Spartan Nation Around the Big Ten Week One Wrap Up

 

M Rod was happy when his new QB gave him his biggest win at UM. Photo courtesy of Bill Marklevits.

Illinois

Missouri 23 Illinois 13: The Illini continued to struggle in their opening day rivalry with Missouri, after letting the Tigers came back from a 10pt first half deficit with a pair each of TD’s and field goals. Illinois was held scoreless the entire second half. New Illini QB Nathan Scheelhaase made a difficult debut, accounting for a paltry 81yds on 9 of 23 passing. By comparison, Missouri QB Gabbert racked up 281yds on 34 of 48 through the air. Illini RB Mikel Leshoure however didn’t disappoint and broke the century mark with 112yds on 20 carries. Scheelhaase himself followed Leshoure in rushing total with 76yds, keeping the snap for himself 16 times. The Illinois receiving corp were quite inactive, with WR AJ Jenkins leading in receiving yards with a ho-hum 33yds. The Illini’s air attack famished with 81 total receiving yards, while Missouri’s feasted- going for 281yards. Troubling as well, and possibly major chink’s in the Illini armor, was evidence by their 4 turnovers, often porous defense, and relatively ineffective offense. This could very well be another tough year for Coach Ron Zook and Co. The Fighting Illini scoring summary looked like this: 1st quarter, field goal Derek Dimke, 21yds. 2nd quarter, AJ Jenkins 13 yd pass from Scheelhaase. Derek Dimke 52 yd field goal.

Next Foe: Home against Southern Illinois. Sat, Sept 11 7:30PM ET BTN.

 

Indiana

Indiana 51  Towson 17: Hoosier coach Bill Lynch picked up his 4th straight opening day win in as many years as the headman in Bloomington. Towson, a member of the Football Championship Subdivision, was simply outmanned by their BCS opponent. It was brutal. I’m not sure much is to be gleaned from this type of competition- which appeared more similar to a scrimmage- and done without leading Hoosier receiver Tandon Doss (out with a groin injury). However, it may be somewhat telling that Towson actually outgained Indiana on offense with 392yds compared to Indiana’s 360. What exactly that tells, is debatable. The only stat that truly matters in this game is the vast disparity in the score. Indiana QB Chappell, went for 182yds and 2 TD’s, and of course looked decent against the competition. Hoosier scoring summary looked like this: 1st quarter, Ted Bolser 12yd pass from Ben Chappell. Darius Willis 49yd run. Nick Freeland 24yd field goal. 2nd quarter, Damarlo Belcher 41yd pass from Chappell. Trae Burgess 12yd run. Darius Willis 2yd run. 3rd quarter, Nick Freeland 36yd. Matt Ernest 56yd interception return. 4th quarter, Mitch Ewald 32yd field goal.

A potential chink the Hoosier armor at this point, may simply be that they haven’t gained the experience that comes with playing another BCS opponent. It’s hard to fix the chinks in your armor in practice each week when they are not revealed on game day due to playing drastically inferior competition. If I’m Bill Lynch, I might want to come out of the gates each year swinging at the big boys (at least a BCS opponent) to prepare for the inevitable grind of the Big Ten season. Then again, however, Indiana fans might be content with settling for the easy W, since they haven’t exactly been historically stellar in conference play. All this aside, I do like what Lynch is doing in Bloomington personnel wise, they have some players.

Next Foe: After a bye week, at Western Kentucky. Sat, Sept 18th. TBA

 

Iowa

(9)Iowa 37   E. Illinois 7: Likely the biggest gasp in Big Ten country since the Kalin Lucas injury last March, was heard coming out of Iowa City on Saturday as Hawkeye QB Ricky Stanzi lay injured on the turf during their season opening battle against Eastern Illinois. “Very fortunate it turned out to be a little bit of a muscle or a soft tissue thing,” Coach Rick Ferentz said of the injured Stanzi. Iowa, who is coming off a BCS bowl win, has designs on a conference championship this season. If that dream is going to be realized, Ricky Stanzi will be expected to play an integral part. Thankfully for the Hawkeye’s, Stanzi re-entered the game late and finished with 229 yards through the air on 18-of-23 passing. This game was over however after the first quarter, when the Hawkeyes had already put up a quick 21points. Iowa’s defense was solid and stingy all day. E Illinois lone score came at 12:09 in the second quarter on an 11 yard pass. Iowa’s score breakdown went like this: 1st quarter Adam Robinson 2 yard run. Adam Robinson 4yard run. Paki O’Meara return of a blocked punt. 2nd quarter Adam Robinson 6yard Run. 3rd Quarter 2 point safety assessed when non-forward pass went through back of endzone. 4th Quarter, Brett Morse 1 yard pass from Ricky Stanzi.

Potential chink in the Hawkeye armor could be the longevity of Stanzi who missed 3 games (in part or all) due to injury last season and the Hawks went 1-2 during that time. With Stanzi, the Hawkeyes were 10-0. How Stanzi goes…might be “how goes” the Hawks season.

Next Foe: Home against Iowa State. Sat, Sept 11. 3:30PM ET ABC.

 

Michigan

Michigan 30  UConn 10: Two words, Denard Robinson. He has almost single handedly breathed new life into the ailing Wolverine program. He simply ran rough shod all over the Huskies defense on Saturday. While the Huskies ‘D’ was essentially embarrassed for 4 quarters and looked like they were playing in molasses with concrete shoes on, UofM Coach Rich Rodriquez could hardly contain his enthusiasm on the sidelines. One could almost feel the burner under the embattled coach’s seat being turned down -from high to simmer - before a record setting 113,000+ football fans. The Big House- fresh off huge budgeted aesthetic upgrades- actually seemed loud for a change. Denard Robinson the Sophomore QB listed generously at 6 foot and 193 lbs, completed a remarkable 19-of-22 passes for 188 yards and a TD, and rushed for 197 more yards on his way to setting a school record for a QB ground attack. Robinson ran the ball a total of 29 times, most by play design rather than impromptu necessity. Robinson accounted for a total of 383yds. He was however, briefly injured after enduring a barrage of difficult tackles, and Freshmen QB Devin Gardner was called upon to fill in very briefly. Others of note during the game, Terrence Robinson had one reception for 43yds, while Darryl Stonum had five receptions for 34 yards as the pair lead all Michigan receivers. Vincent Smith, newly recovered from knee surgery had a little surf and turf with one passing TD and one rushing score. Defense looked fairly competent and perhaps quite improved, but certainly far from seamless. Scoring Summary looked like this: 1st quarter, Vincent Smith 12yd run. Denard Robinson 32 yd Run. 2nd quarter, Michael Shaw 3 yd run. 3rd quarter, Brendan Gibbons 24yd field goal. 4th quarter, Vincent Smith 11yd pass from D. Robinson.

Possible chinks in the Wolverine armor may be several. Defensive depth may become an issue, particularly in the secondary; as may, the longevity and health of QB Denard Robinson. With Robinson out of the game, the Michigan offense could very well sputter like an old broken down pick-up truck. Finally, as if there wasn’t enough drama surrounding the program already, possible cohesion problems turned into national storylines once again. As Denard was praised before an adoring Maize and Blue throng all game, last year’s starting QB Tate Forcier could be seen on national television sitting alone, dejected, and wrapped in towels on the bench in the 4th quarter. As the rest of his teammates stood excitedly, soaking in the victory, Tate chose to instead isolate himself. It immediately became a national storyline. Rumors of him transferring erupted, seemingly with Denard type speed, all over the internet and twitter. Tate’s father tried intensely to counteract the rumors via twitter himself immediately thereafter, but as long as Tate isn’t in the two deep and yet on the Wolverine squad, expect those rumors not to fully subside.

Next Foe: @ Notre Dame, Sat, Sept 11, 3:30PM ET NBC. We’ll find out how much sand UofM actually has this week when they square off against a talented Irish squad. Can RR realistically expect Denard to rush almost 30 times a game all season against bigger and more talented defenses? Emphatically, no. UofM will need to find more creative ways to move the ball or face -in all probability- a season with a freshmen back-up QB playing extensive minutes by necessity. Additionally, WR Roy Roundtree may not play this weekend. Should be another very interesting match –up for the Maize and Blue.

 

Minnesota

Minnesota 24  Mid Tennessee 17: This was not exactly an easy win for the Gophers, and that has to be a bit disconcerting for them. They did however, eventually grind out the W. The other good news is that the Gophers did have a 100yd rusher in Duane Bennett, and that’s something they’ve lacked for the last couple of seasons. Bennett carried the ball 30 times rushing for a total of 187yds. Fullback Jon Hoese whose father had a stroke last week and was unsure if he’d make the trip to Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro TN, had a big day in scoring. Hoese accounted for all 3 of the Gophers TD’s, with his 8 attempts for 26yds. Overall, Gopher QB Weber had 150yards on 10 of 17 passing. The Gophers absolutely dominated the time of possession 45:34 to 14:26. However, considering the game wasn’t put away until late in the 4th, this seems very much like a bitter sweet statistic. It could be a long season for the Golden Gophers if they stagnate and the offense flounders, unable to capitalize. There’s only one more tune up game before they draw talent laden USC.

Next Foe: Home against South Dakota Sat, Sept 11, Noon BTN. Hopefully a more dominate and focused team will emerge this Saturday and the Gophers can be competitive against heavy-weight USC, the following week.

 

 

Northwestern

Northwestern 23   Vanderbilt 21: This battle of conference academic big-wigs, was an entertaining season opener which saw Vanderbilt pull to within 2pts at 2:25 in the 4th quarter, before eventually succumbing to their Big Ten opponent. Wildcat QB Dan Persa looked good throwing for 222yds and 3TD’s; each TD dish going to a different receiver. He filled departed QB Mike Kafka’s cleats well with a remarkable 19 of 21 passing and went on to lead the Wildcats in rushing yards as well. His one major gaff came when he fumbled the ball and the Commodores recovered. Persa was sacked twice in the game, but overall proved to be a fairly mobile QB. Wildcat WR Ebert was the target of the evening with 5 receptions for 99yds. The Commodores outgained the Wildcats in total offense 432 to 365yds, but Northwestern never trailed in the contest after jumping out to 10-0 lead in the 1st quarter. The Northwestern scoring summary looked like this: 1st quarter, Stefan Demos 26yd field goal. Jeremy Ebery 33yd Pass from Persa. 3rd Quarter, Drake Dunsmore 9yd pass from Persa. 4th quarter, Josh Rooks 2yd pass from Persa.

A potential chink the Wildcat armor might be evidenced by them letting teams hang around late in the game. When the Wildcats meet up with some more explosive offenses this year, it may not turn out so well for them. The Spartans record setting and unforgettable come-from-behind victory in Evanston a few years ago, comes to mind.         Â

Next Foe: Home against Illinois State. Sat, Sept 11. Noon ET BTN.

 

Ohio State

(2)Ohio State 45  Marshall 7: The Big Ten’s highest ranked titan kicked off their season at home against the Thundering Herd in typical Buckeye style (26-2 at home against nonconference opponents under Coach Jim Tressel). In his first game since an excellent and successful Rose Bowl appearance, QB Terrelle Pryor took to the air and passed for 3 TD’s, on 17 of 25 passes for 247 yards. The strikes came from 6 and 11 yards out to receiver DeVier Posey, and 65 yarder to receiver Dane Sanzenbacker. Running back Brandon Saine looked quick and powerful as he rushed for 103 yards and 2TD’s. Ultimately the Buckeyes tallied 529 yards of offense which came by way of a particularly well balanced attack of 280 yards on the ground and 249 yards of first class Buckeye air mail. The Buck’s defense looked solid and without many wrinkles, in forcing three turnovers, while the Buckeye offense had committed none. Potential chink in the Buckeyes armor appeared on special teams when Marshall’s Ahmed Shakoor returned a blocked field goal 61 yards and in for a score. Expect Tressel to address the problem with fervency before a much anticipated game next Saturday.

OSU who is ranked #2 nationally, is a favorite to win the Big Ten once again this year.

Next foe: At home against (13)Miami Hurricanes Sat, Sept 11 3:40 ET ESPN. In a rematch of the 2002 National Championship game where The Buckeyes prevailed in double overtime. This could be a real barn burner folks. The Canes won their season opener against Florida A&M 45-0. [Even though they are once again off MSU’s schedule this year, the Buckeye’s will return next season (along with Wisconsin) as one of our opposing division floaters. ]

 

Penn State

(19)Penn State 44  Youngstown State 14: College football Icon and Penn State Head Coach Joe Paterno started a true Freshman at QB in the season opener for the first time in his 45 year career on Saturday, with Freshmen Rob Bolden (from Orchard Lake Michigan and once recruited by MSU). The Nittany Lions got off to a sluggish start and actually trailed 7-3 early, before rattling off 41 straight points in State College. Bolden didn’t disappoint in his debut, chalking up 239 yards on 20 for 29 passing, with 2TD’s and one interception. Running back Evan Royster chipped away rather slowly at the 3,000 career yard mark and his place as the sixth Nittany Lion to do so, with 11 carries going for a total of 40 yards. Penn State special teams were used extensively in the game to good effect. Kicker Collin Wagner drilled a nice collection of field goals and Chase Powell returned a kickoff the length of the field for a 100yd score. The confluence of talent was simply too much for the Penguins, but they did stun the Nittany defense early when Kurt Hess hooked up with Dominique Barnes for an 80 yard TD pass. The only other Penguin score came in garbage time, with 40 seconds left in the game when Hess chucked a 7 yarder to Ely Ducatel for the TD. Needless to say the Nittany defense after the initial scare, worked off the rust and clamped down. Penn State scoring looked like this: 1st quarter Collin Wagner 44yd field goal. 2nd Quarter, field goal Collin Wagner, 49 yarder. Brett Brackett 20 yd pass from Rob Bolden. Collin Wagner 48 yd field goal. Chaz Powell 100 yd Kickoff return. Brett Brackett 22 yd pass from Bolden. 4th Quarter, Stephfon Green 6yd run. Kevin Newsome 1 yd run.Â

Potential chink in the Nittany Lion armor, Joe Pa said after the game that Bolden may or may not start at QB against # 1 ranked Alabama this Saturday. As we in Spartan Nation know all too well, a lingering QB controversy can be the source of much uneasiness during the season.

Next Foe: @ (1) Alabama Sat, Sept 11, 7:00pm ET ESPN. The returning NCAA champions and Head Coach and former Spartan Nick Saban, will have the fans popping in Bryant-Denny Stadium under the lights. Penn State is going to need to give all they have to stay in this one… and probably then some. But key Crimson Tide injuries may play to Joe Pa’s advantage.

 

Purdue

Notre Dame 23 Purdue 12: The Boilermakers dropped their season opener in South Bend and handed Brian Kelly his first win as the Irish headman. Kelly then was handed the game ball, as a memento and hopeful homage to what the Fighting Irish hope, is a return to prominence and the end of a seemingly nonstop coaching carousel. Irish QB Dayne Crist passed for 205yds and a TD on 19 of 26 passing. The Boilers new QB Robert Marve, a transfer from the Miami Hurricanes, went for 220yds and 2 interceptions and was held scoreless through the air, but managed to find pay dirt with his legs on a 23yd jaunt in the 4th quarter. Marve did look decent at times, connecting on 31 of 42 through the air. The two offenses statistically were surprisingly similar however, and the Irish simply capitalized whereas the Boilers did not. In fact Purdue had the edge in time of possession at 35:05 to Notre Dame’s 24:55. Notre Dame RB Armando Allen looked good on his way to a 93yd one TD day. Rushing leader for Purdue was FB Dan Dierking who tallied 56yds on 9 carries. Receiving leader for the game was Irish WR Michael Floyd who accounted for 82yds on 5 grabs, therefore averaging 16 yrds per catch. The scoring summary for the game broke down like this: 1st Quarter ND’s Armando Allen 22yd run. 2nd Quarter, ND’s David Ruffer 22yd field goal. Boilers Carson Wiggs 25 yd field goal. ND’s David Ruffer 46yd field goal. 3rd Quarter ND’s TJ Jones 5yd Pass from Crist. 4th Quarter, Boilers Ryan Kerrigan tackled ND’s Allen in endzone for safety. Boiler Rob Marve 23yd run. ND’s David Ruffer capped off the day with a final 37yd field goal.

Defenses both played well at times defending the endzone, evidenced by the 4 in game field goals. All in all, it was not a flashy day of offensive power but instead adopted a more grind it out style. The potential chink in the armor for both squads appeared to be relative inexperience. They both, at times, struggled to find themselves it seemed. I expect both to grow significantly as the season progresses.

Next Foe for Purdue: Home against Western Illinois. Sat, Sept 11 Noon BTN.

Next Foe For Notre Dame: Home against Michigan. Sat, Sept 11 3:30PM ET NBC.

 

Wisconsin

(12)Wisconsin 41  UNLV 21: The Badgers took to the desert of Vegas for a late night game Saturday- and started off a bit like they’d been out too late the night before- with some very un-Wisconsin-like sloppy play. At 1:65 in the 1st quarter Runnin Reb Will Chandler parlayed an interception of Scott Tolzien into a 19yard touchdown. Then the oopsie-daisies struck again in the 2nd Quarter, when Badger Nick Toon coughed the ball up after a pass reception which had taken them all the way down to the UNLV 2 yard line. Chandler recovered the ball and took it 82 yards the other way, setting up an ensuing Rebel TD. The halftime score made it a 17 to 14 “battle,” courtesy of Badger miscues. Despite the score however, the Badgers were actually clearly dominate throughout. Wisconsin amassed 279 yards to UNLV’s measly 12 yards in that first half; 138 yards on the ground, to an atrocious -9 yards for UNLV. So Wisconsin’s defense was indeed wide awake even while the offense initially bumbled about sleepily. In the second half Bielema’s 11th ranked Badgers seemed to tighten the screws enough for the eventual blow-out. In the end the Badgers outgained UNLV 475 to 215 in total yards. Returning QB Scott Tolzien tallied 197 yards through the air on a very decent 15 of 20 passing, but did have the one interception which as mentioned, became a gift pick 6. Badger running back John Clay, who’s regarded as one of the most promising backs in the conference, had 123 yards total. Montee Bell also chimed in with 79 yards himself bringing the badgers total rushing game up to 278yds. Scoring breakdown for the Badgers, 1st quarter John Clay 5yd run.  Montee Ball 1 yd run. 2nd quarter, Philip Welch 20yd field goal. 3rd Quarter Aaron Henry 20 yd return. 33yd Philip Welch field goal. John Clay 16 yd run. Montee Bell 16 yd run.

Possible chink in the armor… turnovers. But it’s far more likely that it was late night Vegas jitters and rust. They’ll be a solid team this year.

Next Foe: At home against San Jose State Sat, Sept 11 Noon ET ESPN. San Jose State lost to (1)Alabama 48-3 on Sat.

 

Keepin’ Tabs on Nebraska

They win their opener big, (8)Nebraska 49  W. Kentucky 10.

Next Foe: Home against Idaho. Sat, Sept 11 12:30PM ET.