Week 11 Indiana Opponents Recap

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Non-Conference Opponents

Ball State – 41 – Eastern Michigan – 48

The Cardinals fell to 4-6 (1-5) with a tough loss to Eastern Michigan (6-4) last Tuesday evening. Both teams were very productive offensively but the Cardinals surrendered 29 points in the second half and fell for the fifth time in six weeks.

Wake Forest – 12 – Louisville – 44

The Demon Deacons came into this game as 35 point underdogs. They locked up and frustrated Louisville’s dynamic offense for the entire first half and went to the locker room with a 12-3 lead. Through three quarters, they still clung to a 12-10 lead and a massive upset was still possible. However, things fell apart very quickly in game’s final quarter as the Cardinals hung 34 points on Wake Forest and marched away for a 44-12 blowout win. Wake Forest is now 6-4 (3-3) as they return home to host Clemson and Boston College in their final two games.

Conference Opponents

Michigan State – 49 – Rutgers – 0

The Michigan State Spartans took out some pent-up frustration on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, roasting them 49-0 to ensure RU finishes last in the Big Ten East. MSU is now just 3-7 on the season and this was their first conference victory but they outgained Rutgers 440-149 and used a good rushing attack to bludgeon the Knights early and often. 

Ohio State – 62 – Maryland - 3

For the second straight week, the Ohio State Buckeyes obliterated a conference foe 62-3. J.T. Barrett threw for 253 yards with two touchdowns and the Buckeyes ran for 253 yards with five rushing touchdowns as they outgained the Terrapins 581-176. The Terps were without star tailback Lorenzo Harrison (suspended indefinitely) and they struggled to get anything positive going. In back-to-back weeks, the Terrapins were beaten 59-3 and 62-3 and they must beat either Nebraska or Rutgers to make a bowl game. The Ohio State Buckeyes look phenomenal and they’ll make the College Football Playoff if they can win out.

Nebraska – 24 – Minnesota – 17

The Nebraska Cornhuskers knocked off the Minnesota Golden Gophers to keep their Big Ten West title hopes alive. Tommy Armstrong was 19-27 for 217 yards with two touchdowns plus 61 rushing yards with a score. The game was won thanks to Nebraska’s stout defense. The Huskers held Minnesota to 180 yards passing and only 2.5 yards per carry on the ground. In total, Nebraska outgained Minnesota 374-265 as they improved to 8-2 and dropped Minnesota to 7-3. The Huskers close with Maryland and a road trip to Iowa and they need Wisconsin to lose one of their final two games to take the West division.

Michigan – 13 – Iowa – 14

Wait a minute…what just happened? That score is not a typo, the Iowa Hawkeyes stunned the college football world as they knocked off the mighty Michigan Wolverines in front of a raucous Kinnick Stadium crowd on Saturday night. C.J. Beathard only threw for 66 yards but the Iowa defense and the running of Akrum Wadley won the night for the Hawkeyes. Wadley was shifty and showed good bursts of speed as he picked his way for 115 yards on 23 carries. Michigan tried to establish the run as they handed it off 35 times but they were unable to get it going. In total, they amassed only 98 yards for an average of 2.8 yards per carry. Wilton Speight was only 11-26 and he struggled mightily with pressure being applied by the Hawkeyes front. The loss probably doesn’t end Michigan’s College Football Playoff hopes but it significantly changes the Big Ten East race. If Penn State wins out (against Rutgers and Michigan State) and Ohio State knocks off the Wolverines in Columbus, the Nittany Lions will be the improbable winners of the Big Ten East. How would that change the College Football Playoff picture? Would it open the door for the winner of the Penn State-Wisconsin title game to get a selection and join the Buckeyes? Would the Big Ten champion be left out in favor of non-division winner Ohio State? This game, combined with losses for Auburn, Clemson and Washington, make things incredibly interesting.

Purdue – 17 – Northwestern - 45

Yet again, the Purdue Boilermakers got off to a nice start but fell apart and were destroyed in the second half, falling to Northwestern in blowout fashion. The Wildcats trailed 10-7 after one quarter but took a 14-10 lead into the locker room and then outscored Purdue 31-7 in the second 30 minutes. Clayton Thorson was 23-36 for 352 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions and the Wildcats had two runners go over 100 yards (Justin Jackson and John Moten IV) In total, Northwestern had a whopping 605 total yards. Purdue put up 394 yards but four turnovers (a consistent problem for both the Hoosiers and the Boilers) proved fatal. David Blough was 21-36 for 184 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. He was eventually replaced by Elijah Sindelar, who promptly threw an interception. Purdue managed to run for 4.1 yards per carry, their best running display in a while, but it was not enough to keep them from dropping to 3-7. The Boilers now host Wisconsin before coming to Bloomington on November 26. The 5-5 Wildcats head to Minnesota and then host Illinois.