Big News From the Big Ten: The Biggest Stories From Week 10 of College Football
On Nov. 1, the Big Ten Conference sent out the 10th press release of the 2021 NCAA College Football Season. Here are the top storylines from the release.
Five Big Ten Programs Ranked
Five Big Ten programs were ranked within the Top 25 polls this week, including three entries in the Top 10. Michigan State University leads the pack at No. 5, followed by No. 6 Ohio State University, No. 9 University of Michigan, No. 19 University of Iowa and rounded out by No. 22 Penn State University.
The three entries in the Top 10 is the most of any conference in the FBS, with the Southeastern Conference being the only other with multiple teams in the Top 10.
Spartans Win Thriller
In the much anticipated inter-state contest between Michigan and Michigan State, the latter prevailed 37–33 to stay undefeated. The Spartans are 8–0 for the first time since 2015 and for the seventh time in team history. It was the first Top 10 win for the Spartans since 2018 and the highest ranked win since 2015.
Kenneth Walker III upped his Heisman Candidacy with a spectacular performance that landed him the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week distinction. Walker had 197 yards and five touchdowns, the latter being every touchdown the Spartans scored on the day and was only the second five touchdown performance in the FBS this season. Walker is currently first in the country in rushing yards per game, third in rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns and fifth in all-purpose yards per game.
Buckeyes Keeps Rolling
Ohio State defeated Penn State 33–24 this past weekend, improving its record to 7–1. A highlight of the performance was the outstanding run defense that limited the Nittany Lions to just 33 rushing yards.
The Buckeyes lead the nation in scoring offense and are second in total offense and third in passing efficiency. Defensively, Ohio State is only allowing an average of about 66 yards per game, with about 45 yards allowed per game over the last several weeks.
Golden Gophers Trample Wildcats
The University of Minnesota extended its win streak to four with a victory over Northwestern University by a score of 41–14. The win catapulted the Gophers to first place in the Big Ten West and made the team bowl eligible for the third time in P.J. Fleck's tenure as head coach.
The Gophers had 442 yards of total offense, with 308 of those yards coming from the run game. Freshmen running backs Mar'Keise Irving and Ky Thomas had 110 and 106 yards respectively, which gave the duo over 100 yards each in two straight games. This was the first time since 2005 that two Minnesota running backs had back-to-back 100-yard games.
Badgers Handle Hawkeyes
The University of Wisconsin earned its fourth consecutive win and third consecutive conference win in a 27–7 rout of Iowa. This was the second consecutive game and win against a team ranked in the Top 25, a feat that hadn't happened for the Badgers since 2017, and the first victory over a Top 10 ranked team since 2019.
The defense for Wisconsin has been paramount in the recent winning as the unit ranks first in the nation in total defense and run defense, and has the latter mark by a significant margin. In the game against Iowa, the Badgers held the Hawkeyes to a season-low 24 rushing yards.
Boilermakers Edge Out Cornhuskers
Purdue University squeaked out a narrow 28–23 victory over the University of Nebraska. The Boilermakers had four interceptions for the second time in the past three games, and junior linebacker/safety Jalen Graham earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his two interceptions; one of which was returned for a touchdown. Graham became the second Boilermaker with multiple interceptions in a game in 2021 and just the 12th player in the program since 2000 to accomplish the feat.
Terrapins Earn Huge Win
The University of Maryland beat Indiana University 38–35 and improved its record to 5–3. Sophomore quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 419 yards and two touchdowns and became the first Terrapin quarterback to eclipse 400 yards in a game since 2010. The mark also places Tagovailoa third in Terrapin History in passing yards in a single game.
Schiano Earns Milestone Win
Rutgers University head coach Greg Schiano earned his 75th win at the helm of the Scarlet Knights over the University of Illinois by a score of 20–14. The coach needs just for more wins to take over the spot as the winningest coach in program history. The Scarlet Knights only surrendered 10 first downs to the Illini, tying the program record in Big Ten play.
Handful of Big Ten Teams Eligible for Bowl Games
Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Minnesota have secured bowl eligibility in 2021 while Maryland, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin are all just one victory away from clinching eligibility.
Repeat Information
All of the information below has appeared in past press releases. It will be summarized, but for more on this visit the older stories.
Big Ten Running Backs Dominate: TreVeyon Henderson, Kenneth Walker III, and Chase Brown
Three Big Ten running backs have had top-five FBS rushing performances this season, Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson, Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III and Illinois running back Chase Brown.
Scoring Defense: Michigan, Iowa, Penn State, and Purdue
Four Big Ten teams, Michigan, Iowa, Penn State and Purdue. are within the Top 10 scoring defense's in the country.
Big Ten Top Performers: C.J. Stroud, David Bell, Brandon Joseph, and Jayden Reed
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud has had two Top 5 performances in passing efficiency and passing yards, David Bell from Purdue has one in receiving yards, Brandon Joseph from Northwestern has one in punt return yards and Jayden Reed from Michigan rounds it out with one in all-purpose yards and another in punt return yards.
Senior CLASS Award
Eight Big Ten players were named as candidates for the 2021-22 Senior CLASS Award
Big Ten Championship
The 2021 conference championship game will be played Dec. 4th at 8 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
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