Week 6 on the college football calendar turned out to be a pretty eventful one around the Big Ten. Iowa rallied to a significant win against Penn State after the Nittnay Lions lost starting quarterback Sean Clifford before halftime, once again proving to be a lethal defense with four more interceptions added to their season total.
Elsewhere, it was another reminder that nobody should be forgetting about the Ohio State Buckeyes, who just blasted Maryland in Columbus. And the Michigan Wolverines survived a trip to Lincoln against a spirited threat from Nebraska. But a season of close calls continued to go against the Huskers.
Here’s a look at everything that went down in the Big Ten in Week 6.
No. 3 Iowa 23, No. 4 Penn State 20
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A game that was hyped to be all about defense was, for the most part, worthy of the billing. Penn State’s defense was stellar in the first three quarters, making some crucial stops on multiple occasions. And the offense looked fully capable of moving the ball on the Hawkeyes with Sean Clifford at the helm. But Clifford left the game midway through the second quarter and Penn State was ill-equipped for a battle of field position against Iowa with an inexperienced backup quarterback in Ta’Quan Roberson.
Iowa feasted on an unproven quarterback and used their special teams to pin the Nittany Lions deep in their own end far too often for Penn State to survive. Spencer Petras connected on a go-ahead touchdown to Nico Ragaini midway through the fourth quarter to capitalize Penn State’s slow and painful death in Kinnick Stadium.
The Hawkeyes continue to lead the nation in interceptions with four more in this one, two against Clifford in the first quarter and two more against Roberson as the game went on.
Penn State has a little bit of work to do during their bye week, which comes at the perfect time after getting banged up as much as they did on Saturday.
No. 7 Ohio State 66, Maryland 17
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Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud passed for 406 yards and five touchdowns to be a runaway favorite for Big Ten offensive player of the week and the Buckeyes continue to rip apart the competition lately. Since losing that home game to Oregon in Week 2 of the season, Ohio State has outscored their opponents 218-57 (Tulsa, Akron, Rutgers, Maryland). Say what you will about the strength of schedule that stood in the way for this recent run, but the Buckeyes are doing what the Buckeyes are expected to do against those opponents. And that should concern anyone around the Big Ten.
Ohio State’s biggest challenges remain in front of them, as they do for Penn State, Michigan, and Michigan State inside the division. But the Ohio State offense is firing on all cylinders right now as they head into the bye week with plenty of confidence.
No. 9 Michigan 32, Nebraska 29
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The story of the season for Nebraska has been close but not close enough. That was the theme for losses against Oklahoma and Michigan State. And it once again turned its ugly head on the Cornhuskers at home Saturday night against the Michigan Wolverines. With a chance to play for a game-winning field goal, all Nebraska had to do was hold on to the football. But after picking up the yardage needed for a first down on a 3rd-and-short, Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez fumbled the football and Michigan recovered.
Four plays later, it was Michigan kicking a go-ahead field goal to break a 29-29 tie and the Nebraska offense ran out of time and space to orchestrate an answer on the ensuing possession. It’s been that kind of year for Scott Frost and the Huskers, who turned a 13-0 deficit at halftime into a 22-19 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Michigan had its closest call of the season and now has two straight wins on the road against Wisconsin and Nebraska. The Wolverines continue to build confidence in what they are doing.
No. 11 Michigan State 31, Rutgers 13
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It took some time for Michigan State to find a way to pull away on the road against Rutgers, but they did juts that after halftime. Michigan State shutout the Scarlet Knight sin the second half while tacking on 10 points to their total for a 31-13 victory.
Payton Thorne passed for 340 yards and three touchdowns in the win for the Spartans, who have already clinched their bowl eligibility for the season when few thought that would happen at all this season. Now, Michigan State is thinking about a double-digit win season and is right in the race for the Big Ten East. They’ll even be likely to move into the top 10 of the polls after Week 6 results saw BYU stumble at home to Boise State.
Kenneth Walker III continues to rack up the rushing yards by adding 232 more yards to his total in Week 6. Rutgers didn’t have many defensive solutions for the Spartans but they did force three turnovers in the game. They just couldn’t capitalize enough on those opportunities with just three points off of turnovers for Rutgers.
Wisconsin 24, Illinois 0
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Brett Bielema’s first chance to coach against his old program did not go so well for the Illinois head coach. Wisconsin shutout the Illini 24-0 and they did so with practically all the damage being done on the ground.
Chez Mellusi rushed for a game-high 145 yards and a touchdown, and Braelon Allen added another 131 yards and a score as Wisconsin roller dup 391 rushing yards as a team. Graham Mertz just had to not lose the game, and he did that despite an interception among his 19 pass attempts (10 completed for a cool 100 yards). This was a game where Wisconsin could easily win without asking much from their quarterback.
Wisconsin’s defense was also terrific, allowing just 67 passing yards and only 26 rushing yards. Wisconsin out-gained Illinois 491-83. That’s not a typo.
Looking ahead to Week 7
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Iowa and Michigan State are the only ranked Big Ten teams in action next week as Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan all reach their bye week at the midway point of the year.
Michigan State will take its 6-0 record into Bloomington with the question remaining just what kind of game is Indiana capable of playing. The Spartans are in a groove though and could come out of it with a 7-0 record few saw as a possibility before the start of the season. The Spartans have already exceeded expectations for many, but they are right in the thick of this competitive Big Ten East race.
Iowa looks to avoid a letdown after the big win over Penn State when they host Purdue next weekend. The Hawkeyes should once again continue to feast in the turnover department against the Boilermakers, so don’t expect Iowa to be upset at home in Week 7.
Nebraska visits Minnesota and maybe this is a close one that will finally go their way. Or maybe not, who knows?
Northwestern will host Rutgers with both teams looking for their first conference win of the season. Early gut instinct is Rutgers will be the one celebrating a Big Ten win.
Wisconsin is stepping out of conference play for their final time this season for a home game against Army. The Black Knights will bring their heavy option running game to Madison for what could end up being a nightmare of a game for the Badgers. Could Wisconsin lose to Army? You bet. Will they? It could happen.
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