Around the Big Ten Recap: Week 13
Saturday was the last day of the regular season for Big Ten Conference teams. But it was rivalry week, which is one of the most intense weeks of the year. Some teams got revenge from last season, and others did not. It was also a very important day as teams were vying to become bowl eligible as others were fighting for a spot in the Big Ten Championship game.
No. 8 Ohio State at No. 12 Michigan: OSU 42-13
These two teams were fighting for a spot in the Big Ten Championship game if Michigan State faltered in their final game. Neither Ohio State nor Michigan will be heading to Indianapolis, however, nobody expected a route one way or another. Ohio State was the first to get on the board, but Michigan was holding tough with the Buckeyes on their home field. With the game only being a four-point margin at halftime, one team had an opportunity to make a statement. The Buckeyes put up a pair of touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters to blow out the Wolverines. Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott was extremely disappointed with the play calling in the team’s previous game against Michigan State. He was more than pleased on Saturday, carrying the ball 30 times for 214 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Elliott spoke his mind, and he looked like a man on a mission to make positive plays out of every opportunity he got. The Buckeye defense really showed up in this game. Joey Bosa had an interception for the Buckeyes and limited Michigan’s rushing attack to 57 yards. Both teams will wait to see what bowl game they will be playing in. Ohio State finished the regular season 11-1 while Michigan dropped to 9-3.
No. 3 Iowa at Nebraska: Iowa 28-20
Both of these teams were playing for something on Saturday. Iowa had the chance to stay perfect and reach the Big Ten Championship game, while Nebraska was trying to reach six wins and become bowl eligible. The Hawkeyes edged the Huskers to win the Big Ten West and advance to the Big Ten title game. The difference in the win was Iowa’s defense. The Hawkeye defense picked off Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong four times, and the longest run they gave up was 12 yards. Iowa has thrived off of their defense all season, and they showed up once again on a big stage with a ton of pressure. The Huskers fought hard and wouldn’t let Iowa pull away from them. In fact, Iowa never led more than 11 points in the game. Fortunately for Nebraska, their season might not have come to an end on Saturday. There potentially could be spots left for five win teams if there aren’t enough bowl eligible teams to fill out all of the bowl spots. Nebraska has one of the best chances to get into a bowl if there are any spots left. The Huskers had a rough start to the season and in the end, lost all of their games by only a combined 31 points. Only one of those seven losses was by more than one possession and that was to the worst team in the Big Ten, Purdue. Iowa will play Michigan State in the Big Ten title game on December 5th at 8 p.m., while Nebraska will be eager to see if they’ll slip into a final bowl spot.
Indiana at Purdue: IU 54-36
With a win, Indiana would become bowl eligible for the first time since 2007. With a win, Purdue would get to three wins in a season they’d like to forget? It isn’t hard to figure out which team was playing with extra fire. Indiana smoked the Boilermakers by 18 to become bowl eligible for the first time in eight years. Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld had a monstrous game for the Hoosiers and really showed off his talent. He threw for over 350 yards and became the team’s all time passing leader with his incredible performance. Not only did Sudfeld break a record, but the whole Indiana team did too. 54 points was the most put up by the Hoosiers over Purdue ever. Indiana running back Devine Redding also had a solid game on the ground and really balanced the passing and rushing attack. On the other hand, Purdue finished the season with two wins and has only totaled six wins in their last three seasons. Indiana will wait to see who their opponent will be while Purdue will have to change something to get results and wins.
Also around the Big Ten, Maryland came from behind to beat Rutgers, Northwestern defeated Illinois at Soldier Field in Chicago, and Wisconsin defeated Minnesota to reach nine wins on the season. Iowa will play Michigan State on Saturday, December 5th, for the Big Ten title. More than likely, the winner of that game will be in the College Football Playoff and have a shot at a national championship.
Mike Wszolek is a freshman majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact him, email mewszolek@gmail.com.
