Big Ten Week 13: Michigan Finally Takes Over

Week 13 didn’t disappoint in the Big Ten, we finally know who will be representing each division in the East and West. Michigan will face Iowa in the Big Ten championship game as each team took care of their rival. Let’s check out each game and get an understanding of how things unfolded on Saturday, Here we go. 

IOWA 28, NEBRASKA 21

Played on Friday, the Iowa Hawkeyes found a way to pull out the victory in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Cornhuskers looked like they were finally going to beat a ranked opponent in week 13, they were leading Iowa 21-9 at the start of the fourth quarter. Suddenly, Iowa scored 21 unanswered points to clinch the victory. Iowa only scored one offensive touchdown the entire game and still found a way to win. Hawkeyes’ kicker Caleb Shudak had four field goals, all of them were 35-yards out or further. The game’s momentum was changed after Iowa’s Henry Marchese blocked a Nebraska punt and Kyler Fisher returned it 14-yards to give Iowa a chance, they never looked back. With an Iowa win and a Wisconsin loss, the Hawkeyes find themselves in the Big Ten championship game against Michigan. Unfortunately for Nebraska, the season is over as they finished 3-9. 

 MARYLAND 40, RUTGERS 16

This game had importance behind it as the winner was seeking a birth to a bowl game. The Maryland Terrapins were able to come out on top after a dominating performance. Taulia Tagovailoa was a major contributor, he finished with 312-yards and three touchdowns. Tagovailoa received help from the running game which tacked on 263-yards and three more touchdowns. Tayon Fleet-Davis led the charge in the backfield with 152-yards and two scores. Rutgers was outplayed on all ends; they didn't have the offensive firepower to compete with Maryland. The Scarlett Knights only had 337-total yards on offense, and they had 12 fewer first downs than Maryland. The Terrapins go to a bowl game for the first time since 2016. For Rutgers, it is unlikely that they make it to a bowl game at 5-7 but the program improved their win total under second-year head coach Greg Schiano. 

 MICHIGAN 42, OHIO STATE 27

The game of the weekend didn’t fail to entertain as Michigan, for the first time since 2011, beat Ohio State. The game came down to physical toughness and the Wolverines dominated the line of scrimmage. Michigan got the push on the line compared to Ohio State and the stats show it. Ohio State had only 94-rushing yards and Michigan had 276-rushing yards including six touchdowns. The star of the game was Michigan running back Hassan Haskins who scored five times. Ohio State was never able to get a rhythm in the game because the Buckeyes had 10 penalties which set them back in all aspects of the game. Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud played a good game, the loss doesn’t fall on his shoulder. Stroud was 34-49 for 394-yards and two touchdowns. The Buckeyes won’t play for a couple of weeks as they will likely be featured in the Rose Bowl. Michigan will go to the Big Ten championship game for a shot to play for the title. 

PURDUE 44, INDIANA 7

Indiana’s nightmare season finally came to an end Saturday as they lost convincingly to Purdue. The Hoosiers finished with a record of 2-10, both the offense and defense struggled all year. Indiana’s struggles showed as they only rushed for 58-yards and had a total of 205-yards on Saturday. Purdue put together one of their best years in a long time, the Boilermakers finished 8-4 and they showed why on Saturday. The offense for Purdue has been great, quarterback Aidan O’Connell threw for 278-yards and four touchdowns on Saturday. The running game for Purdue played well too, they gained 167-yards and two touchdowns. The game wasn’t close from kickoff as the Boilermakers steadily put the Hoosiers away all game. For Purdue, they will get invited to a solid bowl game while Indiana is ineligible due to finishing the year with a below .500 record.  

ILLINOIS 47, NORTHWESTERN 14

The battle of Illinois went to the Fighting Illini as they took care of Northwestern in dominant fashion on Saturday. Illinois outgained Northwestern offensively by 218-yards as the Fighting Illini showed superiority in the rushing game. Illinois scored four times on the ground, the bulk of the load came from Chase Brown who had 112-yards and one touchdown. Northwestern hasn’t had an effective quarterback play all year and that didn’t change on Saturday. Wildcat quarterback Ryan Hilinski was 12-23 for 123-yards and one interception. You simply can’t win football games if your productivity at quarterback is minimal. Both teams are bowl ineligible as Illinois finished the year at 5-7 and Northwestern ended their season at 3-9.

 MICHIGAN STATE 30, PENN STATE 27

This was a great football game as the Spartans came out on top due to some clutch plays down the stretch. Michigan State’s offensive came out and bounced back from their awful performance versus the Buckeyes in Week 12. The Spartans outgained Penn State 451-374 yards. The duo of running back Kenneth Walker III and quarterback Payton Thorne shined. Walker III had 138-yards and a touchdown while Thorne threw for 268-yards and two touchdowns. Penn State didn’t play a bad game of football, they were onside kick recovery from potentially winning the game. Sean Clifford lit up the stat sheet throwing for three touchdowns and 313-yards. Penn State had some key turnovers that allowed Michigan State to gain momentum in the game. Both teams had a great regular season and they will be featured in highly touted bowl games.  

 MINNESOTA 23, WISCONSIN 13

The Wisconsin Badgers blew their shot at making it to the Big Ten championship game on Saturday losing to Minnesota. The game was not all too close, as Minnesota was able to take away Wisconsin’s strengths. The Wisconsin Badgers were limited in the run game, running back Braelon Allen only had 47-yards. Minnesota stuffed the box and made Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz beat them and he was unable to do so. Mertz finished with 171-yards and one interception. Unfortunately, Badger fans will have to watch their team play in a respectable bowl game compared to the Big Ten championship as they finished at 8-4. Minnesota had another good year finishing at 8-4 as well. 

References: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/boxscores/2021-11-27-minnesota.html

Writer

-By: Justin Howard