Published Oct 27, 2020
Big Ten Blitz: A look around the Big Ten
Paul Gable  •  Hoosier Huddle
Staff Writer
Twitter
@PaulEGable

The moment has come and gone and football is officially underway in the Big Ten Conference.

The first weekend of action provided fans with plenty of fodder to talk about, some surprises and plenty of work to do for all teams.

Here's a look around the conference.

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1. Michigan, Ohio State and Northwestern all looked good in outings

It was supposed to be the elite game in prime time in the Big Ten, as Michigan traveled to Minnesota for the Little Brown Jug, but, in the end, Michigan was too much for the Golden Gophers, easing to a 49-24 win.

Now, before we go further, it bares saying that Minnesota was without several specialists, two starting offensive linemen and a starting linebacker.

But, Michigan looked good, especially on offense as running back Hassan Haskins recorded two touchdowns, and quarterback Joe Milton looked like a poised veteran. Can you imagine what the offense would be if it still had Nico Collins?

Michigan could very well be a threat to Ohio State this season.

As for the Buckeyes, they picked up a 52-17 win over Nebraska.

Quarterback Justin Fields was near perfect, going 20-of-21 throws for 276 yards and two scores, while adding another 54 yards and a score on the ground.

Chris Olave notched 104 yards on six catches, while Garrett Wilson reeled in seven receptions for 129 yards.

Ohio State led just 17-14 late in the first half before outscoring the Cornhuskers 35-3 the rest of the way.

As for Northwestern, former Indiana quarterback Peyton Ramsey and a strong defense that came up with three interceptions were enough for the Wildcats to pick up a huge win over Maryland.

The win was the 100th for Pat Fitzgerald as coach of Northwestern.

Northwestern compiled 537 yards of total offense in the win. Drake Anderson finished with 103 yards on 10 carries as the Wildcats rushed for 325 yards. Ramsey went 23-for-30 for 212 yards.

2. Purdue overcomes loss of coach, more to earn win over Iowa

Not having your head coach, starting wide receiver and starting running back out would be too much for teams to overcome, especially in a season opener.

But, for Purdue, it didn't matter as the Boilermakers picked up a 24-20 win over Iowa, who was without King Doerue, Rondale Moore, Jeff Brohm and then also had Tyler Cole, Jackson Anthrop and Mershawn Rice all ruled out as well.

However, none of it mattered as Purdue had David Bell, who caught 13 passes for 121 yards and three touchdowns. The Warren Central (IN) product continues to shine and was a huge security blanket for quarterback Aidan O'Connell.

Purdue starts a season 1-0 for the first time since 2016, and for the first time since 2014, the Boilermakers are 1-0 over FBS teams and are 1-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2011.

If Brohm gets some of the pieces back and Purdue can get healthy early, Purdue may make some noise in the Big East West.

3. Has Rutgers arrived?

Not many people picked Michigan State to be a world beater this season with Mel Tucker in as coach and too many unknowns, but, then again, not many people expected the Spartans to fall the way they did against Rutgers at home either.

The Scarlet Knights and head coach Greg Schiano showed they are no longer the Rutgers of old, recording seven takeaways and blistering Michigan State 38-27. The win snapped a 21-game losing streak in the Big Ten.

Isaih Pacheco ran for two first half touchdowns for Rutgers, who got good play out of quarterback Noah Vedral.

The question remains, can Rutgers continue this play, especially with Indiana coming to town on Halloween?

Indiana head coach Tom Allen told the media Rutgers has his attention.

"We saw what Rutgers did and that got our attention," Allen said.

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