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Big Ten Breakdown: A Complete Recap of Week 2 in B1G Football

All the wins, losses and key moments from this week's slate of contests in the Big Ten conference.

Molly Keshin

Big Ten Breakdown: A Complete Recap of Week 2 in B1G Football
Big Ten Breakdown: A Complete Recap of Week 2 in B1G Football /

From "big summer blowouts" (yes, I just quoted Frozen) to College GameDay matchups, let's take a look at what went down during Week Two of games in Big Ten football. 

GIF credit: Giphy.com

Saturday September 11th

Illinois 14, Virginia 42

The Fighting Illini looked to bounce back from a week two loss to the UTSA Roadrunners against the Cavaliers, however they fell *really* short, rushing for 116 yards and passing for 221, yet only scoring twice against the Hoos. Virginia, on the other hand, had quite the game offensively, as senior quarterback Brennan Armstrong went OFF for 405 yards and 5 touchdowns on the day. 

Michigan State 42, Youngstown State 14

The Spartans were absolutely dominant in their season opener against Northwestern, and picked up right where they left off as they cruised to an easy victory over the Penguins. Sophomore quarterback Payton Thorne went 15-21 with 280 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, as Sparty (led this time by sophomore Jordan Simmons) racked up 272 yards with the run game. The defense also had a strong showing, such as this insane grab from senior safety Xavier Henderson: 

Northwestern 24, Indiana State 6

The Wildcats quickly got back on track after a difficult loss to Michigan State last week, as they shot out to an early 14-0 lead before stalling out on the offensive side of the ball. However, the Northwestern defense came ready to play, holding the Sycamores to just 169 total yards on the day. Sophomore running back Evan Hull led the way for Chicago's Big Ten team with 126 rushing yards and two touchdowns. For the full game recap, click here. 

Ohio State 28, Oregon 35

Although No. 3 OSU opened the matchup as 13 point favorites–and it's hard not to see why after Week One–No. 12 Oregon pulled off the upset to hand the Buckeyes their first regular-season loss since 2018 against Purdue. Ohio State never even held a lead in the contest despite freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud's best effort, as the Ducks' own C.J., junior running back C.J. Verdell, racked up 161 rushing yards and 34 passing yards for 3 touchdowns. 

Minnesota 31, Miami (OH) 26

The Golden Gophers got the bounce back they were looking for after a rough Week One loss to Ohio State, which included the loss of star running back Mo Ibrahim due to a lower leg injury. Yet, redshirt sophomore running back Treyson Potts was ready and willing to fill his teammate's shoes, as he racked up 178 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns in his first career start at Minnesota. Although the Golden Gophers got out to an early 21-3 lead in the first half, the Redhawks tried to make it interesting–cutting the lead to as little as one–in the third and fourth quarters before the Minnesota defense stepped up to pull out the win. 

Rutgers 17, Syracuse 7

The Scarlet Knights looked dominant in their first game against Temple, but were a bit more...challenged, to say the least, in this matchup against the Orange. The first half was a bit of a ~snoozefest~ as the score was 0-0 going into halftime with only 49 yards and 5 first downs by Rutgers in that stretch. However, the Scarlet Knights hit the reset button at halftime, taking advantage of Syracuse miscues to get to their first 2-0 start to a season since 2014. 

Purdue 49, Connecticut 0

No offense to the Boilermakers and Huskies, but if the Rutgers-Syracuse was a snoozefest, then this game was a literal excuse for nap time. UConn had quite some trouble against Purdue, seeing as they have not won a game since 2019, and totaled only 223 yards on the day while Purdue starting quarterback Jack Plummer tallied up 245 passing yards and 4 touchdowns on his own before getting some relief from second- and third-string quarterbacks Aidan O'Connell and Austin Burton, as the Boilermakers scored TDs on 5 out of their first 6 possessions of the game. To say the least, Purdue completely owned the Huskies today to cruise to 2-0 on the season. 

Nebraska 28, Buffalo 3

In what could have been a trap game for the Huskers, Nebraska ended up holding the Bulls to their fewest points scored in five years, putting the team on a good track as they are set to face No. 4 Oklahoma next week. Junior quarterback Adrian Martinez connected with senior receiver Samori Toure for two 68-yard touchdowns and a total of 296 yards on the whole day. The first and third quarters were quiet for the Huskers, while contrastingly scoring 14 points in both the second and fourth quarters. It was all even numbers for Nebraska today, apparently! 

Penn State 44, Ball State 13

After strolling into Madison and stunning Wisconsin at home for an upset win in Week One, the Nittany Lions really got to strut their stuff against the Cardinals as they accumulated 253 passing and 240 rushing yards on the day. Touchdowns were coming from up and down the entire Penn State roster today, including a notable pick-six by senior linebacker Jesse Luketa, to help bring Penn State to 2-0 on the young season. Next week, catch the Nittany Lions on College GameDay this Saturday against Auburn. 

Iowa 27, Iowa State 17

The premiere, College GameDay matchup for Week Two lived up to expectations, as it not only was an in-state rivalry, but also a contest between two top-ten teams. Even though the Cyclones dominated the stat sheet, tallying 252 passing yards and 87 rushing yards compared to the Hawkeyes' respective 106 yards and 67 yards, Iowa came out on top thanks to efficient drives and  four Cyclone turnovers. Oh, and they obviously had a good luck charm in alum Ashton Kutcher being present for the contest. 

Wisconsin 34, Eastern Michigan 7

The Badgers made a quick recovery from their devastating loss to Penn State last week with a dominant win over the Eagles. Holding Eastern Michigan to just 92 total yards, Wisconsin basically did whatever they wanted as they racked up 352 rushing yards and 166 passing yards, including 144 rushing yards from junior running back Chez Mellusi alone. 

Maryland 62, Howard University 0

The Terrapins offense quite literally exploded against the Bison, as junior star quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa basically just had target practice for nearly 60 minutes, racking up 274 of the 374 passing yards on the day, as well as 3 touchdowns. Senior receiver Dontay Demus Jr. also had quite the day as he tallied 128 receiving yards on 6 receptions and one touchdown, helping Maryland improve to 2-0 on the young season. 

Michigan 31, Washington 10

The Big House was packed for this Saturday night, prime time matchup, and Michigan did not disappoint as sophomore running back Blake Corum led the Wolverines past a struggling Huskies team with 171 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. The contest also included a fake punt trick play from head coach Jim Harbaugh, which helped the Wolverines to pull away despite a slow first quarter. 

Indiana 56, Idaho 14

Effective special teams units + dominant defense + efficient offense = total rout victory for the Hoosiers over the Vandals in Week 2, as Indiana got to a 35-0 lead before Idaho could even convert for a first down. Senior running back Stephen Carr led the way for the Hoosiers with 118 of the team's cumulative 179 rushing yards, as well as a touchdown on the night. 

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Game Recap: Northwestern Takes Down Indiana State in 24-6 Victory

Around the Big Ten: Oregon at Ohio State Game Recap

Around the Big Ten: Youngstown State at Michigan State Game Recap

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Molly Keshin
MOLLY KESHIN

Molly Keshin is a reporter/contributor for Wildcats Daily on Sports Illustrated's FanNation Network. She is a graduate student in the Northwestern University Medill School journalism program, specializing in Sports Media. Molly recently graduated from the University of Virginia, where she was a member of the softball team. 

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