Hey All,
It's time for a rain-soaked edition of Notes on a Big Ten Scorecard. We still miss you, Maclovio Perez.
Summaries
USC 26- Iowa 21: Los Angeles, CA- The rain fell heavy at times and just about all game long. It was the worst weather conditions at the Coliseum in some 40 years. The weather was dismal and so were the Trojans to start the contest. A tough band of Iowa Hawkeyes took the game to the Men of Troy from the opening kickoff when they easily marched 69 yards in 7 plays to take a 7-0 lead when QB Mark Gronowski completed a 2-yard pass on 4th and Goal to WR Dayton Howard. The USC offense sputtered on its' first pair of drives and that led to the Hawkeyes taking a 14-0 lead a little under a minute into the second quarter when Gronowski wedged his way across the goal line running Iowa's version of the Tush Push. The Trojan offense then woke up and made the score 14-7 on a 75-yard drive that was aided by a 20-yard run from QB Jayden Maiava. The TD to finish off the march was scored by RB Bryan Jackson who took the direct snap out of the Wildcat formation and raced straight up the middle for a 1-yard score. However that didn't seem to upset Iowa. They just calmly went right back down the field on a 75-yard drive of their own and capped it off with Gronowski catching a 5-yard TD pass from WR Reece Vander Zee on the Philly Special. That play brought a smirk to the face of usually reticent Hawkeye HC Kirk Ferentz. Oh, and why shouldn't he smirk? His QB had thrown TD pass, ran for a TD and caught a TD pass en route to a 21-7 lead and control of the game over the favored Trojans. Ferentrz ended up not having much to smile about after that as the Trojans rallied for the win. It started with a pair of FGs from PK Ryan Sayeri. The first one covered 40 yards right before the half and the second one covered 28 yards right after the start of the second half. Now SC trailed 21-13 and needed a stop to get back into the game. The Trojan defense did just that forcing a punt. Maiava then guided the offense to a TD to make the score 21-19. WR Makai Lemon hauled in a 12-yards pass in double coverage in the left side of the end zone for the score. The two-point conversion attempt failed and SC trailed 21-19 going late into the third quarter. SC then got the best bounce of the game on Iowa's next possession when Gronowski's 3rd Down pass was deflected by CB Marceles Williams to DT Jahkeem Stewart for an interception and a 1st down at the Iowa 40-yard line. Six plays later Jackson plunged across the goal line again and USC had a 26-21 lead with 13:36 left in the contest. That's a long time to hold a slim lead and the SC defense did it. Iowa's last offensive drive looked like they would retake the lead, moving 61-yard downfield. Their drive stalled and they faced a 4th and 6 at the SC 29-yard line. Gronowksi threw a great pass to WR Kaden Wetjen which looked to have given the Hawkeyes a 1st and Goal on the 8-yard line. However, after further review Wetjen's foot barely was out of bounds and the Trojans took over on downs. USC went out to kill the clock at that point but still faced the possibility of Iowa getting once last chance to score with a few seconds left. However, while lining up for a 2nd and 7 at the SC 43-yard line, a flag was thrown in the direction of the Iowa sideline. An assistant coach was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. The first down that came from that and the 10 second runoff that went with it as well meant USC only had to take a couple of kneel downs to end the game. They took those kneel downs and walked away with the comeback win. Maiava rallied from a slow start to complete 23 of 32 passes for 254 yards and a TD with Lemon catching 10 passes for 153 yards and a score. RB King Miller carried the ball 19 times for 83 yards while Jackson only gained 14 yards on 4 carries but scored twice. For the Hawkeyes, Gronowski completed 12 of 19 passes for 132 yards, a TD and an interception. He also ran for 32 yards and a score. Oh, and he caught 1 pass for a TD too.
Telling Stat: 0 for 33:24 = W; The USC defense shutout Iowa for the last 33:24 to set the stage for this comeback victory.
Oregon 42- Minnesota 13: Eugene, OR- HC P.J. Fleck and his band of boat rowers made the trip to Eugene and had their boats run aground and burned by the Ducks. Even all of Fleck's sideline tantrums and histrionics could not hide the fact that his team's defense was no match for the Ducks offense. The Webfoots raced out to an early 7-0 lead on a 1-yard TD run where RB Jordon Davison's second effort got the ball across the double stripe. Davison struck again on UO's next possession where he took the handoff from QB Dante Moore to the left side, made a nifty little cut and took the it 39 yards for a 14-0 lead. Oregon got cute on a trick play on their next possession that resulted in a fumble. UM cut the lead to 14-3 on a 46-yard FG from PK Brady Denaburg and some thought that Minnesota had a chance in this game, They didn't. On the ensuing drive RB Noah Whittingon just kept grinding and somehow emerged from a pile of humanity near the Gophers 30-yard line and sprinted to the end zone. It was now 21-3 Quacks. Then Minnesota got another FG from Denaburg. This one was from 26 yards away. Oregon then answered that FG with another TD. This one was a 3-yard toss to the right corner of the end zone from Moore to TE Kenyon Sadiq. That would make the score 28-6 and that's where the score stood as game went into halftime. The Golden Gophers showed signs of life to start the third period when they marched 80-yards in 10 plays to make the score 28-13 when QB Drake Lindsey capped of the drive with a pass to WR Javon Tracy 10 yards for a score. Once again UO answered with a Minnesota's score with one of their own as Moore connected with Jeremiah McClellan for a 13-yard TD to make it a 35-13 game. Early in the last stanza, RB Jay Harris knifed his through the Gophers 12 yards for a TD and a 42-13 lead for the Webfoots. That score ensured that UO would win and move to 9-1 on the season. When it was over, Moore had shredded the Minnesota secondary, completing 27 of 30 passes for 306 yards an a pair of TDs. His favorite target was TE Kenyon Sadiq who hauled in 8 passes for 96 yards and a score. Whittington led all rushers with 72yards on 8 carries and a touchdown. For Minnesota, Lindsey completed 19 of 32 throws for 138 yards and a TD.
Telling Stat: 3s aren't 7s; While Oregon was busy scoring TDs, Minnesota was settling for field goals and that is not a recipe for success.
Indiana 31- Wisconsin 7: Bloomington, IN- The Badgers brought their tough defense to Bloomington with a little momentum after getting their first league win of the year over Washington last week. Couple that with an IU team that was a little spent after their epic comeback at Penn State last week and it's not tough to understand how this one stood 10-7 Hoosiers at the half. IU's 10 points came on a 31-yard strike from QB Fernando Mendoza to WR Charlie Becker and a 37-yard FG from PK Nico Radicic. UW's TD came on a 45-yard pass from QB Carter Smith to TE Lance Mason. The crowd was a little restless as the second half began at Memorial Stadium. They soon relaxed a little as Mendoza directed a 75-yard 9-play drive that ended with a 2-yard pass to TE Holden States. They relaxed a lot more when Mendoza threw his 3rd TD pass of the game, a 21-yard effort to TE Riley Nowakowski. IU led 24-7 at that point and it was just a matter of putting the game away en route to becoming the first ever Indiana squad to start a season at 11-0. The game was put away when Mendoza threw his 4th TD pass of the day WR Omar Cooper, Jr. from 5 yards out for a 31-7 lead. Mendoza was nearly perfect on the day completing 22 of 24 passes for 299 yards and 4 TDs. For the Badgers, Smith completed 9 of 15 throws for 98 yards, a TD and an interception.
Telling Stat: 26+0 = W; The Indiana defense set the tone for their offense to take control of the second half by holding Wisconsin to 0 points and just 26 total yards in the final two quarters.
Michigan 24- Northwestern 22: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL- It was a sunny fall day on the North Side of Chicago as the Wildcats looked to win their first game ever after 5 defeats at the Friendly Confines. Michigan did everything to hand the Wildcats the win, but they wouldn't take it. Michigan's first drive saw a TD run by RB Jordan Marshall wiped out on a holding call. Then PK Dominic Zvada missed a 34-yard FG attempt just a little wide right of the uprights. Marshall would later put the Wolverines up 7-0 on a. 1-yard TD plunge across the double stripe to put the exclamation point on a 12-play, 91-yard drive. NU would bookend FGs of 34 and 26 yards on either side of a Michigan fumble and the score stood 7-6 Wolverines at the half. The Start of the third quarter saw the Maize & Blue score two TDs. The first was on a 9-yard keeper from QB Bryce Underwood that was set up by a beautiful 65-yard run by Marshall off left tackle. The second one came on an old school dive over the top from the 1-yard line out of the Power I Formation. In between those TDs, Michigan fumbled away a Northwestern punt and that resulted in a 35-yard FG from Olsen, It was his third FG of the day. The start of the final period saw NU QB Preston Stone cap off a 75- yard drive when he forced his way into the end zone on a QB sneak which made the score 21-16. This is now when Michigan really tried to give away the game. On the possession following Stone's score, Underwood's 3rd Down pass was picked off over the middle by DB Braden Turner who read it all the way and took the ball back down to the Michigan 6-yard line. On the next play, RB Caleb Komolafe ran straight up the right side of the formation 6 yards for the go ahead TD. The two-point conversion attempt failed, but the Purple and White now held a 22-21 lead with 12:05 left to play. Michigan would turn the ball over on. their next two drives via another interception from Underwood and a fumble by RB Bryson Kuzdzal at the Wildcats 24-yard line. However the Michigan defense forced a pair of punts off those turnovers. Michigan had one final chance to win the game with 2:10 left to play with the ball at their own 37-yard line. The Maize & Blue drove 50 yards win 11 plays and set up Zvada with a shot for redemption with :02 left. Zvada's 31-yard kick sailed through the uprights, over the outfield bleachers and onto Sheffield Avenue. Michigan escaped with a 24-22 win. Marshall was the steady force for Michigan toting the rock 19 times for 142 yards and two TDs while Underwood completed 21 of 32 passes for 280 yards and two interceptions. Underwood's favorite target was WR Andrew Marsh who grabbed 12 passes for 189 yards. In the bitter defeat, Stone completed 13 of 27 passes for 184 yards for the Wildcats.
Telling Stat: 5+2 ≠ L; Michigan turned the ball over five times and missed two FG attempts, yet still won the game. Wow.
Penn State 28- Michigan State 10: East Lansing, MI- The Battle for the Land Grant trophy also featured a battle between two teams still looking for their first Big Ten win of the season. It was a gray day at Spartan Stadium that got little brighter for the Green and White as on their first offensive snap of the game RB Elijah Tau-Tolliver took the handoff off the right side, got past the line of scrimmage to the second level and was gone 57 yards down the sideline for a TD and a 7-0 Spartans lead. The game was tied on the ensuing drive when RB Kaytron Allen took the direct snap out of PSU's Wild Lion formation and weaved his way 8 yards to the end zone. MSU broke the tie in the second quarter when PK Martin Connington split the uprights from 24-yards out for a 10-7 lead. MSU would never lead again. Two plays after the FG, PSU QB Ethan Grunkemeyer spotted wide open WR Devonte Ross running past the Spartan secondary and threw a bomb that Ross caught at Sparty's 31-yard line and took it the rest of the way for a 75-yard TD and a 14-10 lead going into the break. The third quarter was a defensive struggle with both teams gaining a total of 72 yards and punting 4 times. The Fighting Paternos took control of the game in the fourth quarter when they sandwiched a 4-yard TD pass from Grunkemeyer to Ross and a 26-yard TD scamper by RB Allen around a Spartan fumble. After stopping the kids from East Lansing one final time, the Nittany Lions took 2 snaps out of victory formation and claimed their first conference win of the year and the first win for interim HC Terry Smith who got a chilly Gatorade bath from his players as a reward. For PSU, Allen was the star of the game, lugging the leather 25 times for 181 yards and 2 TDs while Grunkemeyer completed 8 of 13 passes for 127 yards and two scores. For the Spartans, Tolliver was their top man, gaining 79 yards on 6 carries with a TD.
Telling Stat: Second half Shutout; Penn State's defense forced 3 punts, caused a fumble and held for downs once to keep MSU scoreless in the second half.
Illinois 24-Maryland 6: Champaign-Urbana, IL- This one at Zupke Field saw Illinois focus on stopping on Maryland's rushing attack and daring freshman QB Malik Washington to beat them. The strategy worked out as the Orange and Blue defense kept the Terps in check as the offense put in a workmanlike effort with a score in each quarter to pull away for the victory. The game stood 14-6 at the intermission. A 22-yard TD pass from QB Luke Altmyer to WR Hudson Clement and a 3-yard TD rumble from RB Kaden Feagin accounted for the Illini's points. Maryland's 6 points came on FGs of 29 and 43 yards from PK Sean O'Haire. There would be no more points for the Terps. Illinois would add a second TD pass from Altmyer to Clement when the Maryland defense bit on a screen pass fake and left Clement more wide open than a Costco on Black Friday. Up now 21-6 through 3 quarters, the Sons of Red Grange would add a 33-yard FG from PK David Olano to closeout the scoring. In the win, Altmyer completed 15 of 25 passes for 172 yards and two TDs. Clement caught both of those TD passes as he caught 3 passes total for 72 yards. Feagin was the top ground gainer, racking up 81 yards on 14 carries with a TD. Washington's day was ineffective at best for Maryland. He completed 25 of 46 aerials for 238 yards and an interception.
Telling Stat: They got off the field; The Illinois defense held Maryland to just 3 of 12 on 3rd Down Conversions and 0 for 2 on 4th Down Converisons to control the game.
Washington 49- Purdue 13: Seattle, WA- The Huskies were looking to bounce back after a devastating 13-10 loss last week at Wisconsin. They would have to do it without a pair of their top skill players as RB Jonah Coleman and WR Denzel Boston were out due to injuries. Purdue came into this one winless in Big Ten play and were hoping for that breakthrough win. The first quarter was a slog with the Boilermakers hanging tough with the Huskies. They forced a UW fumble on the opening drive of the game, but were unable to make anything out of it. The Purple Gang broke out to a 7-0 lead on a drive that featured a great one-handed catch by WR Omari Evans for 43 yards that setup his team in the red zone and a great recovery of an air mailed snap by QB Demond Williams, Jr. that he turned into a completion to TE Decker DeGraaf for a 1st and Goal at the PU 4-yard line. RB Adam Mohammed plunged into the end zone from a yard out to cap off the drive and give the Huskies the lead. What looked like a close game turned into a rout as the Dawgs found paydirt on their next five drives. They scored on a two more short TD runs by Mohammed of 1 and 5 yards, and a 68-yard TD Run by RB Jordan Washington where he took the handoff over the right side and ran untouched to the end zone. The next pair of Husky TDs came on throws of 61 and 2 yards from Williams, Jr. to WRs Audric Williams and Dezmen Roebuck. The score stood 42-6 Huskies to start the final period. The last quarter was a glorified scrimmage. When it was over Williams, Jr. completed 16 of 19 passes for 257 yards and 2 TDs while Mohammed gained 59 yards on 17 carries and 3 TDs. For the Boilermakers, QB Malachi Singleton completed 16 of 28 aerials for 150 yards and a TD.
Telling Stat: 35-3= Rout; Washington turned a 7-0 lead into a 42-3 lead with a 35-3 run in which they outgained Purdue 281 yards to 59.
Ohio State 48- UCLA 10: Columbus, OH- One of the headlines coming into this game was that WR Carnell Tate would not play for TheeeOSU and that his teammate and fellow WR Jeremiah Smith would only see limited action against the bRuins. Then the bigger headline that UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava wouldn't play due to a concussion dropped. The latter headline dropped UCLA's chances of pulling an upset in Columbus from remote to zero. Then Buckeyes raced out to a 27-0 lead at the half on a pair of 1-yard TD runs from RBs Bo Jackson and Isaiah West, an 11-yard TD toss from QB Julian Sayin to WR Bryson Rodgers and a pair of FGs covering 33 and 41 yards from PK Jayden Fielding. Then the third quarter saw the lead stretched out to 34-0 when West again plunged scores the goal line from a yard out. UCLA then actually scored when QB Luke Duncan threw an 18-yard TD pass to WR Kwazi Gilmer. However UCLA's happiness on the score was short lived as on the ensuing kickoff TheeeOSU KR Lorenzo Styles, Jr. took it back a full 100 yards for a TD and a 41-7 lead. The teams would each put another score up in the final period to make the final tally 48-10. For the Buckeyes, Sayin completed 23 of 31 passes for 184 yards and a TD in a little over one half's worth off work. Jackson led all rushers with 112 yards on 15 carries and a TD. For UCLA, Duncan completed 16 of 23 passes for 154 yards and a TD in the lopsided loss.
Telling Stat: 15 is a while; KR Lorenzo Styles 100-yard kickoff return TD was the first kickoff return TD for TheeeOSU in 15 years. That last KO return happened in 2010 when KR Jordan Hall took one back in a 37-7 rout of Michigan.
Observations
...Unacceptable; The behavior by this Texas Sate Trooper towards A pair of South Carolina players during the Aggies home game v. the Gamecocks is completely out of line. Its just makes you wonder what kind of crap has this guy pulled that the camera didn't catch over the years. At least he got suspended for this. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Barney Fife Lives
...Just a rumor; There's no truth to the rumor that Purdue had accepted an invitation to join the new PAC 12 in 2026.
...He's Gone... to Blacksbriug ; Former PSU HC James Franklin has been hired by VaTech. Orange and Red
....1,000 or just short of it; Ohio State's smashing of UCLA should have been the 1,000th win in program history, But it wasn't because the Buckeyes were forced to vacate 12 wins from 2010 by the NCAA a few years ago. So officially it was win 988 for the Scarlet & Gray.
...Big Sky Error; The Big Sky Conference of the FCS has admitted to an officiating error that basically handed the game to Sacramento State in their 23-20 win over Idaho. A pass that was ruled a completion on the field then upheld upon review led to Sacramento State winning the game. The pass wasn't anywhere close to being complete. Check it out here. Vandals Robbed
...Best In Bloomington; Indiana went 11-2 last year and is currently 11-0 this year. Only two other Indiana teams have ever won as many as 9 games in a season. The Hoosiers went 9-0-1 in 1945 and 9-2 in 1967. The '45 team did not play in a bowl game because the Big Ten did not allow teams to play in post season bowls at the time. The '67 team lost 14-3 to National Champion USC in the 1968 Rose Bowl.
...Locklsey locked in; Maryland HC Mike Locksley has been given the the Tammy Wynette by his AD, Jim Smith. Smith also promised more funding for the program. Locksley-ed in
...Water logged all day; 10+ hours of rain and mud spent in our tailgate on campus at USC and at the Coliseum was good price to pay to see a win form the Trojans. To sit through all that and lose would have been really awful.
...More football in a baseball park; In addition to Wrigley Field, Fenway Park hosted college football as well last Saturday as the Merchant Marine Academy pulled out a 39-38 win over The Coast Guard Academy to claim possession of the Secretaries' Cup. Here's the happy bunch of Mariners.
...It's win but; Georgia Tech HC Brent Key was not thrilled to say the least after his team comeback form a double digit deficit to beat hapless Boston College, 36-34. His postgame interview was classic. He ain't happy
...Just a rumor; There's no truth to the rumor that SoFi Stadium officials told UCLA to stay in Pasadena after their embarrassing loss at Ohio State.
...Road woes in Maroon and Gold; Minnesota is 0-4 on the road this year and has been outscored 152-33 in those games.
...A little out of order; Navy faces the prospect of playing in the American Conference title game on 12/6 then playing one more regular season game after that when they face Army the following week on 12/13. However, even though both academies are members of the AAC, their annual matchup is not a conference game. The conference gave the game special status as part of having both teams in the league. However, that begs the question of what happens if they both qualify for the AAC title tilt? Would they face off two weeks in a row? Hmmmmmmmm
...He said it; Texas Tech HC Joey McGuire mused after Tech's win over UCF, "Everybody is talking about QBs for Heisman, so we put him in at QB today for a TD." McGuire was speaking of LB Jacob Rodriguez who has had a great 2025 campaign. Rodriguez took a direct snap from the Wildcat formation and scored on a 2-yard TD run in the first quarter of the contest.
...Finance Bros Sacked; UC Investments, a private equity firm looked like they had a $2.4 billion dollar deal done with the Big Ten, but USC and Michigan nixed the deal. Denied
...Sooners up, Horns down; After Oklahoma's upset of Alabama and Georgia's throttling of Texas it's easy to see who is enjoying the move to the SEC more.
...Lucky 13; It's theoretically possible for the SEC to have 13 bowl eligible teams this year.
...The same dude; Arch Manning is Malik Washington with more hype. They are both just struggling young QBs.
...MWC madness; San Diego State v. New Mexico on Thanksgiving weekend will most likely be for a spot in the Mountain West title game.
...Purple Pain; Northwestern is 0-6 in games played at Wrigley Field.
...Had to feel good; Nobody enjoyed Washington's 49-13 win over Purdue more than UW DC Ryan Wolters who went 5-19 as Purdue's HC in the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
...Wish Book memories; About this time of year kids of my generation and before were knee deep into the Sears Christmas Catalog. Here's an old page for NFL jackets and caps. Still looks like a cool cap and jacket combo to me.
Big Ten Overreactions
Minnesota boats are not seaworthy outside of Minneapolis.
Oregon is primed for an upset.
UCLA needs a lot more than a new stadium.
Ohio State still is in cruise control.
Wisconsin still needs an offense transplant.
Indiana is also in cruise control
Iowa may be the best 4 loss team around.
USC has found a defense.
Michigan still doesn't trust the forward pass.
Northwestern will go bowling
Penn State has a real shot to make bowl.
Michigan State is just flat out awful.
Maryland can't buy a break.
Illinois will be go 9-3 and nobody will care.
Purdue is happy basketball has started.
Washington still has non idea how they lost to Wisconsin.
Keeping Up With Your Exes
Oregon State lost again, Wazzu won and Colorado was off, Utah smacked Baylor, 55-28 and ASU and Arizona both won. The Sun Devils and Wildcats are both 7-3. Their meeting in two weeks could be one epic clash for the Territorial Cup. Speaking of rivalries, Cal and Stanford both had byes this past weekend and will square off in the 128th edition of the Big Game at Stanford Stadium this week.
Grey Cup Update
It was a wild one at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg where the Saskatchewan Roughriders held off the Montreal Alouettes for a 25-17 win. The win Wass the 5th Grey Cup win in the history of the Roughriders. I hear the gang down at Corner Gas is pretty happy with the win too.
Ugly Uniform of the Week
Tennessee takes the honors this week with this mismatching set of gray jerseys and pants that look like a prison team uniform.
A Chicle of Wisdom
This week's wisdom from the 1935 National Chicle football set comes form card #21 Cliff Montgomery. Coach Casey praises Montgomery then goes on to give advice on the QB's position in a huddle. He then goes onto say when you should punt the ball. That advice is a head scratcher now, but was a valid strategy at the time.
Departments
Low Score Game of the Week: Claremont, CA- We got to the D-III SCIAC where a couple of the tail enders of the league finished their seasons with a battle in the rain and muck at Zinda Field. A small gathering of fans and family saw the Stags of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps beat the Laverne Leopards, 5-0. A 21-yard FG by CMS PK Sam Brewer in the third quarter and a safety from LB George Kruger who tackled RB Tyler McCown in his own end zone with 1:57 left in the game. This game was a mud bowl with Claremont holding Lavenre to 27 total yards of offense. Here are the highlights. Mud Bowl
Blowout Game of the Week: McPherson, KS- We got to the NAIA ranks and the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference where the McPherson College Bulldogs crushed the Sterling College Warriors, 85-0. After a scoreless first quarter McPherson exploded for 38 second quarter points to put this one away by halftime. Bulldog QB Ryan Markarian completed 20 of 32 passes for 407b yards and 5 TDs.
Razorback Report: Baton Rouge, LA- Here we go folks, once again the Hogs held a second half lead only to see it evaporate in a 23-22 loss at LSU. The Hogs last chance to win the game went awry as PK Scott Starzyk missed a 48-yard FG attempt with 5:08 to play. Up next for Arkansas is the Broyles-Royal Bowl as they travel to Austin to take on Texas.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
Never have been a big fan of rain.
Why does every package get delivered right after you've left the house?
It's been grilled cheese and tomato soup kind of weather around here lately.
Until next time folks, remember that teams have to learn how to win.
-The Commissioner
