The Wolverine recaps all of this weekend's action from around the Big Ten:
Illinois (2-4, 0-3 Big Ten)
Illinois put on an embarrassing performance in its 35-24 home loss to Rutgers ... The Illini actually outgained the Scarlet Knights, 394-376, but were turned away by three turnovers ... Freshman receiver Ricky Smalling hauled in 111 yards and a touchdown.
Indiana (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten)
Indiana dropped a 27-20 overtime heartbreaker to No. 17 Michigan ... Fifth-year senior kicker Griffin Oakes' 46-yard field goal as time expired sent the game into overtime ... Trailing by seven in the extra session, the Hoosiers attempted to tie the game, but redshirt freshman quarterback Peyton Ramsey's fourth-down pass was intercepted in the end zone by Wolverine junior safety Tyree Kinnel ... Indiana's secondary held Michigan's passing attack to just 58 yards.
Maryland (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten)
Maryland dropped a disappointing home game to Northwestern on Saturday, 37-21 ... Junior receiver D.J. Moore had a spectacular game, totaling 210 yards and two touchdowns ... After Maryland cut Northwestern's lead to 27-21 with 4:33 left in the third quarter, the Wildcats ended the game on a 10-0 run.
No. 21 Michigan State (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten)
No. 21 Michigan State held off a late rally from Minnesota on Saturday night to win 30-27 ... The Spartans led 23-6 heading into the fourth quarter, but gave up 21 points in the game's final session ... After missing last week's game with injury, junior running back LJ Scott returned to rush for 194 yards and two touchdowns ... Fifth-year senior running back Gerald Holmes did not play after injuring his ankle last week.
Minnesota (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten)
Minnesota lost a tight one to No. 21 Michigan State, 30-27 ... After scoring two quick touchdowns from the 5:20 to 1:06 mark of the fourth quarter, the Gophers' ensuing onside kick attempt was unsuccessful ... Fifth-year senior quarterback Conor Rhoda struggled mightily during the game and was replaced by redshirt sophomore Demry Croft, who tossed three touchdown passes ... The start of the game was delayed 44 minutes due to lightning.
Northwestern (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten)
Northwestern picked up its first conference victory on Saturday, winning at Maryland, 37-21 ... The game was tighter than the score would indicate — the Wildcats led by just nine with 1:55 remaining in the game ... With 171 yards on the ground, senior running back Justin Jackson became the school's all-time leading rusher, passing former running back Damien Anderson ... Northwestern featured a very balanced offensive attack, throwing for 293 yards and rushing for 238.
No. 9 Ohio State (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten)
No. 9 Ohio State destroyed Nebraska in Lincoln, 56-14 ... The game was all but over just over two minutes into the second quarter, with the Buckeyes jumping out to a 21-0 lead ... Ohio State put up 633 yards and 41 first downs on the Cornhusker defense ... Fifth-year senior quarterback J.T. Barrett played a near perfect game, completing 27 of 33 passes for 325 yards with five touchdowns and no picks.
Nebraska (3-4, 2-2 Big Ten)
Nebraska was blown away at home by No. 9 Ohio State, 56-14 ... Redshirt junior quarterback Tanner Lee torched the Buckeye secondary, throwing for 303 yards and two touchdowns ... Redshirt freshman receiver J.D. Spielman compiled 200 yards through the air on 11 catches ... The 42-point home loss was Nebraska's worst since a 48-0 blanking by Oklahoma in 1949.
Purdue (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten)
Purdue dropped a hard-fought battle at No. 7 Wisconsin, 17-9 ... The Boilermakers crept into Badger territory late in the fourth quarter, but their attempt to tie the game was thwarted when redshirt sophomore quarterback Elijah Sindelar threw an interception that all but ended the contest ... Head coach Jeff Brohm had been using a two-quarterback system the entire year, but redshirt junior David Blough did not attempt a pass Saturday ... Purdue gave up 17 first-half points, but held Wisconsin scoreless in the second stanza.
Rutgers (2-4, 1-2 Big Ten)
Rutgers picked up its first conference victory since 2015 (Indiana) when it won at Illinois on Saturday, 35-24 ... The Scarlet Knights dominated the contest, leading 21-10 at halftime and 28-10 at the end of the third quarter ... Redshirt junior quarterback Giovanni Rescigno started in place of fifth-year senior Kyle Bolin and only completed 5 of his 10 passes for 89 yards ... Fifth-year senior running back Gus Edwards rushed for 91 yards, while freshman running back Raheem Blackshear racked up 87 yards; Rutgers rushed for 274 yards as a team.
No. 7 Wisconsin (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten)
No. 7 Wisconsin received a tougher-than-expected test from Purdue on Saturday, before prevailing 17-9 ... The Badgers outgained the Boilermakers, 494-221, but let them hang around by committing three turnovers ... Freshman running back Jonathan Taylor carried for 219 yards, becoming the first Big Ten freshman running back to rush for 200 or more yards in consecutive games since Michigan's Mike Hart in 2004 ... Fifth-year senior linebacker Leon Jacobs helped seal the Badger victory when he intercepted Purdue's Elijah Sindelar late in the fourth quarter.
Schedule
Saturday, Oct. 14
— No. 17 Michigan 27, Indiana 20
— Rutgers 35, Illinois 24
— Northwestern 37, Maryland 21
— No. 7 Wisconsin 17, Purdue 9
— No. 9 Ohio State 56, Nebraska 14
— Michigan State 30, Minnesota 27
Bye: Iowa, No. 3 Penn State
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @AndrewVcourt and @Balas_Wolverine
• Like us on Facebook
