CFB Week 5: Big Ten Top Continues to Roll

In week five, the Big Ten started the bulk of its conference play schedule as we witnessed matchups that we are akin to seeing. The top of the conference showed why they are the best as they dominated their matchups in week 5 while the teams that aren’t as competitive are just trying to stay afloat. Let’s look at what occurred in week 5 and analyze how individual teams played. Here we go.

Iowa 51 at Maryland 14

Coming into this game, I believed that Iowa was potentially on upset alert, but they proved me wrong. Maryland’s offense was clicking coming into Friday’s matchup, but turnovers got the best of Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. The Terrapins had seven total turnovers, five of which were from Tagovailoa interceptions. Iowa scored 24 points off Maryland’s turnovers showing that their defense is for real. The Hawkeyes know the right formula for success as they ran for three touchdowns behind their elite offensive line. Maryland should continue to grow from this loss and Tagovailoa will have to learn from his mistakes. Next week Iowa has a big matchup versus No. 4 Penn State while Maryland faces a trending up No. 7 Ohio State team.

Minnesota 20 at Purdue 13

This Minnesota team confuses me due to their inconsistencies. One week they look great and the other week they can’t seem to get things right. However, credit to the Golden Gophers for going into Purdue and coming out with a victory. Purdue has been playing decent football and they have put themselves in positions to win games. They easily had more total yards than Minnesota and had 16 more first downs. Turnovers were the difference in the game as the Boilermakers had two giveaways leading to Minnesota’s victory. Aidan O’Connell outperformed Tanner Morgan as he threw for 202 more yards. Both teams have a bye in week six but after the schedules don’t get easier. Minnesota faces a good Nebraska team in week six while Purdue plays Iowa after their bye week. 

Michigan 38 at Wisconsin 17

Michigan is real this year. The opponents they have faced haven’t been of the best caliber, but they went into a hostile environment in Madison, Wisconsin, and took care of business easily. At halftime, it was 13-10 in favor of the Wolverines and this game was a battle, but Michigan pulled away in the second half. The Wolverines had success in every statistical category, they had more total yards, first downs, and fewer turnovers than the Badgers. The issue with Wisconsin is the offense, they can’t seem to generate a successful passing game as Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz has looked unsteady all year. Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara looked efficient as he threw for almost 200 yards and two touchdowns. Michigan has a real test in week five as they travel to play a good Nebraska team. Wisconsin looks to get back on track with a game against Illinois in week six. 

Charlotte 14 at Illinois 24

Illinois needed to win this football game for the morale of the program. It would’ve been a bad sign for Head coach Bret Bielema if they lost to Charlotte at home. The Fighting Illini had a great week rushing the football as they had 339-rushing yards. The bulk of the yards were accumulated by Chase Brown, he rushed for 257-yards and two touchdowns. At the end of the day, Illinois did what they had to do to walk away with the victory. Next week, the schedule gets tougher as they play a Wisconsin team that is desperate for a win.

Ohio State 52 at Rutgers 13

The Buckeyes might be back to their normal self after Saturday’s victory. Ohio State went into Piscataway, New Jersey, and took care of business with ease. Ohio State’s offense was reaching its potential as they had 45 points at halftime. C.J. Stroud was back and looked fresh off a rest week, he threw for 330-yards and five touchdowns. Ohio State’s receiver’s Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave looked sharped and carved up the Rutgers’ secondary. The biggest takeaway from this game is how sharp the defense for the Buckeyes looked. They forced three turnovers on defense and finally stopped giving up the big plays as the young secondary was making plays. Unfortunately, the Scarlett Knights ran into an angry Ohio State team, so they look to bounce back in week six versus a good Michigan State team. Next week, the Buckeyes look to keep the ball rolling versus Maryland. 

Indiana 0 at Penn State 24

Penn State walked away from Saturday’s game with a bit of revenge as they continue their steady play this season. Both sides of the ball were playing well for the Nittany Lions, they rushed for 209-yards and Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford threw for 199-yards and three touchdowns as his connection with receiver Jahan Dotson is one of the best in college football. Indiana’s struggles continue and it starts with the quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The Indiana quarterback is struggled coming off an ACL injury and now he is dealing with a shoulder injury. He now has seven interceptions and four touchdowns after throwing two more on Saturday. The Hoosiers have a bye next week, but in week seven they might have to rely on Jack Tuttle versus Michigan State. Penn State has their biggest test of the week on Saturday when they face the No. 3 team in the nation in Iowa. 

Western Kentucky 31 at Michigan State 48

The Spartans are now 5-0 after Saturday’s victory versus Western Kentucky. Michigan State’s running back Kenneth Walker III is on a tear right now, he rushed for 124-yards and three touchdowns. Michigan State looks dynamic, and they have made massive changes since last year’s team, quarterback Payton Thorne had 327-yards throwing and a touchdown. However, it was a bit concerning how the defense of the Spartans allowed 560-total yards to Western Kentucky. The secondary for Michigan State looks to be an area of weakness as they gave up three downs and 488-yards through the air. Michigan State has one of their biggest tests so far as they play at Rutgers in week six.

Northwestern 7 at Nebraska 56

Northwestern is officially not the team they were in the 2020 season. This game was extremely lopsided, the Wildcats allowed Nebraska to have a total of 657 yards on offense including seven rushing touchdowns. The Wildcats usually pride themselves on defense and it is concerning for them to give up that many yards. Adrian Martinez played a beautiful football game as he scored three touchdowns running and one passing for a total of 252-yards. The Cornhuskers are playing good football in the past couple of weeks and look to build upon this win versus Michigan in a potential upset. Northwestern in week six has a bye week but they will face Rutgers in week seven. 

References: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/

-By: Justin Howard