Boilermakers Country

Overreactions from Week 5 in the Big Ten

James Franklin swears on the radio, Curt Cignetti isn't interested in schoolwork, Matt Rhule smashes his headset and Big Ten special teams woes are highlighted.

Dustin Schutte

Penn State football head coach James Franklin greets supporters and recruits
Penn State football head coach James Franklin greets supporters and recruits / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In this story:

So. Much. Content.

Sometimes, finding enough noteworthy items in the Big Ten to write the overreactions story presents challenges. But in Week 5, the conference provided a content surplus. We had everything from James Franklin swearing on live radio to Matt Rhule slamming his headset into the ground.

We also witnessed one of the worst special teams weekends for a conference that I can recall. Oh, and Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith did Jeremiah Smith things.

But I don't want to give too much away. Let's dive into this week's overreactions — and just be mindful that a few items had to be scrapped.

James "FCC" Franklin

Nobody has told James Franklin about the eight-letter words that aren't allowed to be aired on television or radio, apparently. The Penn State coach decided to voice his frustration with the officiating crew during a halftime radio interview.

Franklin didn't hold back, either.

"We have to clean up the penalties — the legitimate penalties, not the bullshit ones," Franklin said during his interview. He closed it out by asking, "Am I allowed to say bullshit?"

No, James, you absolutely are not allowed to say that on air.

Curt Cignetti didn't come here to play school

Look, I'm aware the old Cardale Jones tweet, "We didn't come here to play school," has run its course. But when you see a message from Indiana coach Curt Cignetti telling students to put their studying on hold, it was the first thing that came to mind.

Cignetti fired off an email to students at Indiana, urging them to attend Saturday's game against Maryland. The best part of the letter?

"The tailgates can wait. The parties can wait. If you need to study, that can wait, too."

Coleman Hawkins is living his best life

When former Illinois basketball star Coleman Hawkins decided to enter the transfer portal for his final year of eligibility, he told reporters he'd likely pick a school where he could enjoy football games. Well, on Saturday, Hawkins went out and enjoyed a football game.

Hawkins was in the middle of the Kansas State student section, living his best life. Good for you, Coleman. But I have to admit, it's a little weird not seeing him wearing the orange and blue.

Here's the kicker ...

We might have to take the word "special" out of "special teams" and just refer to those units as "teams" in the Big Ten. The field goal kicking was horrendous for several teams in the conference over the weekend.

In total, the conference was successful on just 11-of-22 field goal attempts in Week 5 — trust me, I counted. The teams that struggled most? Nebraska (0-of-3), Washington (1-of-4), Penn State (0-of-2), Illinois (0-of-1), Minnesota (1-of-2) and Purdue (1-of-2). Those teams combined to make just three of their 14 kicks.

Shoutout to Michigan, USC, Ohio State, Oregon and UCLA, though. Those teams were a perfect 8-of-8 for the weekend. We will allow them to keep the name "special teams."

"Get that man a beer"

As someone who ALSO had to watch Saturday's Nebraska-Purdue game, I ALSO need a cold beer.

In all seriousness, this gentleman's face represented all 61,000 fans inside Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday afternoon. How else would you expect everyone to feel when you watch two teams go through an entire half without scoring a point?

12 vs. 11

Fans always make the claim that the officials are working against them. Indiana fans might have had an actual gripe in Saturday's matchup with Maryland. I mean, a referee set a clear block for Terrapins running back Roman Hemby, setting up a 75-yard touchdown run!

OK, so it wasn't actually an intentional block, but just some really bad luck on the part of the Indiana defense — and the official who got taken out.

Maybe coach Mike Locksley should draw up more players to get additional blocking from the officials. It certainly wouldn't hurt.

Jeremiah Smith is good at football

We can probably award Jeremiah Smith the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award. He might also be the conference's Receiver of the Year if he continues down this path.

Forget the numbers, look what the Ohio State receiver can do on the field — and he only needs one hand to do it! Remarkable.

Please don't Hulk-smash your headset

Matt Rhule? More like Matt R-Hulk, amirite?

That attempted play on words didn't quite work out as well as I had hoped, but the sentiment still stands. The Nebraska coach got so frustrated with the officiating, he took it out on his headset, slamming it into the ground.

Rhule's actions resulted in a penalty, but he certainly got his money's worth.

Related stories on Big Ten football

BIG TEN WEEK 6 POWER RANKINGS: Penn State passed its first big test on Saturday, defeating Illinois 21-7. Is this the year the Nittany Lions finally get back to the Big Ten Championship Game? CLICK HERE

WEEK 6 BIG TEN SPREADS: Another week of Big Ten football is on the horizon. Here's a look at every spread for Week 6 games in the conference. CLICK HERE

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Dustin Schutte
DUSTIN SCHUTTE

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