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Tuesday B1G Blog Roundup: What a Mess of a League

The B1G is still bad. Three games ended on last second type plays to seal victories, Ohio State rolled, Wisconsin took a while to get going, and our guys in the winged helmets just couldn't get it done on the road...again.

By Peter Putzel
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Last weekend was quite a gut-punch for a lot of fans out there. Let's take a look at what happened and what's being said...

Michigan State 29 - Michigan 6

First of all, I'm going to admit to doing something that I haven't done in a very long time: I turned off a Michigan game before it was done...because it was done before the clock said 00:00. I bet I'm not the only one who did it, either. As for our coverage, Anthony gives us his takeaway from Saturday's game. Borges must go, anyone? And then whatever negative feelings you have, you can always check out SpaceCoyote's stuff for a more measured look at what's happening. Next for Michigan: Nebraska

Give Michigan State credit, they looked good and deserve to be in the position they're in. However, the Legends Division is a complete mess. The Only Colors has a knee-jerk reaction and a recap of things from Saturday. Of course, the emphasis is on the "jerk" side of things. Next for MSU: @ Nebraska (11/16)

Penn State 24 - Illinois 17

Christian Hackenberg threw for 240 yards and one TD; Bill Belton ran for 201 yards and a TD; Allen Robinson caught 11 passes for 165 yards, and Penn State needed an interception in overtime to beat the woeful Illini. Read the "Hey Wha Happen?" post over at BSD and then read Devon Edwards' piece on the worst win ever for Penn State...and then check out why he backtracks just a little bit. I've come to really enjoy reading Edwards' stuff, and everything over at Black Shoe Diaries, so get over there and take a look if you haven't done so already. Next for Penn State: @ Minnesota

Oh, Illinois, winning in the B1G has eluded you for so long that it just wouldn't feel right to win, would it? Even if that win was in your grasp! It was a "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" type of game for Illinois. Nathan Scheelhaase tried hard to keep you in the game; I mean, he threw for 321 yards, one TD...but two INTs; oops. Losing that game was painful for the Illini fans, and Tom Fornelli explains why it's better to feel that pain than nothing. Next for Illinois: @ Indiana

Wisconsin 28 - Iowa 9

I made the comment in our Saturday Open Thread that the first half was as if Bo Ryan had been invited to coach the football team; it was slow and awful. The Badgers came alive in the second half and a Wisconsin running back did what Wisconsin running backs do: went over 100 yards. It was James White this time, rushing for 132 yards. Bucky's 5th Quarter tells us just how the Badgers won and goes into some of the numbers. Next for the Badgers: BYU

Just how hard is it to watch Iowa? Well...

And...

At least there's the Arrest Report. BHGP also has their takeaway, and is critical of Ferentz's coaching. Up next for Iowa: @ Purdue

Ohio State 56 - Purdue 0

Ohio State good; Purdue bad. End. So here's something more enjoyable:


Next for Ohio State: @ Illinois (11/16)

Nebraska 27 - Northwestern 24

Ameer Abdullah had 127 yards on the ground; Tommy Armstrong, Jr. and Ron Kellogg III combined for 277 through the air, but 49 of those yards came on the Hail Mary to end the game. Northwestern was winless in the B1G going into this game, and the Cornhuskers needed the aforementioned Hail Mary to beat them. Corn Nation's report card is here, and you may notice a little shot at Michigan, by suggesting Hoke should have taken a page out of Lee Corso's book after going up 3-0.

Treyvon Green gained 149 yards rushing, at a clip of almost 8 yards per carry. That's the end of the good stuff for Northwestern. The Wildcats' two-headed QB combined for 81 yards through the air. Yuck. Sippin' On Purple asks if the correct personnel were on the field for that last play. Northwestern is now 0-5 in B1G play and have returned to the Wildcats of old...temporarily, right? Next for Northwestern: Michigan (11/16)

Minnesota 42 - Indiana 39

I set the DVR to record this game, but I didn't extend the recording enough to cover the whole game, so I missed all the good stuff at the end. D'oh! We already know that Indiana doesn't really play defense, so Minnesota was able to do some things that shouldn't be too surprising. However, a good day is a good day, right? The Gophers racked up 573 yards of total offense: Philip Nelson accounted for 298 yards passing, and David Cobb had 188 yards on the ground. Cobb has churned out some pretty good performances, going over 100 yards in each of their last three games (Northwestern, Nebraska, and Indiana). Check out The Daily Gopher's recap here.

Indiana's numbers were pretty balanced: 496 total yards; 277 rushing, 269 passing. Even though if felt like Minnesota was going to run away with this thing at one point, Indiana was able to hang in there and make it interesting. However, they were their own worst enemy at the end of the day. Fumbles will do that to you.

Scenario To Monitor:

Minnesota is 7-2. A win against Penn State, and a Nebraska loss at Michigan, would put them at 4-2 in the B1G and in second place in the Legends Division. The Gophers get Penn State at home, so they'll have a nice little streak and the home crowd behind them. Could this team be building some serious confidence heading into the final stretch against Wisconsin and Michigan State? Or are they just setting themselves up for disaster?