Week two of Big Ten football in 2020 is in the books. While IU defeated Rutgers 37-21 in Piscataway, New Jersey, here’s what happened around the rest of the conference in a crazy week of college football.
Minnesota versus Maryland
On Friday night, Maryland pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the college football season thus far, defeating heavily favored Minnesota in College Park, Maryland, 45-44 in overtime. With both teams coming off of losses, Minnesota’s against No. 18 Michigan and Maryland’s against Northwestern, Minnesota came into the game as 18.5 point favorites on the road.
From the start, Maryland was ready to pull the upset. Sophomore quarterback and University of Alabama transfer Taulia Tagovailoa scored three first quarter touchdowns to put the Terrapins up 21-7 early.
But the early momentum did not last for long.
Minnesota outscored Maryland 31-0 in the second and third quarters, leading by 17 entering the fourth quarter. In 2020, no team in the entire FBS had come back from a 17-point fourth quarter deficit.
That was, until Friday night. Tagovailoa rallied the Terrapins to tie the game and force overtime. Both teams scored touchdowns in overtime, but a missed extra point by Minnesota kicker Brock Walker cost them the game, dropping them to 0-2 on the season, and securing the Terrapin upset.
Maryland is scheduled to play at No. 18 Penn State next week, while Minnesota is to play at Illinois.
Michigan State at No. 13 Michigan
In another huge upset, Michigan State defeated rival No. 13 Michigan on the road, 27-24 to win the Paul Bunyan Trophy. Michigan State came off a loss to Rutgers, its first since Rutgers joined the Big Ten in 2014, and Michigan entered the game 1-0 with a win over Minnesota.
Early on, it was the Spartans who set the tempo. Michigan State scored a touchdown on its second possession of the game and forced Michigan to punt on all but two of their first half drives. The Spartans led 14-10 at the break and did not trail for the entire game.
MSU found success through the air thanks to freshman receiver Ricky White, who caught nine passes for 196 yards and a touchdown. White only made one catch for five yards the previous week against Rutgers.
While Michigan quarterback Joe Milton threw for 300 yards on the day, it took him 51 attempts to do so, and he, along with the rest of the offense, was inefficient all day long.
With the loss, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh falls to 1-6 all-time in home games against rivals Michigan State and Ohio State. Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker is the first MSU coach to defeat Michigan in his debut season since Nick Saban in 1995.
Michigan will head to Bloomington to face No. 17 IU this week, while MSU will take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City, Iowa.
Purdue versus Illinois
Purdue advanced to 2-0, defeating Illinois on the road, 31-24.
Just over an hour prior to kickoff, Illinois quarterback and Avon, Indiana, native Brandon Peters tested positive for COVID-19, as did redshirt freshman tight end Griffin Moore. Peters, Moore and several other Illini players were unavailable due to the Big Ten’s contact tracing protocol.
With Peters and backup quarterback Isaiah Williams out for the game, third-string quarterback Matt Robinson got the start for the Illini. Robinson was knocked out of the game early due to injury, forcing Illinois to play fourth-string quarterback Coran Taylor for most of the game. Taylor went 17 for 29 with 273 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
While the Boilermakers’ star receiver Rondale Moore sat out for a second straight week for undisclosed reasons, sophomore receiver David Bell carried the team’s offense again. Bell caught nine passes for 122 yards and a touchdown, including a game-sealing 27-yard catch on 3rd and 11 on their own seven yard line.
While Purdue led comfortably for most of the game, Taylor led Illinois on a late comeback. Down just a touchdown and with the ball in the red zone, the Illini turned the ball over on downs, stopping the comeback short.
Illinois will host Minnesota next week, while Purdue is scheduled to travel to No. 9 Wisconsin. Wisconsin is not currently practicing due to a COVID-19 outbreak, and its game against Nebraska on Saturday was canceled.
Northwestern versus Iowa
The Northwestern vs. Iowa matchup tends to be a good one in most years, and 2020 was no exception. The Wildcats defeated the Hawkeyes on the road, 21-20.
Prior to the game, Northwestern announced that they would be missing 33 players, leaving the team with a much more limited roster.
Iowa jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to two Northwestern fumbles, but only held a six-point lead at halftime.
Despite going down by three scores early, Northwestern’s defense was strong all day. The Hawkeyes’ two touchdowns were both on a short field thanks to turnovers, and the Wildcats did not give up a single point in the second half. Northwestern has not lost a game at Kinnick Stadium since 2014.
The Wildcats advanced to 2-0 on the season, while the Hawkeyes fell to 0-2. Northwestern will host Nebraska next week, and Iowa is set to take on Michigan State at home.
No. 3 Ohio State versus No. 18 Penn State
In the most anticipated game of the week, and perhaps the season, No. 3 Ohio State dominated No. 18 Penn State from start to finish, winning 38-25 in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Year after year, the matchup between the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions is a landmark one in college football. The game often decides who will reach the Big Ten championship, culminating in many classic games. While the hype was significantly lessened both by Penn State’s 36-35 loss to IU the previous week, as well as the lackluster atmosphere due to the empty crowd, all eyes nationwide were on this game.
ESPN held College GameDay at Penn State this week, and the game was also selected for ABC’s Saturday Night Football.
On their first play from scrimmage, Ohio State sophomore receiver Garrett Wilson took an end-around 62 yards to the Penn State 13-yard line, setting up a quick Buckeye scoring drive capped off by a Master Teague III touchdown run.
The Buckeyes offense was firing on all cylinders thanks in large part to junior quarterback Justin Fields. Fields, who was at one time committed to Penn State in high school, threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns in the win. His favorite target was junior receiver Chris Olave, who caught seven passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
Ohio State will host Rutgers next week, while Penn State will host Maryland.
