All season long, the Big Ten has been incredibly unpredictable, and this weekend was no exception. From Ohio State v. Illinois being canceled, to Northwestern’s first loss of the season, there was no shortage of surprises. Here’s what happened outside of IU’s home win over Maryland:
Nebraska v. No. 24 Iowa
In the annual Heroes Game on Black Friday between rivals, No. 24 Iowa defeated Nebraska for the sixth consecutive year, 26-20.
The Huskers entered the game with a quarterback controversy between Adrian Martinez and Luke McCaffery. While Martinez got the start, both quarterbacks got significant playing time in the loss. Martinez completed 18 of 20 passes for 174 yards through the air and ran 12 times for 28 yards and a touchdown, while McCaffery completed just three passes for 21 yards and rushed five times for 42 yards.
Trailing by only six points late in the fourth quarter, Nebraska had a chance to drive down the field and win the game. However, Iowa’s Chauncey Golston forced a fumble on Martinez, sealing the deal for the Hawkeyes.
Next week, Iowa will travel to Illinois. Nebraska will travel to Purdue.
Penn State v. Michigan
After starting 0-5 for the first time in program history, Penn State entered the win column, defeating Michigan 27-17.
Both Michigan and Penn State have performed much worse than what has been expected, and their seasons have been among the biggest surprises both in the Big Ten and nationally.
Among the most surprising regressions in all of college football has been Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford, who was benched against Nebraska after a disappointing start. Clifford had a bounce back game against the Wolverines, completing 17 of 28 passes for 163 yards.
There was another quarterback controversy on the other sideline, while Michigan’s Joe Milton was benched in the team’s 3OT win over Rutgers last week in favor of backup Cade McNamara, who got the start against Penn State. Early on, McNamara suffered a right shoulder injury, and was ineffective for much of the afternoon, completing under 50% of his passes for just 91 yards. Milton replaced the injured McNamara for two possessions, but McNamara returned after a brief visit to the locker room.
Penn State has won the last two matchups against Michigan, but still trails the all-time series 14-10.
Michigan is scheduled to play Maryland next week, but the team reportedly paused all football activities following positive COVID-19 tests within the program. Penn State is scheduled to face Rutgers on the road.
No. 8 Northwestern v. Michigan State
The No. 8 Northwestern Wildcats dropped thier first game of 2020 on Saturday afternoon in East Lansing, Michigan, in a huge upset against unranked Michigan State, 29-20.
Coming off of last week’s upset win over No. 10 Wisconsin, the Wildcats were heavy favorites over a reeling Spartans team.
Early on, Michigan State took a commanding 17-0 lead, and while Northwestern rallied back, the lead was ultimately insurmountable. Northwestern’s lockdown defensive backs held Michigan State quarterback Rocky Lombardi to just 11/27 passing, but still allowed two long touchdown passes of 75 and 21 yards.
Northwestern quarterback and former IU starter Peyton Ramsey had an uncharacteristically poor showing against a usually bad Michigan State defense, completing 21 of 43 passes for 210 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Michigan State’s Shakur Brown caught both of Ramsey’s interceptions.
Following the loss, Northwestern was scheduled to take on Minnesota, but the game was reportedly canceled by Minnesota after the Star Tribune reported 47 positive COVID-19 cases within the program. Michigan State’s game against Ohio State is also in jeopardy due to positive cases with the Buckeyes.
Rutgers v. Purdue
In its first trip to Ross-Ade Stadium since joining the Big Ten in 2014, Rutgers brought home a win against Purdue, 37-30. Rutgers has never lost to Purdue in the 151-year history of its program, and Purdue is one of just two Big Ten programs which Rutgers holds a winning record over.
For the Boilermakers, it’s been more of the same for the last three weeks. After starting 2-0, the team has dropped its last three games, including a controversial officiating call against Minnesota. The Boilermakers are in fifth place in the Big Ten West division after facing Northwestern with first place on the line just two weeks earlier.
The Scarlet Knights ran a two-headed monster at quarterback, with both Johnny Langan and Art Sitkowski taking significant snaps. Langan threw just four times for 95 yards and a touchdown but ran 21 times for another 95 yards. Sitkowski completed 18 of 27 passes for two touchdowns and ran three times for three yards.
Rutgers has won two conference games in a single season for the first time since 2017 and won its first conference road game since October 14, 2017, against Illinois. Rutgers will host Penn State in its next game. Purdue hosts Nebraska on Saturday.
