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Big Ten Breakdown: A Complete Recap of Each Big Ten Game in Week 13

Michigan secures Big Ten East with upset of Ohio State, Iowa clinches Big Ten West with Wisconsin loss to Minnesota.

Connor Zimmerlee

Big Ten Football Scores: Week 13

Friday November 26

No. 17 Iowa 28 at Nebraska 21

This loss is the perfect microcosm of Nebraska's season. The Cornhuskers were leading 21-6 late in the third quarter before things quickly began to unravel. Iowa would cut the lead to 21-9 on a field goal, followed by a blocked punt touchdown for the Hawkeyes to cut the lead yet again to 21-6. Things only got worse from there for the Huskers as they would commit a safety and then gave up a field goal, their lead vanishing as Iowa tied it at 21. For those following Nebraska this season, they knew what was coming next, as Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras would score the Hawkeyes lone offensive touchdown on the day, rushing it in to put Iowa up 28-21 for good. Iowa finishes the regular season and with the Wisconsin loss to Minnesota, the Hawkeyes clinched the Big Ten west title. As for Nebraska, this loss dropped their record to 3-9 on the season, with eight of those losses being by one score. 

Saturday November 27

No. 2 Ohio State 27 at No. 6 Michigan 42

For Michigan, they were finally able to get the Ohio State monkey off their backs in big fashion. In a game that may very well end up serving as a defacto College Football Playoffs quarterfinal, the Wolverines dominated Ohio State to secure the win. They pounded the ball on the ground, relying on running back Hassan Haskins to lead them offensively, and lead them he did. Haskins ran 169 yards and five touchdowns as the Buckeye defense had no answers for the Michigan run game. While Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud was still efficient through the air, throwing for 394 yards and two touchdowns, Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson made sure Stroud felt his presence, racking up three sacks on the day. This is a huge win for Michigan, as it secured the Big Ten east and their first ever Big Ten championship appearance. If they can take care of business against Iowa, the Wolverines have a very good case to make the CFP. 

Maryland 40 at Rutgers 16

For the first time in five years Maryland is going bowling following the blowout win over Rutgers. It was an offensive explosion for the Terps, spearheaded by quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa put up video game numbers in this one, throwing for 312 yards and accounting for four total touchdowns, with three through the air and one rushing. Tagovailoa also became the Maryland single season passing yards leader, passing former Maryland quarterback Scott Milanovich, in what has been an electric season for the quarterback. Maryland also pounded the ball on the ground, rushing for an impressive 263 yards. The Terps finish the season at 6-6 and will wait to see where they will go bowling this postseason. 

Penn State 27  at No. 12 Michigan State 30

Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III kept his name in the Heisman race with an impressive performance in the Spartan win. Walker rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown, helping Michigan State pull out the win. He wasn't the only offensive contributor however, as quarterback Payton Thorne threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns to propel the Spartans to victory. While their offense kept rolling, Michigan State's suspect pass defense was exposed yet again, this time by Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford. Despite the loss, Clifford threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns, including 137 yards and two touchdowns to his favorite target, wide receiver Johan Dotson. With the win, the Spartans finish their season at 10-2 and await Selection Sunday to learn what bowl game they'll be playing in, while Penn State finishes the season at 7-5. 

Indiana 7 at Purdue 44

At the start of the season the Indiana Hoosiers were ranked 16th in the AP Poll following a successful 2020 season. Their season, however, did not go how they envisioned as with the blowout loss to Purdue the Hoosiers finish with a 2-10 record and one of the worst teams in college football. For Purdue, however, an 8-4 record on the season is reason for optimism. Purdue quarterback Aidan O'Connell led the way offensively for the Boilermakers in the blowout win, throwing for an efficient 277 yards and four touchdowns on 26/31 passing, with all four touchdowns going to different receivers. Indiana now must look past this disappointing season and hope to bounce back strong in 2022 while Purdue celebrates their first eight win season since 2002. 

Northwestern 14 at Illinois 47

Just when things couldn't appear to get worse for Northwestern, they did. While the Wildcats had a disappointing season they hoped to close it out with their seventh straight win over rival Illinois, but the Illini had other plans. Illinois came out with an offensive explosion as they racked up 459 yards of total offense on the day. They did it both on the ground and through the air, gashing the Northwestern defense repeatedly. Quarterback Brandon Peters led the way through the air, throwing for 242 yards and a touchdown, with his favorite target wide receiver Isaiah Williams hauling in 113 receiving yards and Peters' lone touchdown. On the ground Illinois was led by a familiar face, with running back Chase Brown gashing the Northwestern defense for 112 yards and a touchdown. While neither team will finish the year in a bowl game, the win provides some momentum for the 5-7 Illini heading into their 2022 season. 

No. 18 Wisconsin 13 at Minnesota 23

All Wisconsin needed to do was beat Minnesota and they would clinch the Big Ten west and a spot in the Big Ten championship game. This game was the stereotypical Big Ten game in a nutshell with limited offense and defenses showing out. There was only two offensive touchdowns in this one, both coming from Minnesota. Minnesota running back Ky Thomas contributed one of those touchdowns, finishing the day with a mere 55 yards and one touchdown. Minnesota's other offensive touchdown came from quarterback Tanner Morgan, who finished the day with 199 yards and one touchdown, who connected with wide receiver Chris Autumn-Bell for his only passing touchdown on the day. Wisconsin's loss drops them to 8-4 on the season and also helped Iowa win the Big Ten west while Minnesota's win helps them finish 8-4 as well. 

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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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