The Top 10 Moments From the 2020 Big Ten Football Season

We look back on the best bits from the previous B1G football season in a year unlike any other.

While the 2020-21 B1G football season had plenty memorable moments––such as Northwestern’s head coach Pat Fitzgerald’s viral moment, calling his Wildcats the “Fighting Rece Davises,” or Minnesota’s victory over Purdue (thanks to a controversial pass interference call) that spurred betting sites to issue refunds––there are some that stand out above the rest. In preparation for the upcoming Big Ten season starting in just a few weeks, let’s take a scroll down memory lane from the season that was unlike any other, thanks to COVID-19.

#10: Rutgers’ trick play day

Against the talented Buckeyes, the Scarlet Knights pulled off three trick plays to keep OSU on their toes. Two of the secret plays led to touchdowns, and shows some gutsiness/scrappy-ness coming out of New Jersey’s Big Ten team.

#9: Wisconsin badgers the Michigan Wolverines in 49-11 blowout

The Badgers scored 28 points against Michigan in the Big House in the first 20 minutes of the game, not to mention on primetime television on ABC, right after returning from a pause due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The 28-0 deficit heading into halftime was the largest for the Wolverines at home since 1927.

#8: Taulia Tagovailoa puts himself on the Big Ten (and College Football) map

Up until this point, Maryland quarterback Taulia had only ever really been known as just “Tua’s younger brother,” following in the footsteps of his older sibling and current quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. However, in this overtime win against Minnesota, the younger Tagovailoa threw for nearly 400 yards and tallied 5 touchdowns in a 45-44 victory over the Gophers.

#7: Rutgers finally breaks their B1G curse

Rutgers snapped a 21-game losing streak in the Big Ten––the longest in-conference streak for any Power 5 team––in Greg Schiano’s first game back as the head coach for the Scarlet Knights. Schiano, formerly spent 11 years as head coach, but left for coaching spurs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Ohio State before returning to New Brunswick. In his first game back at the helm, Schiano and the Scarlet Knights took down Michigan State 38-27.

#6: Justin Fields gets his revenge against Clemson

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields returned to the College Football Playoff with a vengeance, ready to avenge the Buckeyes’ 29-23 loss to the Tigers the year before. In the 2020 Sugar Bowl, Fields led OSU to victory, going 22-28 on completions with 385 yards and 6 touchdowns, while also quieting Clemson head coach Dabo Sweeney after he ranked OSU 11th in the country prior to the game, partially because of the significantly fewer games the Big Ten played in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

#5: McCourt drills a game-winning field goal

Illinois’ James McCourt pulled off a 47-yard field goal with three seconds left in the game to seal a 23-20 win at Rutgers. While this might seem like any other run-of-the-mill comeback moment, what makes this top-ten worthy is the fact that McCourt made this key field goal after missing two previous attempts in the fourth quarter for the Illini’s first win of the season.

#4: Duncan defends his daring comments, and leads Iowa to rivalry win over Nebraska

Iowa kicker Keith Duncan made four field goals in a Black Friday/Thanksgiving weekend win over rival Nebraska, avoiding any karma that might have come from calling the Cornhuskers out for “being more worried about growing mustaches than winning football games”...which happened a year after he blew kisses to the Nebraska sideline after kicking a game-winning field goal the season beforehand.

#3: Trey Sermon has a full-on field day during the B1G Championship Game

Ohio State’s Trey Sermon went off at the Big Ten Championship game, setting a program record for rushing yards in a game for the Buckeyes, as well as a B1G Championship Game record, with 331 yards in OSU’s 22-10 victory over Northwestern. In doing so, Sermon surpassed notable Ohio State greats such as Ezekiel Elliott and Eddie George for the record, while also leading OSU’s comeback charge to take down the Wildcats for a conference trophy, despite a difficult first half.

#2: Brandon Joseph’s interception in the B1G Championship Game

The Northwestern safety showed up big time in the Big Ten Championship Game, helping to solidify Northwestern’s worst-to-first comeback, after finishing 1-8 in the 2019 conference season. Even though the Wildcats eventually lost to the Buckeyes, Joseph’s athletic interception in the endzone on an attempt from Justin Fields tallied him at 6 for the season, leading the nation in the category.

#1: Penix Jr.’s gritty game-winning 2-point conversion

Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. risked it all when he rushed for the game-winning 2-point conversion against Penn State in overtime, barely nipping the pylon to secure the 36-35 win. Not only did this help the Hoosiers take down the then-No. 8 ranked Nittany Lions, but it also propelled Indiana’s impressive season, and also simultaneously derailed Penn State for the rest of 2020. To make it even more impressive, Penix also led the game-tying drive to force OT, despite the fact that Indiana had a 0.1 percent chance of victory following a crucial turnover on downs with 1:47 left in regulation while they were down 21-20.

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