Big Ten Country

Must-Win Road Tests

The noon EST time slot on Saturday features three teams facing must-win games if they're going to keep themselves in the hunt for a New Year's Day bowl game. Northwestern, Minnesota and Illinois all need to get W's in road tilts. In the case of the former two teams, they can theoretically afford to lose these games and still bounce back. However, practically speaking, a loss in either case would signal alarm bells about their ability to win out the rest of the way. And Illinois put itself up against a wall when they lost at home to the Gophers two weeks ago, and unless they plan on beating Ohio State a second straight year, they can't afford to be losing in other spots.

Northwestern goes to Indiana. The one thing certain in what's been a chaotic year amongst the eight teams situated between the elites and the basement is that IU's holding down the #11 hole. Terry Hutchens of The Indianapolis Star reports that the Hoosier faithful is none too optimistic about even winning a single Big Ten game. In the meantime, the Wildcats are rolling along at 6-1 and getting good offensive balance between C.J. Bacher at quarterback and Tyrrell Sutton in the backfield. The latter has not had the kind of superstar season I was watching for, but he's still been pretty good and the 'Cats have more then filled in around him.

Minnesota travels to Purdue. This is a test game for the Gophs. They are coming off a bye week and the Boilermakers look ready to unravel after being routed by Northwestern last week. But keep in mind that Rick Brewster's team has been far from dominant. They built their early season record on a soft schedule, struggled to get past Indiana at home and beat Illinois primarily on the strength of turnovers. Whether they can maintain their focus and come up with a big win on the road against a very beatable team will be a key test of how fast they are progressing. Kent Youngblood of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune opines that the offensive line is now starting to stabilize, after injuries and lineup changes. A win here would signal that Brewster has the team back to its Mason-era level where they were a team that might not have been championship-level, but was one no contender wanted to mess with.

Illinois goes north to Wisconsin. The Badger defense is going to have to play vastly better then they have for the past two weeks and realistically need their best game of the season. With the quarterback position in flux and the running game far from its customary dominant self, UW has no hope of winning a scoring race with Juice Williams' offense. If the Illini don't beat themselves, I can't see the Badgers slowing them down sufficiently in this ESPN2 telecast. Herb Gould of The Chicago Sun-Times declares that receiver Aurelious Benn has been even better in his encore performance.

October 18 Game Summaries

Penn State 46 Michigan 17
It took longer then Nittany Lions were comfortable with, but after digging themselves a 17-7 hole, Penn State got rid of the Michigan jinx in grand fashion. The Wolverine passing game remains utterly appalling. They netted only 89 passing yards and even a Big Ten traditionalist like me isn't ready to see the days of that kind of offense return. It served to negate a nice game by Brandon Minor. The Lions exhibited a balanced attack, led up by Evan Royster who had 174 rushing yards and Darryl Clark again ran the offense with cool efficiency. From a defensive standpoint, Jeff Rice of The Centre Daily Times says the Lions unleashed the linebackers. Penn State is now set to go to the Horseshoe next week for the Big Ten's game of the year.

Ohio State 45 Michigan State 7
The Buckeyes will arrive for the showdown in great shape themselves. Jim Tressel's team played its most complete game of the year in a complete thrashing of a good MSU team. While Chris Wells had a big game, the OSU defense was the star of the show. They shut down Javon Ringer, ended the Spartan back's hopes for the Heisman and altered the course of the race for conference MVP along with it. It was the kind of game everyone expected from the Bucks back in August. Bob Hunter of The Columbus Dispatch declares they've arrived just where you would have expected.

Iowa 38 Wisconsin 16
The one team expected to challenge the OSU-PSU duo for supremacy back in August and September continued its implosion. The University of Wisconsin football program is now in a mad race with Wall Street to see who can have the most brutal autumn. The Badgers lost the turnover battle 3-0, and Shon Greene continued to be the league's most pleasant surprise for the Hawkeyes. Greene rushed for 217 yards and again carried the Iowa offense. It was a win that Kirk Ferentz needed to keep his bowl hopes on track. And to everyone's amazement, missing a bowl entirely is not only possible for the 3-4 Badgers, but likely given how they have regressed each of the last four weeks.

Northwestern 48 Purdue 26
One of the teams looking to take UW's place in the hiearchy is Northwestern. The Wildcats may not have beaten anyone good yet, but they took a significant step on Saturday in showing they could decisively handle a mediocre squad. The Boilers turned it over five times, negating a 168-yard effort by Kory Sheets. NU is at 6-1. Who would have thought that in mid-October we'd be looking at the Northwestern-Minnesota game as one that might have a January bowl game hanging in the balance?

Illinois 55 Indiana 13
The Juice was on the loose again in Bloomington. Both he and Aurelious Benn had big games in routing the Hoosiers. But the surprise in the Illinois attack was freshman running back Jason Ford, who racked up 172 yards. IU proved to be the salve Illinois needed after letting one slip away last week against Minnesota. As for Indiana, after making a bowl game last year, they are back to their normal state of affairs of welcoming the opening of basketball practice. Hoops isn't likely to bring the usual solace to Hoosier Nation, but Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star opines that at least the hallowed program is clean again.

Must-Win On The Undercard

Six teams are facing must-win situations in the Big Ten's undercard games this week. Foremost among them is a noon EST game in Iowa City where the Hawkeyes host the Badgers. Iowa finally showed some life last week in blowing out Indiana, but needing three more wins to make it to a bowl game won't be easy and they are going to have beat quality teams now. Of course the question of whether Wisconsin is such a quality team is now in serious doubt, with UW staring at an 0-3 conference record and a quarterback controversy on its hands. No announcement has been made, but Jeff Potrykus of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that freshmen Dustin Sherer has been practicing with the first team. While I don't think Wisconsin is as bad is they looked last week (mainly because such would be impossible), I think it's naive for Wiscy fans to assume a quick resurrection to the season now that Ohio State and Penn State are passed. This is a struggling team and is traveling to a place that has not been friendly. I suspect Iowa's weaknesses are even more acute, so I'll pick the Badgers in a nail-biter, but this is a game with considerably less juice then might have been expected just a few weeks ago.

Northwestern hosts Purdue in another noon game, this one on ESPN2. The Boilermakers might attribute their 0-2 league record to having drawn the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes to start conference play. Fair enough, but they weren't playing great in non-conference play as it was. The Wildcats were also a shaky 5-0 team that was undressed last week by Michigan State. As the Big Ten season unfolds in a chaotic manner, this might be one of the few places NU can turn to get the wins they need to get to a bowl. As for Purdue, Tom Kubat of The Journal Courier opines that getting the offense untracked is the key to a turnaround.

Illinois goes to Indiana in a prime-time 8 EST kick on the Network. Juice Williams says both teams desperately need the win, and he's right. But all desperation isn't created equal, and the Hoosiers do not have the defense to contain Williams. If the Illini don't beat themselves like last week, they will win easily. A more interesting test will be whether Ron Zook's defense plays well. They have not had a truly outstanding game yet, and Indiana did ring up the points against a comparable team in Michigan State. Illinois is one of several teams we're still waiting to really get a bead on and the defense is key to that.

Spartans Control Irish

Michigan State controlled the line of scrimmage in a methodical 23-7 win over Notre Dame in East Lansing. This was a game into the fourth quarter, as Notre Dame cut the lead to 13-7 and was again in position to cut it to six before a missed field goal with under six minutes left effectively ended their hopes. But in watching this game, there was never a point where a neutral viewer could really feel like the Irish were going to win the game. MSU did everything they had to do and Javon Ringer was dominant, rushing for 201 yards.

The Spartans did show some problems, particularly their inability to finish drives. Given that we know Ringer is an excellent back, this has to fall on the offensive line. Good defenses can focus on one great back in key situations and stop him if he doesn't have a powerful line ahead of him. We will have to see if this problem plagues Mark Dantonio's team as the caliber of its competiton increases. But for today, they are sitting on 3-1 and did what they do in the non-conference schedule. They won their two gimme games and got a split out of Cal & Notre Dame. A .500 conference record will put them back in a bowl, and whatever problems showed up yesterday, they certainly look good enough to do that.

I think Jimmy Clausen does show signs of progressing, albeit not quite as much as the ABC crew made it out to be. His numbers--24/41 for 242 yards are decent, and while the two key picks are a problem, that's typical for a sophomore. And if you place that in the context of him getting no support anywhere else on offense, it means he does deserve a little credit for giving his team the marginal amount of hope it had. Spartans Weblog provides a good breakdown of ND's efforts to throw the ball on Saturday, examining it from the opposing viewpoint.

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It wasn't pretty, but Northwestern got it done. They turned the ball over five times and got four turnovers of their own back. And here's words you don't hear said very often--they did it with defense. They held Ohio to four rushing yards and slugged out a 16-8 win. The Wildcats got to 4-0. Now it's a question of whether the two more wins they need to become bowl-eligible will actually translate into a bowl invitation (unlikely), or whether they are good enough to steal three Big Ten victories and eliminate any doubt (even money).

Iowa outgained Pitt, and they had an edge in turnovers. After rallying for 14-3 down to take a 17-14 lead, it looked like that might be enough. But the Panthers got a late touchdown and hit the Hawkeyes with a crucial loss. The Hawks must now go 4-4 in conference play to ensure a bowl invitation and that's no guarantee.

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Ohio State struggled again, needing two fourth quarter touchdowns to put away Troy. The problems with Ohio & Troy are really more alarming then the blowout at USC. But a new era began in Columbus. Terrelle Pryor got the start, and played well. He threw four touchdown passes and none of them were gimme 1 & 2 yard tosses. Two were from downtown, over 30 & 40 yards. But the Bucks were still outgained and had to win the turnover battle to get the edge.

Penn State completed its run through non-conference. The four wins might not be impressive but the style certainly is. The Nittany Lions again rolled up over 500 yards of offense and used a 31-point second quarter explosion to beat Temple.

Elsewhere, Minnesota went to 4-0, although Bowling Green was the only opponent even remotely worthy. Eric Decker caught seven passes for 123 yards in a rout of Florida Atlantic and Adam Weber continued to play well at quarterback. Indiana gets great quarterback play from Kellen Lewis, who went off for 307 all-purpose yards against Ball State. But IU didn't do much else and was beaten handily on their home field, 42-20. No second straight bowl trip out of Bloomington in 2008. And Purdue barely escaped Central Michigan 32-25, on a 46-yard touchdown run by Kory Sheets with a minute that turned a one-point deficit into the win. The Boilermakers were pounded on the ground, giving up 149 yards. The Boilers play the Irish next week in a must-win game for programs trying to find their footing. 

Must-Win Games: Iowa & NU

Of the games in the noon (EST) time slot on Saturday, the most compelling is going to be Iowa's visit to Pitt. With their strong defensive showing last week against Iowa State, the Hawkeyes have put themselves in position to sweep the non-conference schedule, something that would seemingly ensure they will get back into the bowl party after last year's miss. It will also provide an early look at how good the Hawks can be once Big Ten action starts.

The Panthers were expected to be a contender in the Big East this year. Dave Wannstedt is in his fourth season on the Allegheny and after their huge upset of West Virginia to end last season, it looked like Wanny had finally turned the corner. But those hopes were quickly dashed when they lost to Bowling Green in the season opener on their home field. The same Bowling Green team that was beaten decisively in Minnesota one week later. If Iowa is ready to be a true contender for an upper-crust bowl game, they win this with ease. If they struggle to a win, we don't know what to think. And if they lose...could be another long fall in Iowa City. Right now, the big question mark is at quarterback. Jake Christiansen has been given another chance to win or lose the job on his own according to Pat Harty at The Iowa Press-Citizen.

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Another team looking to complete a 4-0 sweep of non-conference action that they badly need for bowl hopes is Northwestern. The Wildcasts host Ohio at noon (Big Ten Network). These are the same Bobcats who led at Columbus into the fourth quarter, and this is the same Northwestern that nearly lost at Duke, so there's no reason to think this one will be easy.

Northwestern, to put it mildly, is going to have an issue getting any mention in the Chicago press. They never have it easy, but now they're going up against the Cubs & White Sox possibly heading toward a Windy City Series, the Bears potential resurgence and Notre Dame coming off a badly needed win. And in the battle to crack that first string of storylines, they still have to deal with Illinois football. But this is a program at a significant point in its history and that of coach Pat Fitzgerald. A bowl game would be a big deal for them this year, and they probably need to beat the Bobcats to do it. Might be worth tuning in. Jim O'Donnell of The Chicago Sun-Times has a look at the contrasting styles that will take the field in Evanston.

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Elsewhere in th early time slot, Ohio State begins the recovery process against Troy, while Penn State completes its romp through non-league play against Temple. Minnesota will host Florida Atlantic and Purdue has a home date with Central Michigan.

A Key Game Without TV Cameras

A non-televised game in the Big Ten these days is a rarity. Only one of the games this week will not be shown anywhere. Ironically it's the one matchup that is probably the most consequential, at least among the few where the outcome can be reasonably thought in doubt prior to kickoff. Northwestern goes to Duke. Win here, and the Wildcats have smooth sailing to a 4-0 non-conference slate and are in position to play for a bowl. Lose here and they have to go 4-4 in the Big Ten to get a bid. While they are improved, that's not real likely.

The opponent this week is similar to NU's opener against Syracuse. They're playing a basketball school who was utterly woeful a year ago, but has enough weapons that you can't be ready to write them off, particularly when you have a lot of weaknesses yourself. The Dookies have a new coach, the highly regarded David Cutliffe, who was formerly offensive coordinator for Tennessee. He's got his quarterback back. Thaddeus Lewis oscillated between big plays and interceptions a year ago. All his top playmakers are back, as is most of the offensive line. Eight defensive starters return. So in addition to making contingency plans for Hurricane Hanna, Pat Fitzgerald does have to be prepared for a team that could surprise. Too bad nobody will be able to see it.

Minnesota plays Bowling Green in a 7 PM kick on the Big Ten Network. After BG upended #25 Pitt, the Gophers will not be expected to win this game. They need to see this as a opportunity. It isn't often that a Big Ten team gets to play a MAC program and have a win be seen as some kind of statement. Rick Brewster and his kids can't miss the opportunity. In spite of the program's utter collapse since 2006, athletic director Joel Maturi received a contract extension. Nice work if you can get it.

Indiana has another cupcake in its diet when it plays Murray State in another 7 PM kick on the Network. One of the challenges the Hoosiers face this season is replacing wide receiver James Hardy. Terry Hutchens of The Indianapolis Star writes of the favorable impression he had of freshman DaMarlo Belcher in the opener.

Stern Test Awaits For Rodriguez

The national TV lights of ABC will be on Rich Rodriguez this Saturday. The new coach will open his Michigan career with 3:30 EST kickoff against Utah at home. After a tumultous offseason there's nothing he needs more then to just win some games and get it all behind him, but the Utes will not be easy to handle.

Utah runs a spread offense, and Michigan's problems with that in recent seasons have been well-documented.  With a quarterback-alternation scheme, the Utes have both experienced receivers and an experienced line. The Wolverine defense will have to carry this team, particularly in the early part of the year, and they will be tested right out of the gate.

The defense Utah brings to town is no typical WAC-style (We Ain't Covering) defense (yes, I know it's now the Mountain West, but the point remains). On the positive side for UM, much of the front seven is gone, but a tough secondary is still mostly intact.

Michigan looks ready to use a dual-quarterback system themselves. Mark Snyder of The Detroit Free Press reports that Rodriguez is ready to give playing time to both Steven Threet and Nick Sheridan on Saturday.

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The undercard game on Saturday's TV schedule is one of the more consequential matchups on the Big Ten slate. Northwestern hosts Syracuse in a noon EST kickoff on ESPN. The Orange were terrible last year, going 2-10 and head coach Greg Robinson is likely on his last chance to turn the program around. Syracuse can still be a dangerous team for the Wildcats, due to their ability to throw the ball. Andrew Robinson threw for over 2,000 yards last year and Mike Williams is an effective receiver. The team also returns three offensive lineman, so the offense may be up to speed pretty quickly. But the defense was bad last year and shows no signs of improvement. It still looks like a win for NU, but it's also a must-win. If Pat Fitzgerald wants to get to a bowl game this year he likely needs to sweep his four non-conference games and the first two (they go to Duke next week) are the toughest ones.

Purdue & Notre Dame are both off this week. But the Boilermakers still got bad news. Jaycen Taylor is lost for the season. As bad a news is this on a personal level for Taylor, it is not devastating to his team. Kory Sheets is still the team's top back, and while depth is now gone if Sheets stays healthy the Boilers still have a running game.

Football Preview: Northwestern

The Wildcats were bowl-eligible last year, but at 6-6 got passed over for an invite. This year they look for their first postseason bid since 2005, an accomplishment that would clearly signify the program's recovery from the death of Randy Walker. They have a good chance to get it.

Northwestern's high-powered spread offense will again be led by C.J. Bacher. The senior blew hot and cold last year, with both 19 TDs and 19 interceptions. I think the combination of experience, plus an expanded use of the no-huddle offense will help cut down on the picks. And in a system where experience and cohesion at receiver is almost as important as that on the offensive line, Bacher has three senior returnees at wideout.

While the offense is built around the pass, running back Tyrell Sutton is still the focal point. Injuries have limited his time, but healthy he's a Marshall Faulk-type back who can beat you no matter what way he gets the ball. If he can stay out of the trainer's room, he's got a chance to be Big Ten MVP.

Offensive line could be a problem, with two freshman projected to start. This is an area that has to be improved, as bad red-zone performance cost the Wildcats a year ago. But if games are won in the trenches, NU should at least be improved on the other side of the line of scrimmage. All four defensive line starters return. While tackle John Gill has been suspended for the season opener, the experience should help improve a unit that ranked a woeful 10th in the conference against the run. And just like their rivals downstate, the D-Line will need to carry them, as there is not a lot returning in the linebacking corps and secondary.

Northwestern has a very manageable schedule. A non-conference slate that sees home games with Syracuse, Southern Illinois & Ohio, combined with a road trip to Duke, gives them an excellent chance to start off 4-0. If they can sweep the opening quartet, the odds are they find the three conference wins they'll need to secure a bowl game. The betting here says they do it.

Season Recaps: Northwestern & Minnesota

Back from my honeymoon, it's time to offer congratulations to Kansas & Bill Self. I'm not sure how Illinois fans feel about their former coach, but I was happy to see Self get the brass ring a week ago tonight.

Now that we're officially into offseason for the two sports Big Ten Country covers, it's time to start brief recaps of what each school did in football & men's basketball the past year. Today, we look at Northwestern & Minnesota.

Northwestern
The Wildcats had the least successful year of any school when you look at both sports combined, but they saw some heartening improvement on the gridiron last fall. Pat Fitzgerald led his team to a 6-6 record, and had them in the bowl conversation all the way to a season-ending loss against Illinois. The highlight of the 'Cats year was a crazy two-week stretch in October. They won back-to-back overtime shootouts, first knocking off Michigan State in East Lansing (48-41), then winning a wild 2-OT game at home against Minnesota (49-48). The win over the Spartans, who would be surging down the stretch, was the top sports moment of the year for NU fans, and the .500 record gives hope that Fitzgerald has the program recovering from the tragic death of Randy Walker.

Basketball didn't fare quite as well. Northwestern won just one conference game and positive memories of the season have to be built on the emergence of quality freshman Michael Thompson as a possible difference-maker in years to come.

Minnesota
Minnesota AD Joel Matsui staked the future of the football program on firing Glen Mason, on the grounds that going to minor bowl games was no longer good enough. Minnesota responded by failing to win a single Big Ten game in the first year of the post-Mason era. UM is getting ready to move into a new stadium in 2009, and Matsui has to be desperately hoping that an unexpectedly strong recruiting class will set the groundwork for better days in the immediate future.

Basketball is much brighter in Minneapolis. Matsui ignored the same mentality that led him to do Mason in, and hired underappreciated Tubby Smith away from Kentucky prior to the season. Smith rewarded him and the Gopher fans with a nice 18-12 year and an NIT bid. The Gophs knocked off future NIT champ Ohio State in March and probably cost the Buckeyes a bid to the NCAA. After some hard years on the hardwood in recent years, things are looking up again.

Nearly Perfect In Madison

When it came to avoiding mistakes last night in the Kohl Center, the Badgers were nearly perfect, as Mark Stewart of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel put it. Wisconsin had only one turnover, allowed just five free throw attempts and consequently got an enormous 57-42 win over Michigan State. Goran Suton was stellar for the Spartans in defeat, pulling down fifteen rebounds, but the lack of complete offensive play on the road continues to plague Tom Izzo's team.

At 14-2, UW now gets the weekend off to watch Purdue and Indiana fight it out to pull back even. Looking ahead to next week, the Badgers have only Penn State and Northwestern standing between them and at least a share of the league championship.  It would appear as though the folks in Madison can virtually sit back and start celebration plans, only waiting to see if Indiana will lose in East Lansing on Saturday or Purdue will falter in Columbus next week, in the hopes that their share might grow a little larger.

But Penn State and Northwestern both signaled this week that they haven't thrown in the towel on 2007-08. The Lions knocked off Iowa behind 22 points from Jamelle Cornley. And the Wildcats finally got on the board. Eight treys from Craig Moore triggered a 62-60 upset of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It was the highlight of a busy week in the NU offices, as the school got a new athletic director. James Phillips is reportedly coming over for Northern Illinois, once he finishes the task of helping his current school recover from the recent tragic shootings.

Purdue and Indiana each maintained control of their own championship destiny this week. The Boilermakers beat Minnesota at home behind 22 points from E'Twaun Moore. On the Gopher side, Dan Coleman finally broke out of his February slump with 10 points and 13 rebounds, but twenty turnovers for Minny negated their edge on the glass.

Further downstate, Dan Dakich got his biggest win as interim head coach by beating Ohio State. Armon Bassett knocked down 23 points. This is the second straight game Bassett has been 20+, and the fourth time in five he's hit double-digits. If he's a reliable third weapon behind D.J. White and Eric Gordon, the Hoosiers are a threat to go a long way in March. After all the tumult, the team's legacy now rests in the hands of the players, says Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star.