Week 9 in the Big Ten delivered a thrilling comeback, rivalry matchups and statement wins as four Big Ten teams remain in the AP Top-25 poll.
Michigan State falls at home to No. 21 Michigan in rivalry matchup, 31-20
The annual in-state battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy between Michigan (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) and Michigan State (3-5, 0-5 Big Ten) ended with the Wolverines improving their rivalry win streak to four games. Wolverines true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood didn’t have to do too much for his team, as Justice Haynes ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns and Jordan Marshall had 110 yards rushing and a score.
For Michigan State, the top two running backs in yardage didn’t even equate to Haynes’ total on the day. Four total sacks, two from Derrick Moore, allowed the Wolverines to capitalize on defensive playmaking.
Rutgers wins over Purdue in comeback thriller, 27-24
Two teams still looking for their first conference win met Saturday, and Rutgers (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) pulled through over Purdue (2-6, 0-5 Big Ten). A 72-yard pass from Athan Kaliakmanis to KJ Duff in the third quarter put the Scarlet Knights within a three-point margin of the Boilermakers up 17-14. Duff finished with 241 yards on six catches. Both teams would go on to score once more, but a fumble recovered by Jett Elad put Rutgers in position for the game-winning 30-yard field goal by Jai Patel.
Iowa takes down Minnesota for second year in a row for Floyd of Rosedale matchup, 41-3
The Hawkeyes (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) took down their conference rivals, Minnesota (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten), in a blowout. While only allowing the Golden Gophers a field goal, the Hawkeyes put up 41 points with a total 133 rushing yards to Minnesota’s 24 yards. Iowa’s defense was relentless, with four sacks and three turnovers, while holding Minnesota to just 178 total yards.
Nebraka takes Northwestern in narrow win, 28-21
The Cornhuskers snapped the Wildcats’ four-game winning streak in a seven-point victory. This marked the 10th time in the past 14 meetings between Nebraska and Northwestern that the game was decided by one score. The win also gave Nebraska a much-needed boost in conference play as well as improving its bowl eligibility outlook.
Around the Big Ten: Scoreboard
Ohio State (7-0, 5-0 Big Ten) continues to hold its No. 1 spot in the AP Poll for the eighth week straight after a bye week.
Just when UCLA (3-5, 3-2 Big Ten) started to look like it was maybe getting it together for a final season push, No. 2 Indiana (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) dominated the Bruins in a 56-6 blowout.
Besides the losses coming from the No. 1 team in the country, and Michigan, the Washington Huskies (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) have looked strong. Against Illinois (5-3, 2-3 Big Ten), it put up 42 points, and allowed just 25 from the Fighting Illini.
