Spartan Nation Week Seven Big Ten Wrap Up

 

Gerard Butler had a good time watching some Big Ten football this weekend. Photo courtesy of Mark Boomgaard.

Indiana (4-2, 0-2 Big Ten)  v Arkansas St (2-5, 2-2 Sun Belt)

 

Indiana 36 Arkansas St 34

The Red Wolves of Arkansas state tried to get their first ever win against a Big Ten foe in Bloomington on Saturday, but the Hoosiers sent them home with yet another loss, falling to 0-5 all-time against the Big Ten, in what was largely an offensive shootout. Indiana QB Ben Chappell continued his season of offensive prowess going 26 of 42 passing for 382 yards, with 4 TD’s and no interceptions. The Red Wolves didn’t simply give ground away entirely however, as Chappell was often victim to a rather effective Arkansas State pass rush. In the end, Chappell toughed it out and put together an exciting second half of play which turned a 14-12 half time Hoosier deficit into an eventual 36-34 win, effectively snapping the Hoosiers two game losing streak. Indiana’s RB Trae Burgess led the rushing attack with 19 carries for 102 yards. Meanwhile both Demarlo Belcher and Tandon Doss reached the century mark with 121 and 103 yards receiving, respectively. The 113 total rushing yards and 382 passing yards for the Hoosiers gave a net offensive output of 495 yards compared to the Red Wolves 337 yard display. On a day which lacked much in the way of complete defensive effort, the Hoosier offense which has appeared dynamic at times this season, just simply out-shot the Red Wolves by game’s end.

Scoring Summary

FIRST QUARTER         Â

TD       07:05   Ryan Aplin 1 Yd Run (Bobby Zalud Kick) ARST 7 IND 0

           FG       00:20   Mitch Ewald 20 Yd  ARST 7 IND3

SECOND QUARTER                Â

           FG       06:15   Mitch Ewald 34 Yd  ARST7 IND6

           TD       02:43   Ryan Aplin 4 Yd Run (Bobby Zalud Kick) ARST14 IND6

           TD       00:40   Tandon Doss 7 Yd Pass From Chappell (2-pt Conversion Failed) AS14  IND12

THIRD QUARTER        Â

           TD       04:08   Terrance Turner 27 Yd Pass From Chappell (Mitch Ewald Kick) ARST14 IND19

FOURTH QUARTER      ARST   IND

           FG       13:19   Mitch Ewald 46 Yd. ARST14 IND22

           TD       11:39   Sirgregory Thornton 6 Yd Run (Two-Point Conversion Failed)ARST20 IND22

           TD       10:04   Max Dedmond 16 Yd Pass From Ben Chappell (Ewald Kick) ARST20 IND29

           TD       08:05   Dwayne Frampton 5 Yd Pass From Ryan Aplin (Zalud Kick) ARST27 IND29

           TD       07:46   Damarlo Belcher 65 Yd Pass From Chappell (Mitch Ewald Kick) ARST27 IND36

TD       00:47   Sirgregory Thornton 22 Yd Pass From Ryan Aplin. ARST34 IND36

 

 

Purdue (4-2, 2-0 Big Ten) v  Minnesota (1-6, 0-3 Big Ten)

 

Purdue 28Â Minnesota 17

The big rumor circulating around the Big Ten football scene on Saturday morning was that if the Golden Gophers couldn’t pull out a victory in West Lafatette, Tim Brewster’s career as head football coach at Minnesota would be immediately cut short as a result. As it turns out, such rumors were quite firmly grounded in reality. The official news of Tim Brewster’s job termination hit the media Sunday morning, with Co-offensive coordinator Jeff Horton now slated to take the reins for the remainder of the football season. Brewster was 15-30 at Minnesota and will finish his career at the University with a 1-6 partial 2010 season record and a no-doubt sour-tasting 28-17 loss in Purdue’s Ross-Ade Stadium.

Boilermaker Senior FB Dan Dierking provided the rumble and QB Rob Henry provided the lightning on an otherwise clear fall Saturday in West Lafayette. Dierking gave a career performance running for 126 yards. Henry, who’s been filling in for injured former starter Robert Marve (knee; season) passed for 163 yards including one TD, and ran for 57yards and three TD’s in the victory. While Minnesota was handed its sixth straight loss, Purdue at 4-2 is off to its best conference start since the 2004 season. Purdue jumped out to a quick lead and was up 21-0 mid-way through the third quarter. Minnesota’s first points of the day didn’t come into late in the third quarter when Eric Ellestad hit a 35-yard field goal. In fact, it wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Gophers made the score appear somewhat respectable, where upon they added two quick TD’s to a game already largely out-of-hand. On the day Gopher QB Adam Weber completed a mere 20 of 45 passes for his eventual 214 yard total, which included two interceptions to go with his two TD’s. Da’Jon McKnight did emerge as a go-to-guy in the contest accounting for 123 yards on six receptions for the struggling Minnesota offense. Purdue rushed for 230 yards and passed for 163 yards on the day and ultimately Henry and Dierking simply proved too much for the Gopher defense to rein-in, as the fleet-footed and mobile Henry slashed, and the more bruising Dierking, banged through the defensive opposition. This one really wasn’t quite as close as the score indicated. Down 28-9 with seven minutes left in the game, Brewster’s goose was long- over- cooked. We do wish him well in his future endeavors.

Scoring Summary:

FIRST QUARTER                     Â

           TD       05:58   Rob Henry 4 Yd Run (Carson Wiggs Kick) MINN0 PUR7

SECOND QUARTER    Â

           TD       08:04   Rob Henry 1 Yd Run (Carson Wiggs Kick)  MINN0 PUR14

THIRD QUARTER        Â

           TD       08:42   Antavian Edison 20 Yd Pass From Henry (Carson Wiggs Kick) MINN0 PUR21

           FG       05:00   Eric Ellestad 35 Yd  MINN3 PUR21

FOURTH QUARTER     Â

           TD       12:17   Bryant Allen 11 Yd Pass From Weber (2-pt Conversion Failed) MINN9  PUR21

           TD       07:09   Rob Henry 3 Yd Run (Carson Wiggs Kick) MINN9 PUR28

           TD       03:00   Da'Jon McKnight 31 Yd Pass From Adam Weber (Adam Weber Pass To        Marqueis Gray For Two-Point Conversion) MINN17 PUR28

 

 

 

15 Iowa (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten) v Michigan (5-2, 0-2 Big Ten)

 

 

 

(15) Iowa 38Â Michigan 28

 

The game already seemed far out of the Wolverines hands when starting QB Denard Robinson once again was knocked out of competition after taking a rough hit which re-injured a nagging shoulder condition. As foreboding as the situation then appeared, it wasn’t until the nation’s leading rusher and one man offensive yardage dynamo was on the sidelines that the Wolverine offense began to show real signs of life. Wolverine reserve QB, Tate Forcier, stepped into the game and mounted a third quarter comeback going 17 of 26 passing for 239 yards. Forciers less than two quarters of play (in their entirety) in the game nearly matched the Hawkeye QB’s numbers for the entire shebang. Iowa QB Rick Stanzi ended the day with 248 yards on 17 of 24 passing. Dissimilarity however can be seen in contrasting the number of drive killing errors made between the two opposing Qb’s. Stanzi finished the day without an interception while Forcier’s two momentum squashing interceptions effectively ended any hope of Wolverine victory late in the game. After a quick opening drive that resulted in a Vincent Smith TD, Michigan’s offense was largely slowed under the tightening Hawkeye defense. Denard Robinson’s big play making ability, again, was largely stymied for the second time in as many Big Ten games. Meanwhile Michigan’s struggling defense started out the day hot as well, forcing two quick three-and-outs, but soon crumbled under the swarming Hawkeye attack. Offensively, Stanzi found WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos for their first TD late in the first quarter while effectively gashing the weak Michigan defensive secondary. Johnson-Koulianos finished the day with 3 TD’s on four receptions for a total of 70 yards. Complimenting the Hawkeye air assault in the contest was Iowa RB Adam Robinson’s rushing ability, running for 143 yards on a work-load 33 carries. Though Michigan continued to once again put up big offensive yardage numbers by outgaining Iowa 522 to 383 yards, they simply were not able to capitalize effectively once again against stiffer in-conference foes. It was Denard Robinson who again led the Michigan ground game despite his third quarter game –ending injury, with 105 yards on 18 carries. D. Robinson was kept out of the endzone entirely by the Hawkeye defense. Wolverine WR Junior Hemmingway led the Wolverines in receiving yards with 134 yards on nine receptions. Despite Tate Forciers added spark off the bench, which effectively tightened the point gap in this contest to respectable levels, Michigan Head Coach Rich Rodriguez gave little credence to the notion of an emerging mid-season QB controversy, later stating rather unequivocally “Denard Robinson is our starting quarterback.” But, with the recurring theme of poor defense and a frequently injured starting QB, Michigan’s outlook for the remainder of the season, is far less certain. After starting 4-0 last season and ending up at 5-7, familiar late season spirits seemingly threaten to haunt the Wolverine faithful yet again. Meanwhile the Hawkeye’s firmly established themselves yet again as legitimate contenders for the Big Ten title.

 

Scoring Summary:

 

FIRST QUARTER                     Â

 

           TD       08:18   Vincent Smith 8 Yd Pass From Denard Robinson (Seth Broekhuizen Kick)                                    IOWA0 MICH7

 

           TD       01:29   Derrell Johnson-Koulianos 14 Yd Pass From Ricky Stanzi (Michael Meyer Kick)               IOWA7           MICH7

 

SECOND QUARTER    Â

 

           TD       13:22   Derrell Johnson-Koulianos 31 Yd Pass From Ricky Stanzi ( Meyer Kick)          IOWA14   MICH7

 

           TD       04:31   Adam Robinson 4 Yd Run (Meyer Kick)IOWA 21            MICH7

 

THIRD QUARTER        Â

 

           TD       01:50   Adam Robinson 11 Yd Run (Meyer Kick) IOWA28 MICH7

 

FOURTH QUARTER

 

           TD       13:10   Stephen Hopkins 2 Yd Run (Broekhuizen Kick)IOWA 28 MICH14

 

           TD       11:37   Derrell Johnson-Koulianos 19 Yd Pass From Stanzi (Michael Meyer Kick)           IOWA35           MICH14

 

           TD       10:28   Junior Hemingway 45 Yd Pass From Tate Forcier (Seth Broekhuizen Kick)          IOWA35           MICH21

 

           TD       06:55   Tate Forcier 3 Yd Run (Seth Broekhuizen Kick) IOWA35  MICH28

 

           FG       02:53   Michael Meyer 30 Yd IOWA38 MICH28

 

 

 

 

18 Wisconsin (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) v 1 Ohio St (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten)

 

(18)Wisconsin 31Â (1)Ohio St 18

DOWN GOES FRAZIER! The perennial Big Ten Football heavy-weight- together with its fresh number one national ranking- got TKO’d by Bucky this weekend in Madison before a raucous nighttime Camp Randall crowd. Since the beginning of the season we had theorized that Ohio States inability to tighten the screws on its poor special teams play could eventually come back to bite them at the most inopportune of times. That time was this weekend and it was a spirited bucked-toothed badger that sunk its teeth in, and it wasted almost no time in doing so. Speedy Badger return specialist David Gilreath took the opening kickoff 97 yards for the games inaugural touchdown. Soon after, it was RB John Clay scoring on a 14 yard run and then again on another one yarder to give the Badger’s a 21-0 lead on their Buckeye foe. Ohio State seemed dazed after the initial Badger flurry struggling to mount any semblance of offensive momentum for much of the first half of play, taking a 21-3 deficit into the locker rooms at the half. After the break the momentum seemed to shift and the Buckeyes had apparently recovered of its wobbly legs with two straight Dan Herron touchdown runs, which together with a Terrell Pryor to Reid Fragel two-point conversion, brought the once gross Wisconsin edge, to a very manageable 21-18 lead with 11:38 to go in the game. The Badgers would not be denied however, as high-performance freshman running-back James White rambled for a 12 yard TD with 6:57 left; and the Badger defense again dug-in to hang on for a shut-out, thereafter. Instead of some glorious Buckeye comeback, it was a 41 yard Philip Welch field goal by the Badgers that capped off all scoring for the night as Wisconsin punctuated the epic 31-18 win. Ohio State has now lost three straight games in which it has played with the AP number one national ranking.

 

Buckeye QB Terrelle Pryor went 14 of 28 for 156 yards with one interception and no TD’s. Pryor rushed for 56 yards on 18 carries, while Dan Herron led with 19 carries for 91 yards. Dane Sanzenbacher led the Buckeyes in receiving with his six grabs for 94 yards. For the Badgers, QB Scott Tolzien was good for 152 yards on a remarkably efficient 13 of 16 passing, but also had one interception. John Clay rushed for 104 yards on 21 carries, followed by James White with 75 yards on 17 carries. Receiver Nick Toon led the Badger receiving corp with 72 yards on six receptions. Despite the difference in score, the Badgers only outgained the Buckeyes 336 to 311 in total offensive yards, and the time of possession was nearly equally split, with Ohio State having only a three second possession time lead.

Scoring Summary:

FIRST QUARTER                     Â

           TD       14:48   David Gilreath 97 Yd Kickoff Return (Philip Welch Kick) OSU0 WIS7

           TD       10:00   John Clay 14 Yd Run (Philip Welch Kick) OSU0 WIS14

SECOND QUARTER    Â

           TD       13:15   John Clay 1 Yd Run (Philip Welch Kick) OSU0 WIS21

           FG       06:48   Devin Barclay 21 Yd. OSU3 WIS21

THIRD QUARTER        Â

           TD       10:08   Dan Herron 13 Yd Run (Devin Barclay Kick) OSU10       WIS21

FOURTH QUARTER     Â

           TD       11:38   Dan Herron 1 Yd Run (Terrelle Pryor Pass To Reid Fragel For Two-Point Conversion)      OSU18           WIS21

           TD       06:57   James White 12 Yd Run (Philip Welch Kick) OSU18       WIS28

           FG       04:14   Philip Welch 41 Yd. OSU18 WIS31
 
 
Keeping Tabs on Nebraska
The formerly 5th ranked Huskers lost to unranked Texas in Lincoln this weekend 20 to 13. Nebraska fell to number 14 in the AP ranking and 5-1 on the season.