With a pair of ranked conference matchups, there’s a lot to discuss after this weekend.
Week 4 saw a lot of action. With conference play starting to ramp up, here’s how the Big Ten did this week:
Bye Weeks: Wisconsin and Oregon
Conference Matchups:
The Upsets
No. 24 Illinois 31 @ No. 22 Nebraska 24 (OT)
By playing in one of the many overtime games this week, Illinois and Nebraska started off the Week 4 slate with a bang. Nebraska was favored by 8.5 points going into the game, but again fell to the pressure of a one-possession game. This game was tight from the opening snap all the way to the final whistle. Despite some sloppy play including two lost fumbles from Illinois and an interception thrown by Dylan Raiola, the Illini came out on top. Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer threw four touchdown passes, including the game winner in overtime. No one expected Champaign’s finest to be playing this well. With big wins against Kansas and Nebraska, the 4-0, 19th-ranked Illini are set to face Penn State on the road for one of the marquee games in Week 5.
The Blowouts
Iowa 31 @ Minnesota 14
Despite having a nonexistent passing offense, Iowa continues to score. After being down 14-7 at halftime, the Hawkeyes scored 24 unanswered to take the victory on the road. Other than the loss to Iowa State, this Hawkeyes offense has been uncharacteristically impressive when compared to past years. Kaleb Johnson has emerged as one of the best running backs in the country in an elite draft class for ball-carries. Johnson was the Iowa offense. He rushed for a new career high of 206 yards, plus he added three touchdowns. As a team known for defense, the offensive sparks that have been on display for the Hawkeyes are making them a tougher opponent.
Northwestern 5 @ Washington 24
The Close Games
No. 11 USC 24 @ No. 18 Michigan 27
When the spread came out for this game over the summer Michigan was favored by more than a touchdown. After the first three weeks of the season, though, USC was favored on the road in one of the toughest environments. Michigan decided to put the Davis Warren experience on pause as Alex Orji was the starter for this one. For most of this game, both offenses looked bad. Michigan was struggling to move the ball and USC didn’t have the same offensive firepower as they did in prior weeks. Even with the offensive struggles, Michigan took a 14-3 lead at halftime thanks to two big touchdown runs: Kalel Mullings from 53 yards and Donovan Edwards from 41 yards.
USC’s offense started to wake up in the third quarter and scored a quick touchdown, slicing the Michigan lead to four. After a quick Wolverines three-and-out, the best cornerback in the country had his second pick-six of the season. Will Johnson got the Michigan lead to 10 before the extra point was blocked. There was then a double fumble and USC capitalized off that luck (and extra possession) to cut the lead to three. Thanks to an Edwards fumble, USC took their first lead of the day on Miller Moss’s third touchdown pass of the day. With seven minutes to go, USC was up by four.
After a pair of quick three-and-outs, Michigan had the ball needing a touchdown. Right before the two-minute timeout, Kalel Mullings took a carry on third-and-one 63 yards and into the redzone. Michigan’s offensive struggles continued in their goal-to-go situation, but the Wolverines found a way on fourth-and-goal from one yard line. Miller Moss and the Trojans offense got the ball back with 37 seconds to go, but they couldn’t get into field goal range, giving Michigan the major conference win.
Non-Conference Matchups:
The Blowouts
Marshall 14 @ No. 3 Ohio State 49
Charlotte 14 @ Indiana 52
Villanova 20 @ Maryland 38
Kent State 0 @ No. 10 Penn State 56
UCLA 17 @ No. 16 LSU 34
Purdue 21 @ Oregon State 38
The Close Games
Rutgers 26 @ Virginia Tech 23
It’s never easy playing on the road in Blacksburg, Virginia. The Virginia Tech Hokies have one of the most electric environments in all of college football. The Scarlet Knights, however, weren’t fazed. Rutgers took an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter and led 16-7 at halftime. They then extended their lead with a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. After a Kyron Drones fumble on VT’s next drive the game felt like it was over. But it was far from done. Virginia Tech was down 23-7 headed into the fourth quarter, but the Hokies started building momentum with a big punt return followed by a touchdown a few plays later. After a Rutgers punt on the next drive, Virginia Tech scored again, including the two-point conversion that tied the game up at 23 with four and a half minutes to go.
The Scarlet Knights went down and kicked a field goal, giving them a three point lead, but the Hokies still had two minutes. The Rutgers defense came up big, intercepting Drones on their final drive. Virginia Tech still had two timeouts left, but Rutgers star running back Kyle Monangai iced the game with two first downs.
Michigan State 19 @ Boston College 23