 53yd pass from Crist. ND’s David Ruffer 24yd field goal. 4th Quarter, Kyle Rudolph 95ys pass from Dayne Crist. UofM’s Denard Robinson 2yd run.

The Chink in the UofM armor is again the same, questionable defense and a one-man offensive wrecking crew. If Denard goes down , or Michigan suffers even one or two key injuries on defense, this turns into last year’s sputtering Wolverine squad. Nobody in the Big Ten needs more luck right now then Rich Rodriguez’s Wolverines. In a long season, the odds might be against them.

Next Foe: Home against Massachusetts’s. Sat, Sept 18. Noon ET. BTN.

 

 

Minnesota (1-1)

South Dakota 41Â Minnesota 38

The Gophers gave an uninspired effort in what can only be described as a very disappointing loss in Minneapolis’ new TCF Bank Stadium. The Gophers wanting to take their football program to the next level in their new digs this year, appeared instead to be on the fast track to nowhere when South Dakota, an FCS team, simply outplayed Tim Brewster’s Golden Gophers in their own house. South Dakota’s Dante Warren was made to look a bit like Michigan’s Denard Robinson, by the flat footed Gopher defense. Warren passed for 352yds and three TD’s, and added insult to injury by taking off like a rocket on a fourth-and-one and collecting a 25yd rushing TD in the process, on what was ultimately, a game-clinching and morale stripping, 4th quarter play. “The depth of my disappointment right now, you cannot measure it,” Brewster said after the game, “…it certainly is an unacceptable loss on our part.” Gopher QB Adam Weber altogether did not have a terrible day however, with 258yds on 21 of 31 passing, and no interceptions. MarQueise Gray led the receivers in yards for the Gophers with 91yds on nine receptions. RB Duane Bennett too gave a good effort on the ground with 104yds on 18 carries. Clearly however, the Gopher defense did not hold up its end of the bargain, and the Gophers 38 points simply proved not enough. Slow, ineffective defensive play and poor tackling bought them their disappointment. The Gophers never regained the lead in the game after falling behind 7 to 3 in the first quarter. The Gopher scoring summary played out like this: 1st Quarter, Eric Ellestad 27yd field goal. 2nd Quarter, Troy Stoudermire Jr. 49yd pass from Weber. 3rd Quarter MarQueis Gray 16yd pass from Weber. Da’Jon McKnight 26yd pass from Weber. Duane Bennett 1 yd run. Duane Bennett 1 yd run.

Chink in the Gopher’s armor, or rather a glaring hole at this point is their sloppy an uninspired defensive play. They were simply out-classed on the field this week by South Dakota; yeah…South Dakota. The Gophers had better get out the patches and putty mighty quick to fill all the holes or this is going to be a remarkably ugly season for Minnesota. Next up is USC. Gasp.

Next Foe: Home against USC. Sat, Sept 18, 3:30PM ET ESPN.

 

 

Northwestern (2-0)

Northwestern 37  Illinois State 3

Wildcat QB Dan Persa once again impressed this week in Evanston, as he led Northwestern to a blow-out against the Red Birds. Persa threw for 240yds, finding his target on 19 of his 23 attempts, 2 of which were TD’s. Persa found Wildcat receiver Drake Dunsmore for both scores. Making Persa’s effort even more impressive is the fact that he only played one series in the entire second half of the game. The Wildcats led 30 to 3 at halftime; the lone score of the second half came from Wildcat Mike Trumpy, on a 1yd run in the 4th Quarter. The Wildcat rushing attack was led by RB Arby Fields who approached the century mark with 96yds on 22 carries. Northwestern’s defense forced two turnovers against Illinois State QB Matt Brown. Also of note, former Spartan ASHTON LEGGETT, from Muskegon Michigan, led Illinois State’s rushing effort in the game with 6 carries and 39yds; but ultimately failed to find the endzone. The Northwestern scoring summary went in this manner: 1st Quarter, Drake Dunsmore 4yd pass from Persa. Persa 1yd run. 2nd Quarter, Stefan Demos 39yd field goal. Arby Fields 1 yd run. Drake Dunsmore 5yd pass from Persa. 4th Quarter, Mike Trumpy 1 Yd run.

A possible chink in the Wildcat armor, on a day of Northwestern dominance, came in the 2nd quarter when a point-after-attempt failed, leaving a point off the board. The kick simply appeared to shank left of the goal post. In a tight game against the much stiffer competition which lies ahead, one point ultimately can be the difference between victory and crushing defeat when the history books are written.

Next Foe: At Rice, Sat, Sept 18th 7:00PM ET.

 

 

Ohio State (2-0)

(2)Ohio State 36Â (12)Miami (FL) 24

In a much anticipated rematch of the 2002 National Championship game the Buckeyes once again took care of business and sent the Hurricanes home with a loss. Touted Buckeye QB Terrelle Pryor and Cane QB Jacory Harris had near identical passing outputs of 233yds to 232yds, respectively. What was not so close however, were the number of interceptions thrown by the two. Pryor took care of the ball well and didn’t turn it over, going 12 for 27 passing with one TD through the air and one rushing (113yds rushing total). Harris however had four interceptions, in his 22 for 39 passing effort. Miami has now dropped three straight to Big Ten teams.  The Buckeye defense however, looked a bit better than the score may let on. One half of the Hurricanes points came by way of kick returns. As bad as the Buckeye return defense was, their kicker Devin Barclay’s proficiency was relied upon extensively as he tied a school record with five field goals in the game. QB Pryor himself led the rushing attack with 113yds, while WR DeVier Posey led all receivers with 105yds on 4 receptions. The Buckeyes simply did what it needed to, to win, and beat a very decent and ranked opponent. The Scoring summary for the entire game looked like this. 1st Quarter, tOSU’s Devin Barclay 24yd field goal. Da U’s Lamar Miller 88yd kickoff return. 2nd Quarter, Da U’s Matt Bosher 51yd field goal. tOSU’s Brandon Saine 18yd pass from Pryor. tOSU’s Devin Barclay 41yd field goal. tOSU’s Dan Herron 4yd run. Da U’s Travis Benjamin 79yd punt return. tOSU’s Devin Barclay 21yd field goal. tOSU’s Devin Barclay 24yd field goal. 3rd Quarter, tOSU’s Terrelle Pryor 13yd run. tOSU’s Devin Barclay 24yd field goal. 4th Quarter, Da U’s Chase Ford 9yd pass from Harris.

Last week’s Spartan Nation “potential chink” in the Buckeye armor was listed as their special teams play. It once again makes the cut after this weekend’s two kick returns scored against them. Poor special teams play has an unenviable way of making a team’s otherwise good offense and defense seem poor by the virtue of the final score. His special teams play has to rank right up there on Coach Jim Tressel’s list of headaches so far this season. Any potential problems considered, the Buckeye’s are still one heck of a tough squad for anyone to match-up with. But they’ll need to fix something’s if they’re to win a National Championship this year, and it likely starts with their special team play.

Next Foe: Home against Ohio. Sat, Sept 18, Noon ET. BTN.

 

 

Penn State (1-1)

(1)Alabama 24Â (18)Penn St 3

Joe Paterno and his young Nittany Lions knew they were likely walking into a buzz-saw when they travelled to Tuscaloosa this weekend. They needed all the intangibles to go their way if they were to stem the tide of the ensuing Crimson onslaught. Unfortunately for this 18th ranked Big Ten team, Alabama coach Nick Saban brought his team into their home stadium ready to play. Back-up Crimson Tide RB Trent Richardson, filling-in for injured Flint Michigan native, and Heisman winner Mark Ingram, ran for 144yds. His remarkable strength and agility were apparent as he bowled over, and evaded would-be tacklers. Nittany Lion Freshmen QB Robert Bolden had a difficult night on 13 of 29 passing for 144yds, no TD’s, and two interceptions. Penn State WR Derek Moye was the Nittany leading receiver with 69yds on 3 receptions. Their rushing attack accounted for a decent but not great, nor good enough, 127yds. Penn State’s time of possession compared to Alabama’s was 30:33 to 29:27, so the Nittany Lions had the opportunities, but just came up short. All in all, this looked like the Number One team in the land up against the Number 18th team at home, just as it was billed. The lone points of Penn State came late in the game with a Collin Wagner 36yd field goal.

A chink in the Nittany Lion armor was revealed this week in a manner that the Number One team in the nation has a way of doing; that chink was clearly youthful inexperience. Make no mistake though this is a very decent Penn State team and they should continue to progress as the season wears on. By the time the Spartans meet them November 27th, to cap off the regular season in Beaver Stadium, Penn State may well be a different team; perhaps a much more seasoned and focused team.

Next Foe:  Home against Kent State. Sat, Sept 18 Noon ET.

 

 

Purdue (1-1)

Purdue 31Â W. Illinois 21

A win’s a win, though it was not a particularly pretty statistical one, and it ended up seriously costing the Boilermakers at home on Saturday. Boiler WR Keith Smith who had six receptions and 43yds earlier in the day was knocked out of competition with a knee injury that appears now, to be quite serious. Smith is considered Purdue’s top receiver, who had 1,100yds last year. Boilermaker head man Danny Hope did not seem optimistic Sunday on Keith’s return to action anytime soon. Boilermaker’s transfer QB had another so-so effort again in throwing for 171yds, one TD, and one interception. Marve’s arm was called upon frequently as he went 23 of 34 passing. Boiler RB Dan Dierking gave another decent performance on the ground rushing for 102yds. One bright spot for Purdue on defense was defensive end Ryan Kerrigan who posted career highs in collecting 12 tackles, 4 for loss, and one sack and forcing a fumble. The defense altogether however, allowed Western Illinois to claim 286yds passing, put kept their rushing output to 120yds. Former Spartan CAULTON RAY led Westerns rushing attack with 73yds on 21 carries against the Boilers. Ray’s offensive line however, appeared quite suspect throughout the game. Ray scored the first TD of the day giving the Leathernecks the first and its final lead of the day at 7 to 0. Scoring summary for Purdue breaks down like this: 1st quarter, Justin Siller 25yd pass from Marve. 2nd Quarter, Dan Dierking 1yd run. Carson Wiggs 36yd field goal. 3rd Quarter, Dan Dierking 5yd run. 4th Quarter, Al-Terek McBurse 40yd run.

The chink in the Boilers armor coming out of this game is certainly the loss of their marquee receiver Keith Smith. QB Marve has struggled at times this season in finding rhythm and losing his go-to-target is an additional challenge in moving forward. If Smith is indeed lost for the season, the Boilers may struggle quite a bit offensively in his absence. Meetings with Ball State and Toledo round out non-conference play for the Boilers, so, they do at least have some time for someone to step up before the competition significantly increases.

Next Foe: Home against Ball State. Sat, Sept 18, Noon ET BTN.

 

 

Wisconsin (2-0)

(11)Wisconsin 27Â San Jose St. 14

Wisconsin held on to the 3rd longest regular-season out of conference winning streak on Saturday in its win over San Jose State. Head Coach Bret Bielema improved to 13-0 for this same statistic. A terrifying moment however was realized when Badger WR David Gilreath took a hard hit to the helmet and was knocked unconscious. Gilreath was taken away by ambulance and later diagnosed with a concussion. He appears to be doing well and recuperating just fine. The game itself progressed just fine for the Badgers as well. Returning Big Ten offensive player of the year Badger RB John Clay gave his eighth straight over 100 yard rushing performance Saturday. Clay had 23 carries for 137yds. The Badgers grabbed control of this one early and the outcome was never really in doubt, amassing a 20-0 lead by the 3rd quarter, before a 37yd San Jose State TD pass. San Jose State’s only other score came near the end of the 4th quarter on a 12yd pass. Wisconsin might have taken it’s foot off the pedal a little, but it’s effort was more than enough in the end. Badger QB Scott Tolzien went 15 of 22 passing, accounting for 191yds, one TD, and one interception. TE Lance Kendricks led the Badger’s in reception yardage with 60yds. Wisconsin won the time of possession in the contest 31:54 to 28:06, much of it due to the effectiveness of their running game, compiling 212 total yards on the day, while holding SJS to a measly 55yds. The Wisconsin scoring summary for the day went like this: 1st Quarter, John Clay 1yd Run. 2nd Quarter, Lance Kendricks 14yd pass from Tolzien. Phillip Welch 45yd field goal. 3rd Quarter, Philip Welch 37yd field goal. 4th Quarter, John Clay 1 yd run.

A possible chink in the Badger armor, from this game comes by way of Alabama. Alabama beat San Jose State in the first game of the season 48-3. Saban’s team has a proven killer’s instinct, does Bielema and his Badgers? Against middle of the pack Big Ten teams that instinct could mean the difference between a win and loss.

Next Foe: Home against Arizona State. Sat, Sept 18, 3:30PM ET.

 

Keepin Tab’s on (6)Nebraska (2-0)

6th ranked Nebraska wins another one easily, Nebraska 38, Idaho 17.

Next Foe: At Washington. Sat, Sept 18, 3:30PM ET. ABC.