Recapping Last Week's Big Ten Action: October 10
Recapping the week that was around the Big Ten football landscape.
NO. 7 OHIO STATE 66, MARYLAND 17
– Behind a dominant outing from quarterback C.J. Stroud, No. 7 ranked Ohio State rolled to an easy 66-17 win over Maryland to move to 5-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Big Ten. While Stroud completed 24 of 33 passes for 406 yards and five touchdowns, the Buckeyes – who put up nearly 600 yards – built a 35-10 lead at halftime and then outscored the Terrapins 31-7 in the second to cruise to the victory. Alongside Stroud's play, wide receiver Chris Olave made seven receptions for 120 yards and two TDs.
UP NEXT: Now ranked No. 6 in the nation, Ohio State has the week off before playing at Indiana on Oct. 23. Maryland, who has dropped two straight, is also off this week and returns to action on Oct. 23 on the road at Minnesota.
NO. 11 MICHIGAN STATE 31, RUTGERS 13
– Wide receiver Jalen Nailor racked up 221 yards and three TDs, running back Kenneth Walker ran the ball 29 times for 232 yards and a TD, and No. 11 ranked Michigan State remained unbeaten by picking up a 31-13 road win at Rutgers. Despite committing three turnovers, the Spartans still tallied 588 yards while holding the Scarlet Knights to 377. Rutgers was within 14-13 with 6:21 left in the second quarter, but MSU outscored it 17-0 from there to seal it.
UP NEXT: Now ranked No. 10 in the nation, Michigan State plays at Indiana on Saturday, while Rutgers travels to Northwestern.
WISCONSIN 24, ILLINOIS 0
– Wisconsin's defense went to work last Saturday, holding Illinois to just 93 total yards and nine first downs en route to a 24-0 win. The Badgers brought the pressure to Fighting Illini quarterback Artur Sitkowski, who completed just 8 of 27 passes for 55 yards, and shut them down as a whole offensively. On that side of the ball for Wisconsin, running back Chez Mellusi led the way with 145 yards and a TD on 21 carries while the Badgers put up 491 yards with 30 first downs.
UP NEXT: Wisconsin steps out of Big Ten play on Saturday and hosts Army, while Illinois has a bye week.
NO. 3 IOWA 23, NO. 4 PENN STATE 20
– In a battle of Big Ten undefeated teams, No. 3 ranked Iowa and No. 4 Penn State came down to the wire, but the Hawkeyes were able to come away with a 23-20 win to move to 6-0. The Nittany Lions jumped out to a 14-3 lead after the first quarter and led 17-10 at halftime and 20-13 going into the fourth, but Iowa outscored them 10-0 in the final period to record the victory. It was an evenly-played affair, as the total yards between the two sides were separated by just 18 and each of them recorded 18 first downs.
UP NEXT: Now ranked No. 2 in the nation, Iowa hosts Purdue on Saturday, while Penn State – now ranked No. 7 – has a bye week.
NO. 9 MICHIGAN 32, NEBRASKA 29
– No. 9 ranked Michigan held off Nebraska for a 32-29 win and improved to 6-0 on the season thanks to a 39-yard field goal by Jake Moody with 1:24 left in the game. The Wolverines led 13-0 at halftime, but Nebraska outscored them 22-6 in the third quarter to be up 22-19 entering the fourth. Despite holding a 29-26 advantage with 7:08 remaining, Moody hit back-to-back field goals to send Michigan out on top. The Wolverines finished with 459 yards, while the Cornhuskers put up 431.
UP NEXT: Now ranked No. 8 in the nation, Michigan has the week off, while Nebraska travels to Minnesota for an early kickoff.
============================
- Talk about it INSIDE GOPHER NATION.
- Follow us on Twitter: @MinnesotaRivals, @AlexCarlsonTGR, @SeanW_Rivals, @JaredHalus, @TMansfieldMedia.
- SUBSCRIBE to The Gopher Report.