COLUMBUS, Ohio – Week five belonged to the favorites. In all seven of the matchups in the Big Ten, the favored team was able to take care of business. A lot of the top-flight teams were able to do so in impressive fashion, and a group of teams have separated themselves from the rest of the pack. Let’s take a look back at the more intriguing outcomes from this past weekend.
B1G Game of the Week: Michigan State 40 Indiana 31
It’s hard to say what is more shocking about this game: that Michigan State scored 40 points or that the defense allowed 31 points. Either way, the Spartans had their hands full against an Indiana squad that had been blown out by Ohio State at home.
With the scoring margin never reaching two possessions until the final play of the game, this game was very competitive the entire way. Indiana would grab their first and only lead to start the fourth quarter when Donavan Hale pulled in a 12-yard touchdown reception. Hale would finish with 99 receiving yards, second most on the team to Whop Philyor’s 142 receiving yards on 14 catches.
The Spartans would respond and take back the lead, but they found themselves tied at 31 with two minutes left in the game. A 44-yard pass to Darrell Stewart Jr. would open up the game-winning drive, however. Stewart would finish the game with 117 yards and two receiving touchdowns. A Brian Lewerke 30-yard run on the next play would set up Michigan State at the one-yard line.
Matt Coughlin was able to knock in the 21-yard field goal with five seconds remaining. A fumble recovered for a touchdown on the last play of the game would seal the victory for Michigan State.
Wisconsin's Defense Prevails at Home
Coming off of their impressive victory against Michigan, the Badgers did not look as well-polished against Northwestern. The offense struggled to move the ball all day, and Northwestern would actually get 21 first downs to Wisconsin’s 13 first downs.
Jack Coan could not do get anything going through the air for the Badgers, as he would finish the game with only 113 passing yards and an interception. Jonathan Taylor was able to produce over half of Wisconsin’s yards gained. Taylor would finish the game with 134 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.
It was the Wisconsin defense that would eventually push the Badgers through to victory. With the game 7-3 in favor of Wisconsin with just over two minutes left in the third quarter, a fumble recovered for a touchdown gave the Badgers a two-score advantage.
With the game 17-3, an interception by Noah Burks was returned 68 yards for a touchdown to seal the game for Wisconsin. The Badgers would go on to win 24-15.
Most Impressive Performance: Ohio State's Secondary
In their biggest test of the season so far, the Ohio State secondary was able to put on a display of dominance that allowed the Buckeyes to blow out Nebraska 48-7.
With the crowd rocking and the lights bright, it was an interception by Jeff Okudah on Nebraska’s opening possession that set the tone for the game. Okudah would get another interception two possessions later when he caught a tipped ball while on his back. He now has three interceptions in the last two games.
Jordan Fuller would join the party when he was able to run under an overthrown ball from Adrian Martinez. The Ohio State offense would convert these three takeaways into 17 points.
Martinez would struggle all game. At halftime, he had only two completions and 10 yards to go along with his three interceptions. The talented quarterback would finish the game with only 47 yards passing.
Individual Performance of the Week: Sean Clifford
Penn State was able to roll Maryland 59-0 in a night game on the road. Sean Clifford was able to dominate the Maryland defense, and he would finish the game with three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
Clifford would accumulate 398 passing yards and a completion percentage of 83.9 percent. He would add 54 rushing yards to his impressive performance.
He would do all of this before being pulled with just under six minutes left in the third quarter. He would leave the game with the Nittany Lions up 45-0.
Looking Ahead
A pair of ranked matchups will highlight the Big Ten’s week six slate of games. Thirteen teams will be in action, and only No. 8 Wisconsin will be playing outside the conference. No. 14 Iowa will travel to No. 19 Michigan, who is desperate to win a game against a top-25 opponent.
The night game will be a bout between No. 25 Michigan State and No. 4 Ohio State. This will be the toughest test for Ohio State’s offense to date. Indiana is off this week.
