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Big Ten Breakdown: A Complete Recap of Each Big Ten Game in Week 12

Ohio State dominates Michigan State, Michigan dominates Maryland setting up a huge Ohio State-Michigan clash to end the season.

Connor Zimmerlee

Big Ten Scores: Week 12

Purdue 32 at Northwestern 14

The book on Purdue this season is they want to beat you through the air as their run game is practically non-existent. That was the case yet again against Northwestern with Purdue putting up 473 yards, 423 of which came through the air. Quarterback Aidan O'Connell shredded the Northwestern secondary with ease, throwing for 423 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target on the day was wide receiver Milton Wright who hauled in eight catches 213 yards and three touchdowns, as he constantly got behind the Northwestern secondary with ease. Not to be left out, star wide receiver David Bell also contributed 12 catches for 101 yards on the day. With the win the Boilermakers move to 7-4 on the season and look forward to their season finale next weekend against Indiana before awaiting their bowl selection. 

No. 7 Michigan State 7 at No. 5 Ohio State 56 

As we predicted in the preview for this game, the conference worst pass defense for Michigan State was an issue for the Spartans in this one. The Spartans gave up a staggering 655 yards of total offense, including 449 yards through the air. Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud tore the Spartan defense, if you can call it that, to shreds, throwing for 432 yards and six touchdowns in what was certainly his Heisman moment. You read that right, six touchdowns. Three Buckeye receivers tallied over 100 yards receiving and hauled in a touchdown, a first in Ohio State history. The trio of Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba took advantage of the porous Spartan pass defense, combining 371 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Ohio State remains undefeated in conference play, setting themselves up for a monster showdown against Michigan to end the season. 

Rutgers 0 at Penn State 28

While the season may have taken a negative turn over the last few weeks for Penn State, this is still a team that will leave it all on the field, which was evident in their shutout win over Rutgers. The Nittany Lions were led offensively by quarterback Christian Veilleux, who took over for quarterback Sean Clifford late in the first quarter. Veilleux did not look like a backup however as he would throw for an efficient 235 yards and three touchdowns on 15/24 passing. Defensively Penn State played lights out against Rutgers, holding the Scarlet Knights to 160 yards of total offense and not allowing over 100 yards through the air or on the ground. The win brings Penn State to 7-4 while the loss drops Rutgers to 5-6 with their last game of the season against Maryland a must-win game if they want to gain bowl eligibility. 

Illinois 23 at No. 18 Iowa 33

Iowa scored a total of three touchdowns in this game. Of those three touchdowns, only one was an offensive touchdown, as the Hawkeyes returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter and had a 32-yard pick six to put the game on ice late in the fourth. Offense was not the speciality in this one but an ugly win is still a win, which the Hawkeyes will take. With the win the Hawkeyes improve to 9-2 on the season and keep their Big Ten west hopes alive as they still have a shot to win the division and reach the Big Ten championship game. For Illinois, they needed this win to have a shot at bowl eligibility but now, sitting at 4-7, even if they are able to get to 5-7 on the season the possibility of getting a bowl bid at five wins is nearly impossible to accomplish. 

Minnesota 35 at Indiana 14

A bad season just keeps getting worse for the Hoosiers as they lost in blowout fashion to Minnesota to fall to 2-9 on the season. Minnesota offensively in this one had a balanced attack as they were able to move the ball against Indiana both through the air and on the ground. Quarterback Tanner Morgan led the way through the air, throwing for 196 yards and two touchdowns. He didn't light up the stat sheet but he put up an efficient outing and played turnover free football. On the ground, the Golden Gophers were led by running backs Ky Thomas and Mar'Keise Irving, who combined 175 of Minnesota's 195 yards on the ground and rushed for the other three Minnesota touchdowns on the day. With the win the Golden Gophers improve to 7-4 with an outside shot to still win the Big Ten west. 

No. 8 Michigan 59 at Maryland 18

This was a possible trap game for the Wolverines with a huge matchup looming with Ohio State. Instead, Michigan went out and absolutely rolled Maryland in what would be an easy win for the Wolverines. They were led offensively quarterback Cade McNamara, who threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns on the day. While he didn't put up a huge amount of yards on the stat sheet, running back Hassan Haskins still contributed 78 yards and two touchdowns in the blowout win over the Terps. Now for Michigan they face their biggest test yet in the last week of the season. With Ohio State up next for the Wolverines it is a game with both Big Ten championship implications but College Football Playoff implications as well. If Michigan can finally beat Ohio State they will advance to the Big Ten championship game with their own destiny in their hands for making the CFP. 

Nebraska 28 at No. 19 Wisconsin 35

Another week, another close loss for the Huskers, adding to their running total on the season of upset wins they couldn't quite pull off in the end. This game was won for Wisconsin on the shoulders of running back Braelon Allen who had a monster performance against the Huskers. Allen rushed for a whopping 228 yards and three touchdowns as he gashed the Nebraska defense throughout the game. With the win, the Badgers get their seventh win in a row and move to 8-3 on the season with a firm grasp on the Big Ten west. 

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Connor Zimmerlee
CONNOR ZIMMERLEE

Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for Wildcats Daily. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin as part of the class of 2021 and now attends the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern. 

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