Around the Big Ten: Week 3

Audio/Story posted September 12, 2018 in CommRadio, Sports by Sports Staff

Joe Skinner, Dylan Huberman, Kyle Cannillo and Chris Hess preview week three action of Big Ten football: 

 

 

Story posted 7 hours ago in CommRadio, Sports by Sports Staff

Week two of the Big Ten football season saw Rutgers take on Ohio State in the lone conference game and the other 12 teams played non-conference opponents. Excluding the Buckeyes and Scarlet Knights, the Big Ten went 7-5.

Illinois soundly defeated Western Illinois 34-14 led by the rushing effort of Mike Epstein. The sophomore running back carried the ball eight times for 105 yards but didn’t find the end zone. Wide receiver Edwin Carter had 80 receiving yards and on two catches. The Illini will travel to Soldier Field in Chicago to take on South Florida on September 15 at 3:30 p.m.

The Indiana Hoosiers escaped a ferocious Virginia comeback at home in a sloppy 20-16 win. Running back Stevie Scott carried the ball 31 times for 204 yards and one touchdown. Virginia’s Hail Mary attempt fell short as time expired. Indiana will welcome the Ball State Cardinals to Bloomington on September 15 at 12 p.m.

The Cy-Hawk Trophy will stay in Iowa City as the Hawkeyes beat Iowa State 13-3 in a defensive slugfest. Iowa’s defense held the Cyclones to under 200 total yards and only gave up 19 yards rushing. Quarterback Nathan Stanley went 16/28 for 166 yards and running back Mekhi Sargent scored the lone touchdown with 4:47 to go in the final frame. Iowa will welcome Northern Iowa for a showdown under the lights at 7:30 p.m. on September 15.

Maryland’s hot streak to open 2018 continued with a 45-14 of Bowling Green. Ty Johnson and Tayon Fleet-Davis rushed for 124 yards and 102 yards respectively and combined for three touchdowns. The Terps also scored 28 fourth-quarter points. Maryland will welcome Temple to College Park for a noon kickoff on September 15.

Michigan got the win they desperately needed after a debacle against Notre Dame. The Wolverines demolished Western Michigan 49-3 behind the duo of Shea Patterson and Karan Higdon. Patterson went 12/17 for 125 yards and three touchdowns. Higdon rushed for 156 yards and one touchdown. Jim Harbaugh’s team will host SMU on September 15 at 3:30 p.m.

The trip out to Tempe turned out to be a stressful one for the Michigan State Spartans as Herm Edwards and the Arizona State Sun Devils kicked a game-winning field goal to win 16-13. The Spartans surrendered 13 fourth-quarter points and quarterback Brian Lewerke threw for 314 yards in his return to his home state. Michigan State has its bye week and then they will head to Bloomington to take on Indiana on September 22.

PJ Fleck’s Minnesota Golden Gophers defeated an extremely tough Fresno State team 21-14 due to a late interception in the end zone. Antoine Winfield Jr sealed the win with an acrobatic interception after initially getting beat in coverage. Running back Seth Green found the end zone twice. Minnesota will welcome Miami Ohio to TCF Bank Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on September 15.

The Scott Frost era in Lincoln did not start as planned as Colorado stole one 33-28. Adrian Martinez scored three touchdowns, two on the ground and one through the air. Martinez also combined for 304 combined yards passing and rushing. Greg Bell also rushed for 104 yards. The Cornhuskers will look to rebound at home on September 15 at 12 p.m. as Troy comes to Memorial Stadium.

Pat Fitzgerald’s Northwestern team fell to Duke 21-7 in a battle of the brains after a tightly contested win against Purdue in week one. Duke scored all of its points in the second quarter. Clayton Thorson went 22/38 for 198 yards and threw an interception. Jeremy Larkin rushed for 121yards and scored Northwestern’s only points. The Wildcats will play Akron under the lights at Ryan Field on September 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Ohio State’s high-powered offense continued their dominance in a convincing 52-3 onslaught of Rutgers. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins went 20/23 for 233 yards and four touchdowns. Backup quarterback Tate Martell led the Buckeyes in the rushing department with 95 yards and a touchdown. The Ohio State defense surrendered only 134 yards to the Rutgers offense. The Buckeyes will travel to Arlington, Texas to take on TCU in a high-octane game at AT&T Stadium on September 8 at 8 p.m.

The 99th meeting between Penn State and Pittsburgh created tensions throughout the week leading up to the game. However, the Nittany Lions got the last laugh after a 51-6 demolition of the Panthers. Pittsburgh native Miles Sanders rushed for 118 yards on 16 carries and quarterback Trace McSorley went 14/30 for 145 and threw for two touchdowns. McSorley also found the end zone on the ground once. Sean Clifford also threw a touchdown pass to Brandon Polk. KJ Hamler found the end zone twice and the Penn State defense also recorded a safety. Penn State will welcome the Kent State Golden Flashes to Beaver Stadium for a noon kickoff on September 15.

Purdue’s struggles have continued into week two as Jeff Brohm’s team fell to Eastern Michigan 20-19 on a last-second field goal courtesy of Chad Ryland. Elijah Sindelar and David Blough combined for 135 yards passing. However, running backs D.J. Knox and Markell Jones rushed for 152 yards and 109 yards respectively. Purdue’s next test will be at home against Missouri at 7:30 p.m. on September 15.

Rutgers had a daunting task ahead of them and they were able to put up their first points against Ohio State since 2015 in a 52-3 loss at the Horseshoe. Quarterbacks Art Sitkowski and Gio Rescigno combined for 65 yards through the air and two interceptions. The Scarlet Knights could only muster 134 offensive yards in the demolition. Rutgers will hit the road to take on Kansas at noon on September 15.

New Mexico came out ready to play and took an early 7-3 lead against Wisconsin. However, it didn’t take long for the Badgers to completely take control. Paul Chryst’s team scored 35 second-half points in a 45-14 win over the Lobos. Heisman candidate Jonathan Taylor strengthened his resume even more by rushing for 253 yards on 33 carries while scoring three touchdowns. The Badgers will host BYU at Camp Randall Stadium on September 15 at 3:30 p.m.

 

Christopher Hess is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism and minoring in history. To contact him, email christopherhess22@gmail.com.

About the Contributors

Dylan Huberman's photo

Dylan Huberman

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

Dylan Huberman is a Centre County Report student, a contributor for CommRadio, where he formerly served as the co-host of several talk shows, including the NFL talk show “The Point After” with Tyler King, and “Empire State College” with Charles Hart, and also makes regular appearances for PSNtv’s “Penn State Sports Night.” Nicknamed “Hot-take Huberman” by CommRadio alum George Stockburger, Dylan is known for his fiery, outside-the-box style of sports analysis. Outside of Penn State, Dylan has worked as a desk assistant for ABC News out of their Los Angeles Bureau, as well as an intern in the sports department with KABC-TV Los Angeles, and is an editorial writer for Clutchpoints, covering the NBA and NFL. One day, Dylan hopes to make it onto television as a sports analyst or play-by-play announcer, but is very interested in sports radio and editorial writing as well. Follow him on Twitter @dylanhuberman or email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Joe Skinner's photo

Joe Skinner

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

Joe Skinner is from South Riding, VA and has play-by-play experience in football, soccer, lacrosse, hockey, volleyball, baseball and softball. You can hear Joe on Turning Two, CommRadio’s only MLB talk show, as well. Joe is interested in broadcasting play-by-play for a national television or radio network in football, basketball, or baseball. To contact Joe, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).