A look around the Big Ten: Week 9

The Big Ten has become an absolute mosh pit and confidence is at an all time low in conference powers not named 'Michigan'.

Ohio State came out of a night game at Camp Randall with a 14-point win, while Penn State battled Indiana in Happy Valley and the Big Ten West continued to be a kerfuffle.

Let's take 'A look around the Big Ten' and break down the action from week nine.

Ohio State Except QB Kyle McCord

On the ground, TreVeyon Henderson returned to the field for the Buckeyes and looked like the complete weapon that the world knew him to be. He ran for over 160 yards on almost seven yards per carry, something that seemed to almost be the norm for him last season.

Through the air, Marvin Harrison Jr. continued to look like a Biletnikoff Award winner. He caught six passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns, making a huge difference in the OSU win over the Badgers. Harrison Jr. was the only player to catch a touchdown pass from QB Kyle McCord, who struggled.

McCord was a major disappointment, so let's save why that was for the "Those Who Disappointed" section below.

Northwestern's Resolve

Northwestern continues to prove how resilient they are throughout the 2023 campaign. What that team has done after losing former head coach Pat Fitzgerald close to the season's start is impressive. It is especially true considering who they have on that roster.

After jumping out to an early lead, the Wildcats took a 33-27 win over Maryland in a game that they controlled most of the way. Backup QB Brendan Sullivan came in for Ben Bryant just a few games ago and shined in his third start on Saturday.

Sullivan put up 265 yards passing and 56 yards rushing on a 69.5% completion percentage. The solid efficiency and ability to protect the football has put Northwestern in a spot where they have now gone 4-4 and could reach bowl eligibility in a year where two wins was previously a hope.

Nebraska's Balance

Nebraska has not been a pretty football team to watch, but they continue to find ways to get wins. The Cornhuskers have now won three straight and five out of six after starting 0-2. Their 5-3 record has them right in the thick of a Big Ten West race that has 4 teams at 3-2 in conference.

Matt Rhule has his team playing complimentary football and their ability to overcome four turnovers against Purdue for a 31-14 win was a sign of that. Sure, they are a run heavy squad, but the passing game has worked when it was needed and the defense and special teams are playing well.

Nebraska ran the ball 48 times compared to just 11 passes and were still able to win by 17 points. Maybe Rhule took a couple notes from Michigan's philosophy in the two previous seasons and has applied it to his re-entry into college football.

QB Kyle McCord (Ohio State)

Kyle McCord threw two bad interceptions and had just 103 yards passing outside of his top target, which is another reason why Harrison Jr. is the only one keeping this Ohio State passing attack afloat. Without him, McCord would look even more pedestrian.

The first-year starter still seems to be the better option over backup QB Devin Brown, but McCord's lack of progress throughout the season has to be a bit concerning. There is also nothing special about what Wisconsin was doing defensively.

In fact, Wisconsin sits in the middle or bottom half of the conference in most major defensive metrics. To give some credit, the Badgers' defense is very opportunistic in forcing turnovers, which is exactly what they did to McCord this past weekend. His decision making was poor and Wisconsin took advantage.

Maryland

It has to be pretty clear at this point, but the mental toughness of this Maryland Terrapins team is not in great shape as they have now dropped three straight games.

A 33-27 loss to Northwestern is unacceptable when you have a senior quarterback, who is in his third year starting, and the best team and coaching staff in your entire tenure.

There is no reason for Mike Locksley to be losing to Illinois and Northwestern when Kevin Sumlin and Josh Gattis are your defensive and offensive coordinators. His job security is coming into question with Penn State, Michigan, Rutgers and Nebraska still on the table.

That has to be one of the toughest schedules in the conference to finish out the final four weeks, which also means that there are a lot of opportunities to get some impressive wins.

The Nittany Lions are up first for a 3:30 p.m. start on FOX this Saturday.

Penn State

Speaking of PSU, their ability to get chunk plays is becoming very concerning. The Indiana Hoosiers--who were beaten by Michigan 52-7 and Rutgers 31-14--played it close with Penn State.

The Nittany Lions never really separated but were able to make enough timely plays to win 33-24 on their home turf.

Were they just sluggish and worn out from a physical loss to Ohio State, or is this a sign of problems to come? Sooner than later we will find out what this PSU team is made of.

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