Big Ten Blitz: A look around the Big Ten Conference
The final week of the regular season offered little surprise within the Big Ten Conference, as Northwestern won, Penn State won and Covid-19 canceled two of the greatest rivalries within the conference before they could even get started this week.
We take a look around the conference in this week's Big Ten Blitz.
1) Northwestern just continues to roll
A season ago, Northwestern was horrid, going 3-9.
As a result, head coach Pat Fitzgerald retooled the defense and the Northwestern offense got a major shot in the arm with the grad transfer of former Indiana quarterback Peyton Ramsey, who has played extremely well this season for the Wildcats.
Despite a shortened season due to Covid-19, Ramsey and the Wildcats put together an amazing regular season, which ended Saturday with a 28-10 win over in-state rival Illinois. The win moved Northwestern to 6-1 and now they turn all attention to representing the Big Ten West and taking on Ohio State next Saturday in the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis.
Against the Fighting Illini, the Wildcats earned their sixth win in the series, as Northwestern dominated from start to finish.
The No. 14 Wildcats (6-1) controlled the run game with 411 yards and freshman running back Cam Porter had 142 yards and two touchdowns on 24 touches for the Wildcats, who averaged 7.1 yards per carry, chewing up yards and controlling the clock while totaling their most rushing yards in a game in 17 seasons.
Illinois coach Lovie Smith has lost all five of his meetings against the Wildcats. For Illinois, the Illini missed two field goals (32 and 53 yards) but James McCourt hit a 39-yarder near the end of the first quarter for a 3-0 lead.
From that point on, it was all Northwestern.
After the game, Fitzgerald was asked by the media about the Big Ten changing the rules and waiving the six-game minimum game schedule to pave the way for the Buckeyes to go to Indianapolis. Fitzgerald said he was fine with it.
"If I had a vote, I'd vote them No. 2. I think they're a complete football team, all three phases... I'm sure we're going to be underdogs by like 70," he said.
2) Penn State earns its second victory
It has been anything but a great season for the Penn State Nittany Lions and head coach James Franklin.
It began with a loss to Indiana in the season opener, but things just continued to mount as Covid-19 and other issues took a toll on PSU and Franklin, who publicly admitted at one point the toll it was taking on him personally, as his family stayed in Florida to limit exposure to the virus.
On Saturday, however, Penn State took out some frustrations on Michigan State, picking up a 39-24 win over the Spartans.
But, it didn't come without some early frustrations, as Penn State was dealt its sixth double digit halftime deficit, trailing 21-10 before storming back in the second half.
Penn State (3-5) outscored Michigan State 29-3 in the second half, which included two Parker Washington touchdown catches and Jahan Dotson's 81-yard punt return for a score.
In the win, Penn State got quality play out of starting quarterback Sean Clifford and backup Will Levis, who completed several key passes in the third quarter to help lead the Nittany Lions to a win. Clifford finished 17-27 passing for 232 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, while adding 48 yards and a touchdown on the ground on nine carries.
With the win, Penn State avoided a winless season at Beaver Stadium for the first time. The last time PSU did not win a home game was 1918, as the Nittany Lions went 0-1-1 at Beaver Field.
Perhaps, more important is the fact that the win was the third straight for Penn State and Franklin.
3) Covid-19 shelves Old Oaken Bucket contest, Clash between OSU and Michigan
As has been the case too many times this season, Covid-19 had major implications on this week's Big Ten schedule, as it canceled both the Old Oaken Bucket game between Indiana and Purdue, as well as the Michigan vs. Ohio State contest.
For Indiana, the Hoosiers learned of a possible Covid-19 issue on game day last week at Wisconsin. Tests on Sunday and Monday confirmed a larger issue and officials from Indiana reached out to Purdue, only to learn the Boilermakers were dealing with the same exact issue.
As a result, the two sides mutually agreed to not play the Old Oaken Bucket game on Dec. 12.
In a joint statement between Indiana Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Dolson and Purdue Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Bobinski, the two sides expressed disappointment in the cancelation.
“We’re certainly disappointed that we had to cancel the Old Oaken Bucket game. We both understand the history and tradition of one of the best rivalries in college football, but the safety and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches and staff is our primary priority. We will continue to monitor the situation on both campuses and listen to the advice of our medical professionals," the statement read.
As for Ohio State and Michigan, the Wolverines had been dealing with Covid-19 issues, while Ohio State was looking to bounce back and get the sixth regular season game under its belt.
"The number of positive tests has continued to trend in an upward direction over the last seven days," Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said. "We have not been cleared to participate in practice at this time. Unfortunately, we will not be able to field a team due to COVID-19 positives and the associated quarantining required of close-contact individuals.
"This decision is disappointing for our team and coaches, but their health and safety is paramount, and it will always come first in our decision-making."
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