In another wild week in the FBS, the top teams in the Big Ten continued to make their playoff pushes.
Week 11 was yet another example of just how abnormal this college football season is. However, the Big Ten still has its big four teams, and they all got the job done. Here’s how the Big Ten shook out in Week 11:
Bye Weeks: Northwestern, Illinois, Michigan State, USC, Nebraska and Wisconsin
The Upsets
Iowa 17 @ UCLA 20
Minnesota 19 @ Rutgers 26
The Blowouts
Purdue 0 @ No. 2 Ohio State 45
Maryland 18 @ No. 1 Oregon 39
Dillon Gabriel made history. He is now the all-time leader in NCAA total career touchdowns, with 179, and leads the No. 1 ranked team in the country. Gabriel’s touchdown that broke the record was to an unlikely player: offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson. Gabriel didn’t have his top target Tez Johnson because of a shoulder injury the week prior, but the Oregon QB still finished the day with 183 passing yards and three passing touchdowns to help keep the Ducks undefeated. They beat a demoralized Terrapins team that has lost five of their last six. Maryland opened the game by scoring first, but the Ducks kept their well-oiled-machine going and led the rest of the way following a Jordan James touchdown. With two seemingly easy games remaining for Oregon, Dan Lanning will likely have his team in the Big Ten Championship in the first year after the conference realignment.
Washington 6 @ No. 6 Penn State 35
After taking their first loss of the season, the Nittany Lions came out looking to bounce back. They did just that, and in a big way. In front of the signature White Out crowd, Penn State routed Washington. Drew Allar played well, throwing for 220 yards and a touchdown. Kaytron Allen was efficient on the ground: he had 98 rushing yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. Even backup quarterback Beau Pribula got in on the action with a rushing score of his own. Even with good showings from Allar and Allen, it was Tyler Warren who yet again stole the show. The do-it-all tight end caught eight passes for 75 yards to go alongside two rushing touchdowns in three total carries. Washington struggled the whole game: both Will Rogers and Desmond Williams Jr. couldn’t get anything going on offense, and the Huskies failed to tally a single sack or tackle for loss.
The Nittany Lions have a relatively smooth rest of the season, but their path to the Big Ten Championship relies on other teams. They need both Ohio State and Indiana to lose a game, but those two teams still play each other in a couple weeks. Penn State likely has a path to the playoffs, but it wouldn’t be with a first round bye.
The Close Games
Michigan 15 @ No. 8 Indiana 20
The day before this game, star cornerback Will Johnson was ruled out for Michigan. This strengthened the spread for Indiana, who closed as 14.5 point favorites. With Elijah Sarratt and the Hoosiers offense lined up for another huge day, the Wolverines tested them more than expected. IU punted on their opening drive which was then followed by a Michigan field goal on a 14-play drive. The Hoosiers answered back with two touchdown drives and forcing a three-and-out in between. Other than an Indiana field goal in the second quarter, the rest of the first half was fairly sloppy: Michigan punted twice and fumbled once, while Indiana turned the ball over on downs. The Hoosiers led 17-3 at halftime and looked poised to continue their undefeated season.
After forcing a punt on the opening drive of the second half, Kurtis Rourke threw an interception that resulted in a Michigan field goal. The Wolverines should have gotten seven points since they picked off Rourke inside the 10-yard line, but all they got was three. Indiana punted on its next drive and Michigan kicked another field goal, cutting the Indiana lead to one score. The Wolverines forced another punt and then finally punched it in for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. They failed the 2-point conversion though and were down 17-15. Indiana punted on its next drive, which was followed by Michigan punting right after. Ke’Shawn Williams set up the Hoosiers with a good punt return, which they capitalized on with a field goal. Now leading by five, Indiana forced a turnover on downs and ran out the clock (thanks partially to some questionable clock management from Michigan coach Sherrone Moore). This gave the Hoosiers their first 10-win season in program history, which is even more impressive considering it’s coming under a first-year coach in Curt Cignetti. With a bye week coming up next followed by a trip to Columbus to play Ohio State, Indiana is looking ahead to the playoffs.