Week 10 in the Big Ten featured a top-5 matchup, two undefeated teams defending their status and the always-welcome ranked-versus-unranked upset. The Ducks are still No. 1. How did the picture shift around them?
No. 4 Ohio State takes down No. 3 Penn State in Happy Valley in 20-13 victory
Ryan Day and the Buckeyes (7-1, 4-1 B1G) rolled into State College looking for a first top-25 win of the season. Despite a slower offensive day — Will Howard put up just 182 yards through the air while Quinshon Judkins found 95 on the ground — the Ohio State defense stood strong to deny the Nittany Lions four straight times on the goal line with 5:13 left.
Penn State (7-1, 4-1 B1G) suffered its first loss of the season against its second ranked opponent. Regular starting quarterback Drew Allar shared snaps with backup Beau Pribula, but couldn’t punch it in when it counted.
Ohio State travels to Purdue next week, while the Nittany Lions host Washington.
No. 13 Indiana hangs 40 on Michigan State in 47-10 beatdown
The undefeated (9-0, 6-0 B1G) Hoosiers welcomed previously injured quarterback Kurtis Rourke back in style with a roaring comeback win in East Lansing. The Spartans (4-5, 2-4 B1G) put up the game’s first 10 points and held the away group scoreless in the first quarter but gave up six touchdowns, including four from Rourke (19/29, 263 yds). Hoosiers cornerback Amare Ferrell picked off Oregon State transfer Aidan Chiles twice to seal the Spartans’ fate.
Michigan State is on bye before traveling to face Illinois, while Indiana will look to remain undefeated against Michigan next weekend.
UCLA grabs 27-20 away win against Nebraska
The Bruins (3-5, 2-4 B1G) held on for victory amidst a furious Cornhusker comeback attempt in Lincoln. UCLA led 27-7 with 8:21 left in the third quarter, but the Huskers put up 13-straight points to nearly sneak victory. Star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola left with an injury, though, and backup Heinrich Haarberg threw an interception with 29 seconds left to end the game amidst refereeing controversy.
UCLA faces Iowa at home next Friday, while Nebraska will sit idle.
Iowa eviscerates Wisconsin 42-10 in Kinnick Stadium
Iowa (6-3, 4-2 B1G) scored 28-straight points in the second and third quarters in a stellar offensive performance against the Badgers. The ground game dominated the day: Kaleb Johnson put up 135 yards and three touchdowns amongst 329 team rushing yards. Hawkeye quarterback Brendan Sullivan was just 7-10 for 93 yards and a touchdown.
The Hawkeyes face UCLA next Friday, while the Badgers (5-4, 3-3 B1G) are idle.
Washington sneaks past USC in 26-21 home win
The Huskies (5-4, 3-3 B1G) made a goal-line stand to deny Miller Moss and the Trojans (4-5, 2-5 B1G) a last-second touchdown in a battle of Big Ten newcomers. Washington put up just six points after the halftime interval, but first-half domination was enough to earn Jedd Fisch victory in Seattle.
Washington travels to face Penn State next, while USC is idle.
Minnesota upsets No. 24 Illinois 25-17 in Fighting Illini’s second-straight loss
One week removed from a blowout loss in Eugene, the Fighting Illini (6-3, 3-3 B1G) dropped a second-straight conference matchup, this time to unranked Minnesota. The Golden Gophers (6-3, 4-2 B1G) held their opponents scoreless in the final nine minutes and added nine points of their own in order to surge ahead.
Running back Darius Taylor had 131 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, and the Golden Gophers defense forced a fumble from quarterback Luke Altmyer with 29 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Minnesota advanced to 6th overall in-conference, while the Illini lost their top-25 status following the defeat. The Golden Gophers travel to Rutgers next weekend, while the Illini will take their bye week.
Northwestern sneaks past Purdue 26-20 in overtime
The Wildcats (4-4, 2-4 B1G) prevailed in a battle of Big Ten basement dwellers. Running back Joseph Himon II had just six carries, but picked up 78 yards (including a 51-yard touchdown run) and grabbed the winning score in overtime. Purdue (1-7, 0-5 B1G) has not won since its opener and gave up 424 yards of offense on Saturday, where it ranks 129th in the nation. The Boilermakers never led in the game.
Purdue hosts Ohio State next week, while the Wildcats are off ahead of a matchup with the Buckeyes at Wrigley Field on Nov. 16.
