The Big Ten Puts the Rest of College Football on Notice in Week Three

Week three of the college football season is in the books and the games played just as I expected. Some upsets occurred but nothing too catastrophic to the point that it shocked the nation. Overall, the Big Ten showed out as a conference with playing competitive games and beating some of the top teams in the nation. Let’s take a look at the games from week three and break down what happened and how it will impact particular teams moving forward. 

Maryland 20 Illinois 17

This game was much closer than anticipated as Maryland was favored by a touchdown. Credit to Bret Bielema and the Fighting Illini for showing up and playing their hearts out in front of their home crowd. Illinois needs to become more dynamic on offense to compete more often and it takes time through recruiting. Maryland had 146 more total yards on offense but Illinois stuck around as the Terrapins had two costly turnovers. Taulia Tagovailoa looks to be comfortable dropping back in the pocket as he had 350-yards passing and one touchdown. Tagovailoa orchestrated a game-winning drive that was capped off by a field goal by Joseph Petrino to give the Terrapins the win. Maryland will face Kent State on Saturday as they look to go 4-0 while Illinois squares off with Purdue in a good matchup.

Michigan State 38 Miami (FL) 17

The surprise team of this year's Big Ten is without a doubt Michigan State, they are ranked 20th in the AP Poll now. The Spartans are different from previous years and they are playing with a swagger on offense under coach Mel Tucker. Miami was ranked 24th but I believed after watching them play this year that the Spartans would go into Florida and win this one. Michigan State’s defense was able to force four turnovers and the Spartans dominated the rush game as Kenneth Walker III had 172-rushing yards. Payton Thorne looked like a quarterback that could lead this offense to success as he tossed four touchdowns in the victory. The Spartans are going to be a tough out in the Big Ten East, unlike previous years. Next week, Michigan State plays Nebraska in a game they should handle. 

Nebraska 17 Oklahoma 23

While the Cornhuskers lost, this game was almost a win for the program in my eyes. Nebraska was supposed to get blown out in this game as they were facing the No. 3 team in the country in Norman, Oklahoma. The Nebraska defense held Spencer Rattler to 214-yards and only one touchdown. Adrian Martinez looked good as he had 323-total yards and one touchdown. The Cornhuskers were unable to pull off the upset but Scott Frost might’ve bought himself some more time as head coach with a close performance in a rivalry game. Next week, Nebraska faces a hot Michigan State team and they will have their hands full. 

Cincinnati 38 Indiana 24

This game was one of the more entertaining contests in the Big Ten as it featured two teams with legit goals for the 2021 season. Indiana was hanging with the No. 8 team in the nation and was looking to upset them but turnovers got the best of them. Michael Penix Jr. still looks rusty compared to what we saw in 2020. Penix had 224-yards passing on 17-40 attempts, he threw two touchdowns and three interceptions which was the difference in the game. Cincinnati was able to capitalize and score points off Penix Jr.’s turnovers. Indiana needs to play cleaner football to get back to the success the program had in 2020. The Hoosiers play Western Kentucky next week and look to get back into the win column.

Northern Illinois 10 Michigan 63

Michigan looks legit, they are taking care of the teams they are supposed to with ease. The Wolverines are now ranked No.19 in the country but before we get ahead of ourselves, we have to realize they have beaten teams that are not of the highest competition. They beat a Washington team that is supposed to be legit but that Huskies team lost to Montana. The good news for Michigan is that they know their identity and play to their strengths which is running the football. They use their physicality to impose their will on teams. On Saturday they rushed for 373 yards and eight touchdowns. Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards, and Hassan Haskins all rushed for two or more touchdowns. The schedule now gets real as they face Rutgers and Wisconsin in the next coming weekend. 

Minnesota 30 Colorado 0

The Golden Gophers showed up on Saturday in Boulder. They traveled west and faced a solid Colorado team and dominantly beat them. Minnesota moved the ball whenever they wanted to as they waltzed all over Colorado. They had 441-total yards to Colorado’s 63-total yards. The defense was elite by the Golden Gophers holding Colorado’s top rusher to -27-rushing yards. Treyson Potts continued to fill in for Mohamed Ibrahim as he had 121-yards and three touchdowns. This Minnesota team is one of the harder outs in the Big Ten and watch out for them to pull off some upsets. In week four, they face Bowling Green which should put them to 3-1 on the year. 

Purdue 13 Notre Dame 27

Notre Dame ended up pulling away but this game was much closer than the score entails. The score was 13-17 heading into the fourth quarter, and the Boilermakers outgained the Fighting Irish in total yards. The defense gave up 10 points in the fourth quarter which was the difference in the game. Starting quarterback Jack Plummer had 187-yards and one touchdown but was taken out late in the game after being hit and put under duress. I expect Jack Plummer to be the starter next week when the Boilermakers face Illinois in a game I believe they will win. 

Kent State 7 Iowa 30

Iowa has looked to be the most dominant Big Ten team this season so far as they have had three flat-out convincing victories. The Hawkeyes are consistent and play the game physically, they run downhill as they racked up 206-rushing yards and three touchdowns on Saturday. Spencer Petras managed the game well, he had 209-yards throwing and one touchdown. The good news is Iowa doesn’t need Petras to play hero ball for the Hawkeyes to win. The No.5 Iowa Hawkeyes look to go 4-0 next week as they face Colorado State. 

Tulsa 20 Ohio State 41

This game was about freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson as the Buckeyes on offense showed their physicality versus their flare. Henderson broke the freshman single-game rushing record with 277-yards and three touchdowns. C.J. Stroud played tentatively and you can see that the pressure is getting to him as he had 185-yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Fans in Columbus were upset after the Oregon loss, it was Ohio State’s lowest attendance in the Horseshoe since 1971. The defense is still the main issue, they allowed 501-total yards to a Tulsa team that simply shouldn’t be gaining that many yards against a top team in the country. Next week, the Buckeyes have more time to fix their problems as they face Akron.

Delaware 13 Rutgers 45

Rutgers is 3-0 and this start is one of the most promising starts to a Scarlet Knight football season in years. They beat Delaware, who they were supposed to but it's about the way they stomped on Delaware that stands out to me. Greg Schiano has his team playing good, disciplined football on both sides of the ball. The offense produced almost 500-yards of offense and Noah Verdal had 323-passing yards and two touchdowns. They look to keep up the momentum next week but I think the magic ends as Rutgers has to play Michigan.

Northwestern 23 Duke 30

If you are a Northwestern fan you are frustrated with how your team has played to open the season. This game was a blowout at halftime as Duke was up 30-7, hope for the Wildcats looked dead at this point. However, after a quarterback change, Northwestern climbed back in only to lose 30-23. The issue is the offense production, Hunter Johnson had to be replaced by Andrew Marty after throwing three interceptions. Marty played a decent football game throwing for 151-yards and two touchdowns in limited action due to an injury. The Wildcats are going to have to figure out the quarterback situation this year to have success as their defense isn’t as reliable as 2020. In week four, the Wildcats go up against Ohio in a game that is more of a challenge than the media might expect.

Auburn 20 Penn State 28

Penn State sent a message this weekend letting the Big Ten know that they are for real. The white-out environment is one of the best in college football, and the game didn’t disappoint. The game stats were fairly even, both teams had similar total yardage but Penn State’s passing game was more potent. Sean Clifford played a great football game, he went 28-32 for 280-yards and two touchdowns. Penn State’s defense is for real, they hit hard and close well. Next week, the Nittany Lion’s face Villanova in a game they will win. This team can win the Big Ten with how balanced the top is currently.

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

Writer

-By: Justin Howard