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Penn State at Northwestern
Game Recap: Backup quarterback Zach Oliver led Northwestern to a 23-21 victory. The Wildcats blew a 20-7 halftime lead but won on a last second field goal.
Key Players: Zach Oliver (11-for-24, 120 yards and a touchdown) took over after a 1st quarter injury. Justin Jackson ran for a career-high 186 yards on 28 carries. For Penn State, Saquon Barkley had a big day with 25 carries for 120 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught six passes for 50 yards. Chris Godwin led the receivers again (8-104-0). Christian Hackenberg had a rough day with only 205 yards on 40 passing attempts. He threw an interception and no touchdowns.
Injuries: Pat Fitzgerald did not update the status of Clayton Thorson after the game and he is questionable for this weekend's game.
Players to Watch: Good running backs have torched Purdue and Justin Jackson is due for some touchdowns.
Illinois at Purdue
Game Recap: The Illini entered the game last in the Big Ten in rushing, but ran all over the Boilermakers for 382 yards en route to a dominating 48-14 win.
Key Players: Running backs Ke'Shawn Vaughn (16-180-2) and Josh Ferguson (12-133-0) stole the show for the Illini. The pair split carries in Ferguson's first game action in a month after sitting out with an injury, but both made an impact. Ferguson's impact went beyond his 133 rushing yards; he also added 6-41-1 as a receiver and made a number of big plays on third down. Geronimo Allison (4-22-0) had a quiet day. For Purdue, Markell Jones was mostly held in check, though he did have 97 total yards and five catches. DeAngelo Yancey (5-51-1) again led the receivers.
Injuries: None.
Players to Watch: Illinois has a tough matchup against Ohio State and the split backfield may not produce enough to justify either as individual options. Purdue has an even tougher task heading to Evanston to face Northwestern. The Boilermakers are expected to score under 20 points, but Markell Jones has enough involvement in the passing game to be a low-end option if the price is right.
Wisconsin at Maryland
Game Recap: The Badgers needed a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown and a fake punt to survive an upset bid at Maryland. Not coutning the fake punt, Wisconsin only had 37 yards of offense in the first half. Joel Stave played better in the second half and led Wisconsin to the 31-24 victory.
Key Players: Perry Hills run of rushing success ended and he was held to negative rushing yardage. He threw yet another interception and was pulled for backup Caleb Rowe. The starting quarterback for Maryland going forward is unclear. Nobody for Maryland had more than three receptions. For Wisconsin, Alex Erickson (5-83-0) remains a consistent, low-upside option. Dare Ogunbowale scored a pair of touchdowns in relief of Corey Clement. He had 63 total yards and three receptions.
Injuries: Corey Clement returned to action in Week 9 against Rutgers but re-aggravated his injury. He did not travel with Wisconsin to Maryland and is not currently cleared to play. He'll have the Week 11 bye to get healthy. The Badgers may get tight end Austin Traylor back in Week 12.
Players to Watch: Maryland travels to MSU next week. While the Spartans have been vulnerable against the pass, the Terrapins do not have the talent to take advantage and their passing targets are spread too widely to trust any one option. Wisconsin is on bye.
RUTGERS AT Michigan
Game Recap: Michigan blew out the Scarlet Knights 49-16 on the strength of a prolific day from Jake Rudock
Key Players: Rudock threw for a season-high 337 yards and two touchdowns. De'Veon Smith (15-73-1) and Drake Johnson (7-27-1) both found the end zone on the ground. Jake Butt (4-102-0) and Amara Darboh (3-53-1) were the top receivers. Robert Martin (10-81-0) led the way on the ground for Rutgers.
Injuries: Leonte Carroo missed another game with a high-ankle strain and is listed as questionable again this week. However, the expectation seems to be that he should be able to go against Nebraska.
Players to Watch: If Carroo is able to practice this week, he could have a big game. Michigan should have little trouble scoring points against Indiana and De'Veon Smith could be in for a big day.
Iowa at Indiana
Game Recap: Iowa led the entire second half and stayed unbeaten with a 35-27 road win that was not quite as close as the score indicates.
Key Players: C.J. Beathard passed for 233 yards and a touchdown and added 38 yards and another score on the ground. The backfield carries were split between Akrum Wadley (12-120-1) and LeShun Daniels, Jr. (23-78-2). Matt VandeBerg (5-68-0) was the top receiver for the Hawkeyes. Jordan Howard made his triumphant return for Indiana and rushed 22 times for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Iowa's tough pass defense held Nate Sudfeld to just 180 passing yards and a late touchdown.
Injuries: Jordan Canzeri remained out for Iowa but indications are that he should return for the Minnesota game.
Players to Watch: The rushing matchup for Iowa should be favorable, but the distribution of carries between Canzeri, Wadley and Daniels is murky. A late week check of the Iowa beat writer reports will be key here, but any of the trio is likely to be just a GPP play at best. Indiana faces a tough Michigan defense and has a team total of just 22. Diminuitive slot receiver Mitchell Paige could have a decent game from the slot though. Sudfeld has looked to him often in recent weeks.
Michigan State at Nebraska
Game Recap: In one of the week's wildest games, Nebraska finally found itself on the right side of a crazy finish. The Cornhuskers were able to score a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute on a controversial call that ruled receiver Brandon Reilly was pushed out of bounds and then re-established himself before hauling in the game-winning grab to secure the 39-38 upset.
Key Players: Connor Cook had a big game in the loss (335 yards and 4 touchdowns). Aaron Burbridge (10-164-1) again starred at wide receiver. Macgarrett Kings Jr. (4-97-2) had a big day as well. Gerald Holmes handled almost all of the rushing duties (22-117-1). For Nebraska, Imani Cross (18-98-1) was the primary ball carrier. Tommy Amrstrong had a bid day with two rushing touchdowns, two passing touchdowns and 320 passing yards. Jordan Westerkamp (9-134-1) remaings the clear #1 receiver.
Injuries: Terrell Newby was limited with an ankle injury. He should be able to play this week, but his effectiveness and role are very much questionable.
Players to Watch: Nebraska heads east to face a struggling Rutgers squad and should score plenty of points. Westerkamp and Armstrong are both top options. Depending upon how Newby's injured ankle responds this week, Cross could have a big game as well. The Spartans host a Maryland defense that just got torched for 300+ yards by Jake Rudock. Cook, Burbridge and Kings should be able to remain hot.
Minnesota at Ohio State
Game Recap: Cardale Jones struggled as J.T. Barrett's replacement but Ohio State's defense led the way to a 28-14 victory.
Key Players: Mitch Leidner completed 27-of-44 passes for 281 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Shannon Brooks (11-27-0) and Rodney Smith (6-9-0) both struggled to run the ball. K.J. Maybe had a big game (10-116-1) and tight end Brandon Lingen (4-50-0) was also solid for the Gophers. Ezekiel Elliott was solid as ever with 114 rushing yards and a touchdown. Cardale Jones ran for 65 yards and a touchdown and threw for 187 yards and another touchdown.
Injuries: None.
Players to Watch: Jalin Marshall is playing better than his mediocre stats suggest and is due for a big game at some point.
