Big Ten football fans had a busy weekend as several marquee matchups pitting Top 25 teams were on stage.
Michigan vs. Minnesota
Senior quarterback John Navarre led the Wolverines to the greatest comeback in Michigan history Friday night in Minneapolis. Minnesota led 28-7 at the start of the fourth quarter and watched the Wolverines score 31 points in the final quarter to edge the Gophers 38-35. Freshman kicker Garret Rivas hit a 33 yard field goal with 47 seconds left in regulation to give the Wolverines the final edge.
The Cudahy, Wis. native was 33-of-47 through the air for two touchdowns and an interception and added another touchdown on the ground. Senior running back Chris Perry scored on a 10 yard touchdown run with just under six minutes left in the game to tie the score at 35. Minnesota went three and out on the preceding drive and Navarre drove the Wolverines to the final field goal.
The fourth quarter collapse spoiled an otherwise stellar rushing performance by the Gophers. Minnesota out-gained Michigan 424-94 on the ground as sophomore running back Marion Barber III had 21 carries for 197 yards and two touchdowns, and senior quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq carried the ball nine times for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Penn State vs. Purdue
Special team woes continued to plague the Penn State Nittany Lions Saturday in West Lafayette. Purdue senior wide receiver Anthony Chambers had a 76 yard punt return for a touchdown as the home Boilermakers upended the Nittany Lions 28-14.
Chambers also had punt returns of 42 and 13 yards, both of which set up Boilermaker touchdowns. Sophomore running back Brandon Jones came off the bench for Purdue to rush for two touchdowns and 149 yards on 29 carries as well.
Penn State's offense was sluggish at best after coming off a huge game against Wisconsin last week. The Nittany Lions managed only two scoring drives, one which covered only six yards. Sophomore quarterback Michael Robinson managed only 98 yards passing, going 10-of-32 for a touchdown and two interceptions. Freshman running back Tony Hunt led Penn State with 47 yards rushing and a touchdown on nine carries.
Michigan State vs. Illinois
Michigan State and its senior quarterback Jeff Smoker continued to roll in Champagne on Saturday, drubbing the Fighting Illini 49-14. Smoker threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns on 23-of-31 passing as Illinois lost for the fifth straight time and turned the ball over three times in the game.
Illinois started the game on a positive note by controlling the ball for over 11 minutes in the first quarter and tied the game at seven early in the second, following a 15 play 84-yard drive. But on the Illini's ensuing offensive possession, senior quarterback Jon Beutjer threw an interception that was returned to the Illini two yard-line by MSU sophomore safety Eric Smith. The Spartans then scored, and the Illini never got close after that. Beutjer threw for 146 yards and completed 19-of-27 attempts for one touchdown and two interceptions.
Junior running back Tyrell Dortch, who sat out all of last season with a broken leg, scored the first two touchdowns of his college career at Michigan State. Dortch had touchdown runs of one and four yards and carried the ball six times for 35 yards.'
Michigan State now sits atop the Big Ten standings with the Badgers as two of the three undefeated teams remaining in the conference.
Northwestern vs. Indiana
In a battle of two teams searching for their first Big Ten win, Northwestern edged Indiana in dramatic fashion in Bloomington Saturday. Behind senior running back Jason Wright and his four touchdowns and 138 yards rushing on 32 carries, Northwestern finally got that first conference win by beating Indiana 37-31 in overtime. Northwestern nearly blew a 17-point lead from the first quarter in the exciting win.
Indiana received the ball first in overtime and drove to the Northwestern 13 yard-line when junior quarterback Matt LoVecchio's pass was tipped and intercepted in the end zone by the Wildcats. The game ended on the next Wildcat offensive possession as Wright scored on a four-yard touchdown run.
Indiana racked up 327 yards rushing in the game, totaling 531 yards of total offense. Freshman running back Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis had 135 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries and Brian Lewis added another touchdown and 128 yards on 21 carries. Indiana was denied its first conference win since the 2002 contest versus Wisconsin.
