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Football Mon Nov 15 2010
Big Ten Football Monday: The Weekend That Was
Ohio State roared to life, Minnesota got off the schneid and Northwestern dealt fading Iowa a potentially devastating loss -- while absorbing one of its own.
Oh yes, friends, it's time to look back at The Weekend That Was in Big Ten football, now as always a Cam Newton-free zone.
Best win -- Northwestern 21, Iowa 17
Best Bachman Turner Overdrive* -- Wisconsin 83, Indiana 13
Et cetera -- Ohio State 38, Penn State 14 ... Minnesota 38, Illinois 34 ... Michigan 27, Purdue 16.
Sitting this one out -- Michigan State
Best Charley Steiner** -- Dan Persa, Northwestern
It was the best and worst of times, in the same moment, for a Northwestern team that had let wins against Michigan State, Penn State and Purdue slip away in the second half. Two long touchdown drives in the final 11 minutes gave the Cats their biggest win of the season -- possibly ending Iowa's Big Ten title hopes -- but the go-ahead play ended with their pole star quarterback on the ground, clutching at a season-ending injury.
The Hawkeyes, despite struggling past Indiana last week, looked poised to become the latest big game to elude Northwestern's collective grasp after scoring two third-quarter touchdowns for a 17-7 lead. But Persa gave the Cats life by leading a 13-play, 85-yard drive that culminated in a deft, 6-yard toss to Jeremy Ebert in the back of the end zone with 6:21 left.
Iowa punted after five plays -- the visitors converted 2 of 14 third downs on a wildly uneven day for Ricky Stanzi -- and Persa was back at the helm, piloting a stop-and-start drive that began at the 9-yard line, continued with three third-down conversions and concluded after 11 plays with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Fields.
Fields ran a corner route to the pylon out of the left slot and Persa placed the pass perfectly, just out of the reach of cornerback Micah Hyde, despite throwing off his back foot and across the field in the face of the oncoming and unblocked Adrian Clayborn, Iowa's star defensive end.
Persa didn't take a hit on the play but a moment later was hopping gingerly and limping. Northwestern's MVP quarterback had torn his right Achilles tendon.
He finished the day with a career-best 318 yards on 32-of-43 passing, including two touchdowns and an interception that bounced off a receiver's hands. He ran 18 times for 50 yards and a touchdown. And on the two climactic drives, he was at his best: 12-of-16 for 135 yards, plus four first downs on the ground. The highlight there was a 22-yard run up the middle on third-and-4 near the start of the final drive.
So that's it for this season. Redshirt freshman Evan Watkins gets the call for next week at Wrigley Field and Persa has already had surgery. But he's a junior; he'll be back next year. And he picked a heck of a way to go out.
Biggest kickoff return -- Troy Stoudermire, Minnesota
They had lost nine straight games, including all six of their Big Ten games, and the Gophers seemed headed for more disappointment after Mikel Leshoure's second touchdown run, a 55-yard burst that gave Illinois a 34-24 lead with 8:14 remaining. Minnesota's 10-point halftime lead had turned into a 10-point deficit.
But then Stoudermire returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards, exploding through a sizable hole on the left side, before getting dragged down at the 4-yard line. Two plays later, DeLeon Eskridge punched in the touchdown. This wasn't over yet.
The Gophers won the game with an 80-yard drive in the final minutes, capped with 16 seconds left by another short Eskridge touchdown run, his third of the day. Adam Weber, Minnesota's long-suffering senior quarterback and Aaron Eckhart lookalike, got things going with a 29-yard scramble on third-and-10 and Duane Bennett set up first-and-goal by gaining 25 yards on a screen pass.
Unwatchably dominant -- Wisconsin
That was a beatdown of epic proportions, as the Badgers scored 10 touchdowns and a field goal after Indiana pulled even at 10 early in the second quarter. I could run down the gruesome details and awe-inspiring offensive totals, but suffice it to say Wisconsin's offense is potent on a bad day and Indiana might have an even worse defense than Michigan.
Biggest turnaround -- Ohio State
Matt McGloin, Penn State's young quarterback, looked like an all-star in the first half, making great decisions and zipping throws into tight windows. He looked lost in the second half. He was not alone among the Nittany Lions; Ohio State mauled them after halftime by a score of 35-0.
And honestly, the next person who tries to tell me Devon Torrence won the game with his interception return for a touchdown is getting a punch in the ear. I know it's easy to focus on a singular "turning point" and blather on about momentum, but the Buckeyes took control of the game above and well beyond Torrence's big play. Fine as it was, it was not the story.
The story: Penn State gained 276 yards, 80 percent of them in the first half. Ohio State gained 431 yards, two-thirds of them in the second half. It wasn't just one play.
Worst chin strap -- Marvin McNutt, Iowa
Dude needs to tighten that thing up. His helmet got knocked off at least three times by Northwestern tacklers.
NEXT WEEK
Worth watching -- Ohio State at Iowa ... Illinois vs. Northwestern at Wrigley Field
Also -- Wisconsin at Michigan ... Penn State vs. Indiana at Landover, Md. ... Purdue at Michigan State
* Bachman Turner Overdrive: "Taking care of business"
** Charley Steiner: "Follow me to freedom"
