Big Ten Week Six Review: Michigan/Iowa Squeeze Out Dramatic 3-Point Wins
Week six provided a massive amount of insight in terms of how the college football playoff could turn out. Let’s take a look at all the action from week six and get a better understanding of how the rest of the year could be impacted. Here we go.
Maryland 17 at Ohio State 66
You have to take into account the team that they beat but the Buckeyes are starting to play like the nation expected them to. Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud appeared to silence critics with his performance on Saturday catapulting him into the Heisman conversation. Stroud went 24-33 with five touchdowns and 406-yards. The Maryland Terrapins just gave up too many points here, they couldn’t contain the Buckeyes offense. Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa had two picks in the fourth quarter and he sometimes tried to extend plays, getting the team in trouble. Maryland wasn’t supposed to win this game and they will need to put this one behind them as they get right during their bye week. The Buckeyes also have a bye in week seven.
Michigan State 31 at Rutgers 13
Now ranked No. 10, the Spartans are for real. They beat a solid Rutgers team convincingly on Saturday behind the efforts of running back Kenneth Walker III and quarterback Payton Thorne. Walker III is making noise in the run for the Heisman trophy, he is dominating and looking elite as he rushed for 233-yards and a touchdown. The offense is humming and the Spartans look to be a real contender as they put up 600-yards against a real Rutgers team. On the other hand, the Scarlet Knights are coming off two losses from some of the best teams in the conference. At this point, I believe Rutgers will handle the teams they are supposed to beat and lose to the top, making them a middle-of-the-pack team. Next week the Spartans face Indiana as they try to stay undefeated while Rutgers goes up against Northwestern.
Wisconsin 24 at Illinois 0
If you are a Wisconsin fan you are relieved after finally getting a win on Saturday. The Badgers cruised to victory on Sunday and proved that their defense is the strength of this football team by holding Illinois to zero points. The Badgers have no trust in quarterback Graham Mertz, he only had 100-yards throwing on 19 attempts. They run the football and that is their recipe for winning, running backs Chez Mellusi and Brandon Allen combined for 276-yards and two touchdowns. Illinois’ offense is just not at the caliber to compete with the defense of Wisconsin, the Fighting Illini had a total of 93-yards.
Penn State 20 at Iowa 23
This game was one of the most anticipated games the Big Ten has witnessed in five years. It was a tale of two games, one with a healthy Sean Clifford and one with an injured Sean Clifford. The Penn State quarterback left the game early into the second quarter with an undisclosed injury as the Nittany Lions were up 17-3 and it looked like they were going to blowout Iowa. Iowa ended up finishing the game on a 20-3 run as Penn State’s backup quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson looked lost out there. Credit to Iowa, they took the ball away from Penn State multiple times showing why they can win ball games. Both teams set themselves up well in terms of the college football playoff. Iowa’s schedule is not too tough in the second half so if they win out, the Hawkeyes could be looking at a playoff berth. The Nittany Lions need to win out and win the Big Ten to get into the playoff but the close loss to Iowa helps their case. Next week, Iowa faces Purdue as they look to stay undefeated while Penn State has a bye.
Michigan 32 at Nebraska 29
This was Michigan's biggest win all year, going into Lincoln, Nebraska, and facing a solid Nebraska team is a hard task. The game was super balanced in terms of stats. Michigan had 459-total yards while Nebraska had 431. Nebraska’s quarterback Adrain Martinez out-dueled Michigan’s quarterback Cade McNamara but it was the rushing game for the Wolverines that led them to the victory. Running back Hassan Haskins had 123-rushing yards and two touchdowns for the Wolverines. Michigan’s identity is running the ball and they are having success with this new formula. Michigan kicker Jake Moody drilled two field goals in the fourth quarter giving the Wolverines the victory. Next week, Michigan has a bye while Nebraska faces Minnesota.
Reference: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/
Writer
-By: Justin Howard