Around the Big Ten: Football - Week 5

Audio/Story posted September 27, 2019 in CommRadio, Sports by Jack McCune

In a lighter week for the Big Ten, host Jack McCune, Derek Heid and Andrew Field talk about the Iowa-Iowa State drama as well as the impressive performance by Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor last week on the latest edition of the Around the Big Ten podcast:

Week 5 of the college football season will be a lighter week for the Big Ten. Only two games involving Big Ten teams have a spread of less than 14, and no two Top-25 teams from the conference will face off against each other.

Here’s what to expect from the two most intriguing Big Ten games this weekend.

No. 12 Penn State at Maryland

The Nittany Lions and the Terrapins will open Big Ten East play in College Park on Friday night as they both come off their bye week.

This is one of the most anticipated games by Maryland fans and students in the history of the program. The university cancelled Friday classes and announced that the game will be a “blackout,” as all fans will be wearing black.

The 2-1 Terps destroyed Howard and then-No. 21 Syracuse in their first two games, but then they surprisingly fell to Temple 20-17 back in Week 3. Still, Maryland has outscored its opponents 159-40 this season. Quarterback Josh Jackson is 51-for-100 on pass attempts with 724 yards and eight touchdowns this season, and wide receiver Dontay Demus Jr. has nine catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns.

The 3-0 Nittany Lions also crushed their first two opponents, but they just slipped by Pittsburgh in their third game, winning by a touchdown. Quarterback Sean Clifford has 781 passing yards, along with 113 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the season. Receiver KJ Hamler is looking to pass the 1,000 receiving yards mark for his college career, as he currently sits at 999.

Both teams want to make a statement in this game. Penn State wants to prove that it is one of the best teams in the conference, while Maryland is looking to get back into the Top 25.

No. 5 Ohio State at Nebraska

The Ohio State Buckeyes will face its biggest test of the season so far when they take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday night.

The 4-0 Buckeyes look like one of the top teams in the country, as they come into this game ranked third in both scoring offense (53.5 points per game) and scoring defense (9 points per game). Quarterback Justin Fields has the second most total touchdowns this season with 19, and defensive end Chase Young leads college football in sacks this season with seven.

The 3-1 Cornhuskers are coming off of a 42-38 victory against Illinois. Their offense looked impressive, as quarterback Adrian Martinez had 445 yards of total offense in the game.

The Buckeyes beat the Cornhuskers 36-31 in Columbus last season in an offensive battle in which Ohio State had to run out the last three minutes of the clock to solidify the victory. Ohio State will look to cement its spot among college football’s elite, while Nebraska will play with a chip on its shoulder in an attempt to pull off the home upset.

Other Big Ten games in Week 5:

Minnesota at Purdue

Middle Tennessee at No. 14 Iowa

Northwestern at No. 8 Wisconsin

Indiana at No. 25 Michigan State

Rutgers at No. 22 Michigan

 

Jack McCune is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jxm1237@psu.edu.