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Football Mon Sep 27 2010
Big Ten Football Monday: The Weekend That Was
Hide the women and children, because the Big Ten schedule this weekend consisted largely of vicious beatings applied to hapless cupcake opponents paid handsomely to be destroyed for sport.
Sound cheery? Come along as we review The Weekend That Was in Big Ten football (plus Notre Dame, because they own this town).
Best win -- N/A
Best Bachman Turner Overdrive* -- Ohio State 73, Eastern Michigan 20
Et cetera -- Wisconsin 70, Austin Peay 3 ... Penn State 22, Temple 13 ... Iowa 45, Ball State 0 ... Michigan 65, Bowling Green 21 ... Michigan State 45, Northern Colorado 7 ... Toledo 31, Purdue 20 ... Northwestern 30, Central Michigan 25 ... Northern Illinois 34, Minnesota 23 ... Indiana 35, Akron 20 ... Stanford 37, Notre Dame 14.
Sitting this one out -- Illinois
Best Charley Steiner** -- Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State
In a weekend where no Big Ten team defeated an opponent of any consequence, top honors go to the man who led the most ruthless domination. Pryor accounted for six touchdowns -- four passes, one run and one catch -- as the Buckeyes amassed 645 yards and posted their biggest point total since an 83-21 win against Iowa 60 years ago.
Largely untouched in the pocket, the junior quarterback had plenty of highlights while completing 20 of 26 passes for 224 yards, including the four touchdowns -- all to Dane Sanzenbacher. He rushed seven times for 104 yards, including a quintessential Terrelle Pryor touchdown run on the Buckeyes' first possession, gliding with characteristic ease through the Eastern Michigan defense for 53 yards. Listed at 6 feet 6, 233 pounds, he plays at times like Ohio's former favorite son, LeBron James, his physical dominance so great against most opponents that he seems almost casual in the destruction he wreaks. He is so often a man among boys.
But you can see that every week. You can't always see Pryor catch a pass. He'd only done it once before as a Buckeye: a 5-yard touchdown catch from Todd Boeckman in a Fiesta Bowl loss to Texas at the end of his freshman season.
Jordan Hall, a former teammate of Pryor's at Jeanette (Pa.) High School, did the honors this time with Eastern Michigan on life support late in the third quarter. On first-and-10 at the Eagles 20-yard line, Pryor tossed the ball to Hall for what looked like a sweep run to the right. Pryor snuck out the left side and was wide open for a touchdown catch that made it 52-20 with 2:57 left in the quarter. It was time to send in the backups.
Most unfair beatdown -- Wisconsin
It's one thing to schedule a September tuneup against one of the MAC's many decent-but-beatable programs (as eight Big Ten teams did this weekend). But I have no idea what the Badgers were doing playing Austin Peay, a totally overmatched I-AA team from Clarksville, Tenn., and the Ohio Valley Conference. The Governors had never played a Big Ten team, and Wisconsin took great advantage, setting program records with 70 points and a 67-point margin of victory. John Clay and freshman backup James White ran wild. Big deal. Let's see how it goes next week at Michigan State.
Best cutback -- Denard Robinson, Michigan
You know it's a big week for Big Ten offenses when the Wolverines' 65-point performance against Bowling Green -- their biggest explosion in 24 years -- gets overshadowed by a pair of 70-point games. But Robinson stayed in the spotlight, not only by giving Michigan a (brief) injury scare but also by contributing one of his signature dazzling runs. He went 47 yards for the second of his two first-quarter touchdowns, turning a sprint option left into a stark undressing of the Bowling Green defense. Seemingly beat to the corner by defensive back Keith Morgan, Robinson left him sprawling with a sharp cut back inside and reversed field through a dozen players, leaving Falcons strewn in his wake.
Don't get too excited -- Penn State
The Nittany Lions survived an upset bid by what looks like a fairly solid Temple team, but they have a lot of work ahead if they're going to survive Big Ten play. True freshman quarterback Rob Bolden -- how did Penn State not have anyone older to succeed Daryll Clark? -- has talent but has only been in college a few months. His decision-making and accuracy under pressure suffer accordingly, as seen in the red-zone struggles that produced five field goals and just one touchdown Saturday. Evan Royster and the offensive line got the running game on track, but thank heaven for a rabid, emotionally driven defense, led by linebackers Michael Mauti and Nate Stupar, or Temple might have held onto its halftime lead.
Worst injury news -- Robert Marve, Purdue
We're not even to October and Purdue's season might be over, as the injury wave that began in the spring shows no signs of abating. Already without their best running back and wide receiver, Ralph Bolden and Keith Smith, the Boilermakers lost their best quarterback when Marve's troublesome left knee crumpled in the first half against Toledo. This is the knee he injured last summer and reinjured last week against Ball State. He likely won't be back for some time, and we've seen no indication that freshman Rob Henry is ready to succeed right now as the starting quarterback.
Curiously potent -- Indiana's passing game
Senior quarterback Ben Chappell has a slew of options and he uses them well. Wide receivers Tandon Doss, Damarlo Belcher, Terrance Turner and Duwyce Wilson and tight end Ted Bolser form one of the more potent receiving corps in the conference, all with 100-plus receiving yards this season and double-digit yards-per-catch averages. It'll be interesting to see how things go next week against a visiting Michigan team still looking to find its defensive footing.
Back to reality -- Dayne Crist, Notre Dame
Jim Harbaugh's roaring, surprisingly nasty Stanford team achieved its first 4-0 start in 24 years by bringing Crist back to earth after a strong start as Irish quarterback. It was a tough test -- the Cardinal defense ranks 11th nationally with 144 passing yards allowed per game after wins against ND, UCLA, Wake Forest and Sacramento State -- and Crist had problems at times, finishing with a middling line of 25-of-44 passing for 304 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His decision-making and physical execution seemed off, though he worked under heavy pressure for much of the game.
NEXT WEEK
Worth watching -- Penn State at Iowa ... Wisconsin at Michigan State.
Also -- Notre Dame at Boston College ... Ohio State at Illinois ... Michigan at Indiana ... Northwestern at Minnesota.
* Bachman Turner Overdrive: "Taking care of business"
** Charley Steiner: "Follow me to freedom"
