B1G Roundup: Week 2

Maryland 41 - Florida International 14

For the second week in a row, the Terps handled their opponent with ease by going up big in the first half. Quarterback Perry Hills led the way with 210 yards passing and three touchdowns on 13 of 18 passing, as well as 52 yards rushing on eight carries. He also caught a pass on a trick play from his top receiving target, D.J. Moore. Moore, aside from the one completion, caught six passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. With consecutive wins to start the season, Durkin has now matched Randy Edsall’s win total in 2011, his first season as Maryland’s head coach.

Up Next: Central Florida

#4 Ohio State 48 - Tulsa 3

Even after a disjointed first half by the Buckeyes offense, they still blew out the Golden Hurricane by over six touchdowns. For a brief moment, it looked like there could have been an upset brewing in Columbus. That disappeared when Ohio State ended the half with two pick-sixes in a two and a half minute span to go up 20-6. The offense woke up after the break, adding four more touchdowns in the final two quarters, all on the ground. In the end, the story of this game was the Buckeyes defense, which forced six turnovers, held Tulsa to 185 yards of total offense, and scored two touchdowns.

Up Next: #14 Oklahoma

#10 Wisconsin 54 - Akron 10

There was no challenge or letdown for the Badgers in Week 2 as they hammered the Zips from beginning to end. Wisconsin tallied 586 yards on offense with a balanced attack: 292 passing and 294 rushing. Bart Houston and Corey Clement accounted for most of this, with Houston totaling 231 yards and two touchdowns on 15 of 22 passing and Clement gaining 111 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. As for the Zips, their lone touchdown came on 55-yard punt return as they struggled to keep any drive going (1-10 on third down, 0-1 on fourth).

Up Next: Georgia State

#16 Iowa 42 - Iowa State 3

The Hawkeyes are state champs for the second straight year, one of the few titles Kirk Ferentz can claim as Iowa’s head coach, a job he will hold until he dies. Iowa scored two touchdowns per quarter until the fourth, when they pulled the reins in. C.J. Beathard finished with 235 yards and three touchdowns through the air as well as one rushing touchdown. LeShun Daniels added 112 yards and another touchdown on the ground. As for defense, the Hawkeyes stifled most Cyclones drives, allowing only one over seven plays in non-garbage time (which resulted in Iowa State’s only points).

Up Next: North Dakota State

Nebraska 52 - Wyoming 17

The Huskers entered the fourth quarter up by a single touchdown before knocking out the Cowboys with four unanswered touchdowns. Tommy Armstrong became Nebraska’s all-time passing touchdown leader with a solid day: 20/34 for 377 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception and 12 carries for 12 yards and 1 touchdown. However, the real story of this game was Nebraska’s defense as they forced six turnovers, including one pick-six and three interceptions in the fourth quarter.

Up Next: #22 Oregon

Pittsburgh 42 - Penn State 39

This game was fun to watch. Pitt led 28-14 at halftime and looked primed for victory in this rivalry revival. But PSU battled back in the fourth quarter, only to do this:

I don’t know what else to say.

Up Next: Temple

Cincinnati 38 - Purdue 20

David Blough threw away this game for the Boilermakers as he finished 32 of 57 for 401 yards, two touchdowns, and . . . five interceptions. The Bearcats scored touchdowns following three of those picks, and the other two led to the end of the half and the game, respectively. If not for the turnovers, or if the Boilermakers could have forced more than zero, maybe this is a bit closer, especially since both teams gained over 500 yards on offense. Alas, that did not happen.

Up Next: Bye

Rutgers 52 - Howard 14

Only the Scarlet Knights could find a way to look bad in a 38-point victory. Rutgers stumbled out of the gate, falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter to a Bison squad that got manhandled by Maryland a week ago. The Knights seemed hopeless, until Janarion Grant sparked ‘em with an 84-yard kickoff return following Howard’s second touchdown. Rutgers did finish strong, but an ugly start against a bad FCS opponent is not promising.

Up Next: New Mexico

Minnesota 58 - Indiana State 28

A solid weekend for the Golden Gophers offense, with Mitch Leidner and JUCO transfer Kobe McCrary doing most of the work. Leidner looked great against a mediocre opposition, tallying 295 yards and four touchdowns on an efficient 20 of 30 passing. On the ground, McCrary made everyone forget last week - two carries, four yards against Oregon State - by capturing 176 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. But while Minnesota’s offense gained 593 yards, their defense surrendered 356 yards and four touchdowns. Granted, three of those scores came after the Golden Gophers were up 41-7, but they seem to be giving up a lot of offense to not-so-great teams.

Up Next: Bye

Illinois State 9 - Northwestern 7

Insert Nicolas_Cage_laughing.gif here

Up Next: Duke

Indiana 30 - Ball State 20

It almost looked like the Hoosiers defensive domination from Week 1 wasn’t a total fluke. They forced three turnovers and held the Cardinals scoreless in the first half. By the end of the third quarter, the score was 30-3 Indiana. However, Ball State stormed back - albeit short - with 17 unanswered points in the fourth. On offense for the Hoosiers, Richard Lagow stood out with a clean performance: 17/27 for 266 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Up Next: Bye

North Carolina 48 - Illinois 23

The Illini fought hard early as Ke’Shawn Vaughn opened the scoring with a 65-yard touchdown on the third play from scrimmage. However, he would finish the game with only 116 yards, averaging 3.64 yards per carry the rest of the way. That stat summarizes the game pretty well, as the Illini only trailed 24-16 at the half, but failed to do much on offense as the game wore on. It didn’t help that their defense held the Tar Heels to just one punt in the final two quarters.

Up Next: Western Michigan