The Wolverine takes a look around the league in the first week of the college football season:
Illinois (1-0)
Illinois squeaked out a tightly contested win against Ball State on Saturday, 24-21 ... The Illini actually trailed by five with just 2:06 remaining before freshman running back Mike Epstein punched it in from one yard out for the game-winning score ... The Cardinals outgained the Illini in yardage 375-216, but were doomed by two turnovers ... Redshirt junior receiver Mike Dudek caught two passes for 47 yards in his first collegiate game since 2014; he missed the last two seasons with injury.
Indiana (0-1, 0-1 Big Ten)
With ESPN's College GameDay in attendance, Indiana fell to No. 2 Ohio State on Thursday night, 49-21 ... Fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow torched the Buckeye secondary for 410 yards and two touchdowns ... After missing all of last season with injury, redshirt junior receiver Simmie Cobbs hauled in 11 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown ... A two-yard touchdown catch by senior tight end Ian Thomas late in the third quarter gave the Hoosiers a 21-20 lead, but they surrendered it on the next defensive possession and never led again.
Iowa (1-0)
Iowa's defense shut down Wyoming in a 24-3 victory on Saturday ... Sophomore quarterback Nathan Stanley tossed three touchdown passes in his first career start for the Hawkeyes ... The Iowa defense held Wyoming's offense to just 233 yards, including 59 on the ground.
Maryland (1-0)
Maryland picked up a very impressive win at No. 23 Texas, defeating the Longhorns 51-41 ... The Terrapins actually led 27-7 in the second quarter before Texas cut it to three in the second half, but the Longhorns were never able to get any closer ... Maryland led by 10 with 2:08 left in the game before a 12-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Jake Funk sealed the victory ... The 51 points scored by the Terrapins were their most ever against an AP-ranked team.
Michigan State (1-0)
After a sluggish start, Michigan State wound up blowing out Bowling Green, 35-10 ... The Spartans led just 14-3 at halftime, but outscored the Falcons 21-7 in the second half ... Redshirt sophomore quarterback Brian Lewerke had an outstanding day, throwing for 250 yards and three touchdowns ... Michigan State's defense held Bowling Green to two third-down conversions on 13 tries.
Minnesota (1-0)
Minnesota defeated Buffalo on Thursday night, 17-7, in first-year head coach P.J. Fleck's Gopher debut ... After 21 total points were scored in the first quarter, only three were tallied the rest of the game ... Sophomore Tyler Johnson hauled in a career-high 141 receiving yards ... Fleck became the first Minnesota coach to win his Gopher debut since John Gutekunst in 1986.
Nebraska (1-0)
Nebraska defeated an upset-minded Arkansas State team on Saturday night in Lincoln, 43-36 ... Arkansas State had a chance to tie the game as time expired, but saw its pass sail out of the back of the end zone ... The Red Wolves actually outgained the Cornhuskers, 497-463 ... Sophomore running back Tre Bryant had a huge day on the ground, rushing for 192 yards and a touchdown.
Northwestern (1-0)
Although it defeated Nevada 31-20, Northwestern had a much tougher time with the Wolf Pack than expected ... Nevada actually led 20-17 with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter, before a one-yard touchdown run by redshirt junior quarterback Clayton Thorson gave the Wildcats the lead for good ... Sophomore receiver Bennett Skowronek hauled in a career-high 123 yards to lead the team ... After trailing 17-7 at halftime, Northwestern outscored Nevada 24-3 in the second half.
No. 2 Ohio State (1-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
No. 2 Ohio State won at Indiana on Thursday night, 49-21, in a game that was closer than the score indicated ... The Buckeyes trailed 14-13 at halftime, but outscored the Hoosiers 36-7 in the second half ... Redshirt sophomore running back Mike Weber missed the game with injury; freshman J.K. Dobbins started in his place and ran for 181 yards ... A 74-yard touchdown catch by redshirt junior receiver Parris Campbell with 4:38 left in the third quarter gave the Buckeyes a 27-21 lead, and they never trailed again.
No. 6 Penn State (1-0)
No. 6 Penn State blew away Akron on Saturday in Happy Valley, 52-0 ... The game was all but over at halftime, with the Nittany Lions leading 35-0 ... Junior running back Saquon Barkley, the 2016 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, picked up right where he left off last season, rushing for 172 yards and two scores ... Penn State outgained the Zips, 569-159.
Purdue (0-1)
Purdue gave No. 16 Louisville all it could handle in a 35-28 loss in Indianapolis on Saturday night ... The two teams went back and forth throughout the game before Louisville took the lead for good with 9:01 left in the fourth quarter ... The loss was the eighth straight for Purdue.
Rutgers (0-1)
Although it was defeated by No. 8 Washington, 30-14, on Friday night, Rutgers had an impressive showing ... The Scarlet Knights trailed just 10-7 at halftime before being outscored 20-7 in the second half ... Rutgers' defense shut down Washington's rushing attack, holding it to just 84 yards and 3.5 yards per attempt ... The defeat extended Rutgers' losing streak to 10 games.
No. 9 Wisconsin (1-0)
After trailing 10-0 at the end of the first quarter, No. 9 Wisconsin went on a 59-0 run to defeat Utah State on Friday night ... Redshirt sophomore quarterback Alex Hornibrook had an outstanding game, throwing for 244 yards and three touchdowns ... In his first collegiate game, freshman running back Jonathan Taylor led the Badgers with 87 rushing yards ... In his debut as the Badger defensive coordinator, Jim Leonhard directed a squad that held Utah State to just 85 rushing yards.
Results for Aug. 31
— No. 2 Ohio State 49, Indiana 21
— Minnesota 17, Buffalo 7
Results for Sept. 1
— No. 8 Washington 30, Rutgers 14
— No. 9 Wisconsin 59, Utah State 10
Results for Sept. 2
— No. 6 Penn State 52, Akron 0
— Michigan State 35, Bowling Green 10
— Iowa 24, Wyoming 3
— Illinois 24, Ball State 21
— Maryland 51, No. 23 Texas 41
— Northwestern 31, Nevada 20
— No. 11 Michigan 33, No. 17 Florida 17
— No. 16 Louisville 35, Purdue 28
— Nebraska 43, Arkansas State 36
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