Tuesday B1G Blog Roundup

Penn State 45 - Purdue 21

Zack Zwinak's 149 yards and three TDs kept the Purdue Boilermakers at bay on Saturday. Believe it or not, Purdue actually kinda sorta competed in the game (regardless of what Black Shoe Diaries thinks). Yes, the Boilermakers can cure your ills, but the Nittany Lions really didn't put this one away until late in the third quarter. I know, it's Purdue; any lead should be safe, but it shouldn't have taken so long to win the way you did. Although the Boilers lost, there was a little glimmer of hope, as Danny Etling went 21/33 for 223 yards. Raheem Mostert added a 100 yard kick-off return for a TD, too. No rushing or defense for Purdue, and three turnovers are not going to keep you in too many games, though.

Next for Penn State: Nebraska

Next for Purdue: Illinois

Wisconsin 51 - Indiana 3

Was there ever any doubt as to how Wisconsin was going to beat the Hoosiers? Even Indiana knew they were going to run, and still couldn't stop them. With 554 yards on the ground for the Badgers, it wouldn't have mattered if Joel Stave struggled at QB or had a very good game, because they didn't really need a QB on Saturday. It also helped that the Badgers held onto the ball for an entire quarter longer than Indiana. B5Q's Monday After post isn't impressed with Indiana, so they preview the Gophers. Even Crimson Quarry wasn't impressed with their team; I mean, who could be, right? The Hoosiers clearly left their defense at home. Oh, they left their offense there, too: just 224 total yards of offense and three points. Time to root for basketball.

Next for Wisconsin: @ Minnesota

Next for Indiana: @ Ohio State

Ohio State 60 - Illinois 35

The Buckeyes just allowed the most points yet this season...and they let the Fighting Illini get them. Okay, so the game wasn't really in question, but the Illini did get within fourteen before falling apart. What OSU did in the first quarter (and first half) was some pretty good stuff, but it seems as though they were just going to coast in the second half, until they saw Illinois doing, y'know, stuff. Even Ted Glover thinks that the Buckeyes may have gotten a little complacent on defense in the second half (but he's mad at people not giving Ohio State enough credit for winning 22 straight); you can read his stock market report for his full analysis. How does The Champaign Room's Tom Fornelli feel about the Illini scoring 35 points against Ohio State? I don't think he's completely thrilled. The offense clearly did enough to stay in any normal game, but the defense just wasn't there...again. 441 yards rushing allowed by Illinois. 'Nuff said.

Next for Ohio State: Indiana

Next for Illinois: Purdue

Michigan State 41 - Nebraska 28

Twenty-eight points is the most the Spartans have allowed since the same total by Indiana on October 12. They also allowed Nebraska to out-gain them in passing (210 to 193) and rushing (182 to 168), but then they allowed them to get more turnovers, too. Five! Those five turnovers were converted into 24 points! The Only Colors' Mining the Box Score even realizes that Nebraska revealed some flaws in the Spartans' defense. Chris Vannini recaps the game here. Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah deserves a poop-load of credit for his performance on Saturday. Rushing for 123 yards against a Michigan State defense that was averaging 43 YPG going into Saturday was tremendous, but Corn Nation still gives the running game only a B+. Five turnovers! Wow!

Next for Michigan State: @ Northwestern

Next for Nebraska: @ Penn State

Michigan 27 - Northwestern 19 (3OT)

What should we take from Michigan's performance? Well, they won, and the running back position actually looks pretty good for the future. All in all, this was a tough game to watch, and I'm glad it ended with a victory. Space Coyote's coaching points are always a good read, and he likes the fight that this team showed. Fouad has a full recap here. What more can be said about Northwestern? I guess "Dammit Dammit Dammit" is about the best thing that can be said. Other than the win, this was the most beautiful part of Saturday...

Next for Michigan: @ Iowa

Next for Northwestern: Michigan State

Scenario to watch:

Yep, it's still Minnesota. The Gophers take on the Badgers at home this weekend. A win going into the Michigan State game the following weekend puts Minnesota in a very good position for a decent bowl game. Although Minny has a chance against the Badgers, beating MSU on the road is almost a guaranteed loss. Still, they're a team to keep an eye on, and could possibly throw a Gopher-wrench into the B1G mix.