It's time for the column that makes your Tuesdays feel like Saturdays, Notes on a Big Ten Scorecard. We still miss you, Jim Murray.
Summaries
USC 33- Purdue 17: West Lafayette, IN- The Trojans came to Ross-Ade Stadium looking for their first road win in the Big 10 west of Pasadena. They would have to wait out a three-hour weather delay before defeating a determined bunch of Boilermakers. Yes folks, lightning and heavy rain caused the kickoff of the game to be pushed back a little over three hours. USC came out of the long delay and drove for a 24-yard FG and a 3-0 lead. Purdue then marched right down the field on the Trojans. PU QB Ryan Browne was picked off in the SC end zone by Safety Bishop Fitzgerald to end the threat. USC would find the end zone on a three-yard run by QB Jayden Maiava and a six-yard scamper by RB Waymond Jordan go up 17-3 at the half. SC would sandwich two FGs around a 26-yard TD run from Purdue's Brown that was the result of a botched double pass that should have been intercepted by USC LB Eric Gentry. Instead, the ball went through his hands and Browne picked it up and ran for a TD. After further review the passes on the play were both deemed to be backwards, (bad call), and Purdue trailed 20-10. After USC got another FG from PK Ryon Sayeri for a 23-10 lead, the defense made the big play to stay out of Purdue's reach. With 2:15 left in the third quarter, the Trojan defense swatted Browne's pass and it was intercepted by 6'5, 360 pound DT Jamaal Jarrett. The big man then rumbled 70 yards for a TD and a 30-10 Trojan lead. Big Man Has Wheels! After that, the Trojans did something they hadn't done in a while, they closed out the game and they ran to do it. The Men of Troy rushed the ball seven straight times for 63 yards down to the Purdue two-yard line. The drive ate up about five minutes and ended in Sayeri's fourth FG of the game for a 33-17 lead. The defense, who lived all day in the Boilermaker backfield forced a 3 and Out to put the game in the win column. For SC, Maiava completed 17 of 28 passes for 282 yards. He also ran for 10 yards and a score. The Trojan backfield duo of Jordan and Eli Sanders combined to run the ball 28 times for 152 yards and a TD. When he was not being sacked, Browne completed 24 of 39 passes for 305 yards, a TD and three huge interceptions in the loss for Purdue.
Telling Stat: Ground Trojans; Pass happy USC HC Lincoln Riley ran the ball on 18 of the Trojans final 21 plays from scrimmage to eat the clock and secure a win.
Indiana 73- Indiana State 0: Bloomington, IN- The first of two Friday night Big Ten games saw Curt Mallory, son of all-time great Indiana HC Bill Mallory, bring his ISU Sycamores to Memorial Stadium for a paycheck and they got a sound drubbing to go with that paycheck. The Hoosiers did everything but cancel ISU's team busses back home while racking up 73 points and 680 yards of total offense. QB Fernando Mendoza coolly completed 19 of 20 passes for 270 yards and five TDs while backfield mate RB Khobie Martin ran for 109 yards and two TDs to lead all rushers. There was no offense to speak of for Indiana State.
Telling Stat: 603; 603 is not just the area code for New Hampshire anymore. Indiana gained 603 more yards than ISU in this snoozer of a game.
New Mexico 35- UCLA 10: Pasadena, CA- The Lobos ended the short but poor career of UCLA HC DeShaun Foster when they worked over the bRuins last Friday night. The 15-point favorite bRuins never sniffed control of this game. However, thanks to a couple of goal line stands, UCLA still had a shot to pull this game out, trailing only 14-10 to start the final period. Then the smattering of fans that actually went to the game saw New Mexico put up 21 points to send the bRuins to 0-3 and Foster into the ranks of the unemployed. Lobos RB Damon Bankston proved difficult to stop as he amassed 154 yards rushing on 15 carries with a TD. UNM QB Jack Layne had an efficient night, completing 12 of 16 passes for 152 yards and two scores. In the embarrassing defeat, QB Nico Iamaleava completed 22 of 34 passes for 217 yards, a TD and an interception.
Telling Stat: 46/298= W; New Mexico ran all over UCLA. 46 rushes netted 298 yards and three scores.
Oregon 34 Northwestern 14: Evanston, IL- It was another beautiful day on the shores of Lake Michigan for the Big Noon Kickoff. Oregon did look sluggish dealing with the early start and two time zone travel lag, but they had more than enough talent to handle the Wildcats. RB Jayden Lamar crossed the double stripe from a yard out to give the Webfoots a 7-0 lead at the end off the first quarter. That lead was extended to 17-0 at the half with a 42-yard FG from PK Atticus Sappington and a 24-yard TD toss from QB Dante Moore to TE Kenyon Sadiq. The first two drives of the third quarter ended up putting the game firmly in the hands of the Ducks. The UO defense held for downs at their own 34-yard line. Then on the next play, RB Dierre Hill, Jr. raced down the sideline 66 yards to paydirt and a 24-0 lead for the Quacks. That lead would go to 34-0 before the Wildcats got a couple of late cosmetic scores on Oregon's subs. QB Dante Moore completed 16 of 20 passes for 178 yards, a TD and an interception while Hill rushed for 94 yards and a score on five carries. For the Wildcats, Preston Stone completed 11 of 21 passes for 135 yards and two interceptions.
Telling Stat: 12 seconds; That's all it took for Oregon to go from 17-0 to 24-0 and total control of the game.
Alabama 38- Wisconsin 14: Tuscaloosa, AL- It was an early game at Bryant-Denny Stadium and the Crimson Tide was up and alert, They were all over the hapless Badgers all day. The Tide rolled out to a 28-0 third quarter lead before giving up a 95-yard kickoff return for a TD by Badger KR Vinny Anthony. However, Bama would answer right back with a 41-yard TD pass from QB Ty Simpson to WR Ryan Williams for a 35-7 lead to extinguish any hopes of a Badger comeback. Simpson lit up the Wisconsin secondary completing 24 of 29 passes for 382 yards and four TDs. For the Badgers, QB Danny O'Neil completed 11 of 17 passes for 117 yards, a TD and two interceptions.
Telling Stat: A useless first half; Alabama held Wisconsin to 34 total yards in the first half. Ouch.
Michigan State 41- Youngstown State 24: East Lansing, MI- The Spartans found themselves in a tighter game than anticipated against the #25 ranked team in the FCS. The teams traded scoring drives in the first quarter and second quarter with the Spartans nursing a 14-10 lead when PK Martin Connington kicked one through for a 17-10 halftime lead for the Green and White. MSU got the separation they needed from the Penguins in the third quarter on a four-yard rumble to the end zone by RB Brandon Tullis and a 28-yard TD pass from QB Aiden Chiles to TE Mike Masunas for a 31-10 lead. The Penguins fought to keep the game close and trialed 34-24 with 3:05 left to play, but a 22-yard TD sprint by RB Elijah Tau-Tolliver put the game away at 41-24. Aiden Chiles had a good afternoon completing 22 of 29 passes for 270 yards, a TD and an interception. He also was MSU's leading rusher with 76 yards on eight carries. For the pesky Penguins, QB Beau Brungard made good on 22 of 34 passes for 242 yards, two TDs and an interception.
Telling Stat: 8:47 to a W; Clinging to a 14-10 lead, Michigan State went on a 17-0 scoring run that covered 8:47 from the end of the second quarter to halfway through third quarter to build up a lead that Youngstown State couldn't overcome.
Ohio State 37- Ohio 9: Columbus, OH- The Bobcats of Ohio were not a cupcake coming into this game as they are the defending MAC champs with a 1-1 record that featured a narrow loss to Rutgers and a narrow win at West Virginia. Couple that with a slow start from the Buckeyes offense and you had a pretty nervous crowd at the Horseshoe with a 13-3 halftime lead. Then to start the third quarter, QB Peter Navarro connected with WR Chase Hendricks for a 67-yard TD pass that cut TheeeOSU's lead to 13-9. However, PK Brack Peacock failed on the PAT and then nothing really went right for the Bobcatsb the rest of the way. The Buckeyes offense woke up and scored the final 24 points of the game to pull away for the win. A FG of 22 yards, TD passes of 47 and 49 yards from QB Julian Sayin to WRs Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate and a 17-yard TD Jaunt by Smith accounted for the Buckeyes 24 points. When it was over, Sayin had completed 25 of 32 passes for 347 yards, three TDs and two interceptions while RB Bo Jackson, (yes, that's his name), ran for 109 yards on nine carries. For the Bobcats, Navarro completed six of 13 tosses for 94 yards and a TD.
Telling Stat: 0-78 after 13-9; After Ohio closed the score to 13-9, TheeeOSU gave up 0 points and just 78 yards the rest of the way to ensure the win.
Nebraska 59- Houston Christian 0: Lincoln, NE- The Huskers got what they wanted this week. They got an easy win and some rest for their starters with Michigan coming to town next week. With 11:21 to go in the first quarter, Nebraska PK Kyle Cunanan split the uprights from 24 yards out for 3-0 lead. The competitive portion of the game ended at that point. The Huskers rolled up a 38-0 halftime lead and then emptied the benches the rest of the way. QB Dylan Raiola completed 15 of 22 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns in 30 minutes worth of work while RB Emmett Johnson ran for 78 yards and two TDs to lead the Huskers ground attack.
Telling Stat: 30 minutes; Nebraska's starters got to take the second half off to be fresher for Michigan this week.
Michigan 63- Central Michigan 3: Ann Arbor, MI- The Wolverines took out their frustration out over losing at Oklahoma on the Chippewas. Michigan scored early and often, finding paydirt multiple times in each period. The Wolverines kept a good deal of starters playing most of the game. QB Bryce Underwood and RB Justice Haynes combined to run the ball 23 times for 218 yards and three touchdowns. Underwood also completed 16 of 25 passes for 235 yards, a TD and an interception.
Telling Stat: Ran away and hid; Michigan ran for 390 yards on 52 carries in this laugher. That's a nifty 7.5 yards per carry.
Maryland 44- Towson 17: College Park, MD- The Terps extended their FBS longest active streak of non conference wins with a drubbing of the Tigers. Maryland put up 17 points in each of the first two quarters to take a 34-0 lead at the half. The game was basically over when Maryland DB La'khi Roland picked off a Towson pass and took it back a full 100 yards for a TD and 41-0 lead to start the third quarter. After that, the benches were emptied, the band played on and the crowd filtered out to grab crab cakes and National Bohemian Beer. QB Malik Washington connected on 16 of 22 aerials for 261 yards, a TD and an interception in the rout. WR Octavian Smith grabbed four of those passes for 103 yards.
Telling Stat: Frozen chains; Maryland held Towson to 1 for 13 on 3rd down conversions.
Penn State 52- Villanova 6: Happy Valley, PA- The Nittany Lions hosted their instate FCS brothers for the first time since 2021 and were rude hosts, methodically smashing the Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. The Fighting Paternos actually started quickly for once, taking a 7-0 lead on the opening drive of the game on a four-yard slash to paydirt by RB Nick Singleton. Then the offense slowed, but still managed to go take a 21-0 lead into the intermission. The second half saw Villanova get worn down and the scoreboard light up as PSU puts up 31 more points to finish off the blowout win. The great PSU one-two RB punch of Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined to lug the leather 30 times for 170 yards and three TDs. QB Drew Allar helped the Lions cause as well completing 16 of 29 passes for 209 yards, a TD and an interception.
Telling Stat: Not even that close; 75 of Villanova's 180 total yards and their only points came on the final drive of the game after Penn State had emptied the benches.
Rutgers 60- Norfolk State 10: Piscataway, NJ- The Scarlet Knights didn't score on their first drive or their last, but they scored on every other drive to get half way to being bowl eligible. Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis torched Norfolk State completing 18 of 26 passes for 309 yards and a TD while RB's Antwan Raymond and Ja'shon Benjamin combined to run the ball 28 times for 147 yards and three TDs.
Telling Stat: They got off the field; Rutgers defense held Norfolk State to just 2 of 10 on 3rd down conversions to set up their offense with more opportunities to score.
Illinois 38, Western Michigan 0: Champaign-Urbana, IL- The Fighting Illini offense took most of the first half off while the defense played a full four quarter to earn the shutout win. After taking a slim 10-0 lead into the half, the Illini offense crossed the double stripe twice in each of the third and fourth quarters to distance themselves from WMU. QB Luke Altmyer completed 17 of 26 passes for 196 yards and two TDs to go along with two more scores and 100 yards on 20 carries from RB Kaden Feagin to pace the Illini attack. WR Hank Beatty was Altmyer's favorite target grabbing six passes for 53 yards and a TD.
Telling Stat: A solo trip; Illinois allowed only one Western Michigan drive to reach the red zone.
Iowa 47- Massachusetts 7: Iowa City, IA- It was 90 degrees for the evening kickoff with a full house on hand to watch Iowa HC Kirk Ferentz get win #206 to pass TheeeOSU's Woody Hayes as the Big Ten HC with the most wins ever. The Hawkeyes passed the forty point mark in the rout of perennial FBS doormat UMass. QB Mark Gronowski made good on 16 of 24 passes for 179 yards and two TDs to lead the Iowa offensive effort.
Telling Stat: 206; Kirk Ferentz's 206th win is all that matters about this game.
California 27- Minnesota 14: Berkeley, CA- It was shades of Pac 12 After Dark when the Golden Bears took on the Golden Gophers at Memorial Stadium. All was thought to be lost for Cal when QB Fernando Mendoza bolted to Indiana last spring. No need to fear, Freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is here. He, along with stingy defense led Cal to a big win over PJ Fleck's boat rowers. The first half was tight with Cal getting a 45-yard FG from PK Abram Murray to take a 10-7 lead on the last play of the first half. Midway through the third quarter it looked like Minnesota had taken control of the game when QB Drake Lindsey threw a four-yard TD pass to TE Jameson Geers. Ahhh but that would be all for the Gophers. Cal scored the final 17 points of the game to send Minnesota home with the L. JKS threw two TD passes that covered nine yards and two yards TE Mason Mini and WR Jordan King while Meyer booted a 35-yarder to account for the 17 points. JKS torched the Gophers, completing 24 of 38 passes for 279 yards and three TDs. For the now 2-1 Gophers, Lindsey completed 19 of 32 throws for 205 yards, a TD and an interception.
Telling Stat: 0 for the 4th; Cal shutout Minnesota in the final period forcing a misses FG and holding for downs twice to ensure victory.
Observations
...He's gone; Evidently that embarrassing loss to New Mexico was the last straw in the short tenure of DeShaun Foster as the HC of UCLA. He was fired Sunday morning. He didn't even get the benefit of a Tammy Wynette beforehand. DeShaun DeGone. Rumors are the AD is next.
...Summer's end; With The Season ending in Newport, the Ivy League now joins the rest of the college football world by playing their first games this week. Now, enjoy this Newport Yacht Club card from 1909 in honor of the Ancient Eight.
...He said it; Illinois HC Bret Bielema wasn't too pleased with his team after a lackluster start v. Western Michigan last Saturday, telling the media, "We Can't give away two quarters of football and expect to be in the contest at the end."
...He's also gone; DeShaun Foster wasn't the first HC fired this season, that honor goes to VaTech HC Brent Pry who was canned after Old Dominion sent the Hokies off the an 0-3 start in a 45-26 drubbing at VaTech. Pry went 16-24 over 3 1/4 season for the Hokies.
...Feeling the Pac12; The rivalry once known as the Civil War and the rivalry still known as the Apple Cup take place this week in Eugene and Pullman.
...The I's have it; I'm much more interested in the Illinois-Indiana game this week than the Michigan-Nerbsaka matchup.
...The pain of two; Outside of the two times they face each other this year, it's hard to see any more wins on the schedule for either Oregon State or Wazzu this year.
...Arbo has it; Listening to USC Radio play-by-play man, Pete Arbogast killing time during a three hour weather delay was an adventure. I think he spoke with everyone except the hot dog vendors.
...0-2; UCLA is currently 0-2 in the Mountain West standings.
...He lost it; LSU HC Brian Kelly lost it on the very first questions he was asked in the post games press conference after his Tigers beat Florida, 20-10. We Won!
...Fun Fact; Outside of interim HCs, you have to go back a century to find a full-time UCLA HC with as few games coached (15) as DeShaun Foster. James J. Cline guided the bRuins to a 2-10-3 mark in the 1923 and '24 seasons. UCLA wasn't even UCLA yet, they were still just referred to as the Southern Branch of the University of California.
...Volunteer pain; At this point after nine straight losses to Georgia, Tennessee fans have to wonder if they are cursed.
...D-II Workhorse; RB Jeffrey Jones of New Mexico Highlands has 608 yards rushing in two games. Last Weekend he ran for 385 yards and four TDs on 24 carries in a wild 69-55 win over Western New Mexico. Wow.
...Booed at home; After another performance that could be called lackluster at best in a 27-10 over UTEP, Texas QB Arch Maning was booed off the field by the Longhorn faithful.
...QB down, Gamecocks out; Vanderbilt LB Langston Patterson got ejected for targeting when he knocked SoCar QB LaNorris Sellers out of the game just before halftime. You just have to see how poorly the refs handled the call. No flagging and lagging
...Speaking of poor officiating; The referee crew that worked the week two Kansas-Missouri game was suspended for last weekend for not following the rules properly on a kickoff. A week off
...Just a rumor; There's no truth to rumor that Peyton and Eli Manning are going around telling people that Arch is adopted.
...There were nine; Before this upcoming Saturday, the last time Indiana and Illinois were both ranked the they faced each other was 1950. The Big Ten was just the Big Nine then. Chicago had dropped out of the league in 1946 and Michigan State wouldn't be a full member for a couple more years.
...Big 12 big one; Texas Tech at Utah could be a really really good game.
Big Ten Overreactions
USC's Linebackers must improve.
Iowa won't break 30 points again all year.
Northwestern is 10 players away from being competitive .
Illinois Has a hothead for a HC.
Indiana has hotter head for a HC.
Minnesota has a whiner for a HC.
Wisconsin is a 3-9 team.
Nebraska can't afford a loss this week.
Penn Sate's defense is worth 10 wins.
Purdue will ruin someone's season.
UCLA will go 1-11.
Maryland is a six win team.
Washington has TheeeOSU circled on their calendar,
TheeOSU doesn't care about what's circled.
Rutgers won't get enough road wins to go to a bowl.
Michigan State could either be 8-4 or 4-8.
Oregon still doesn't miss Willie Taggart.
Michigan needs to run the ball well more than Army does.
Keeping Up With Your Exes
There was pain in Texas and pleasure in Northern California. Oregon State got worked over by Texas Tech 45-14 in Lubbock and Wazzu got smashed at North Texas 59-10. Ahhhhh, but in the Bay Area Cal handled their business with Minnesota, 27-14 and Stanford got their first win under interim HC Frank Reich and moved to 1-0 in ACC play with a 30-20 win over Boston College.
Uniform Battle of the Week
The Golden Bears of California out-goldened the Golden Gophers on the scoreboard and in the uniform department last Saturday night in Berkeley.
A Chicle of Wisdom
This week's featured card from the 1935 National Chicle football set is card #6 in the set of Ernest "Pug" Rentner. Coach Eddie Casey praises Rentner's shiftiness in the open field and suggests a way to train to be as elusive as ol' Pug.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Jamestown, ND- This game comes from the D-II ranks where the Southwestern Minnesota State Mustangs snapped a 12-game losing streak with a 12-7 win over the Jamestown Jimmies. The Mustangs built up a 12-0 lead on a safety, a 25-yard FG from PK Mason Carver and a 22-yard TD pass from QB Macloud Crowton to WR Jerid Fearing. The defense made those 12 points stand up for the win by forcing four Jamestown turnovers.
Blowout Game of the Week: Henneker, NH- In the D-III ranks there were games with worse beatings this week, but hey when has this reporter ever been able to write about a blowout by the Engineers of MIT? MIT traveled to New England College and wiped out the Pilgrims, 55-0. The Engineers ran for 306 yards on 49 carries with RB Jimmy Conners toting the rock 13 times for 100 yards and a three scores while QB Chase Harmon completed 14 of 20 aerials for 175 yards, two TDs and an interception. The MIT defense held the Pilgrims to not much progress, allowing only 81 total yards and five first downs.
Razorback Report: Oxford, MS- Oh it was barn burner down at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. However it was bad for the Hogs who gave the Rebels all they could handle before a late fumble in Ole Miss territory doomed the Razorbacks to defeat, 41-35. Hogs QB Jalen Green was once again the Arkansas offense competing 22 of 35 passes for 305 yards and a TD while also rushing for 115 yards on 14 carries and another score. Our field agent in Oxford was impressed with Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss who subbed in for starter Austin Simmons and cooly completed 21 of 29 throws for 353 yard and a TD. He also ran for 62 yards on 15 carries and two more scores. Up next for the Razorbacks is a trip to Memphis.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
The All The Things cookies from Trader Joe's are really good.
Need to get the fall decorations out, the 21st will be here soon.
The last gasps of Summer always feel like a season retrospective.
Until next time folks, remember that a strong defensive line can hide a weak secondary.
-The Commissioner
