Week Eight Opponent Recap

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Non-Conference Opponents

Florida International – 24 – Louisiana Tech – 44

The Golden Panthers suffered their first C-USA defeat, falling Louisiana Tech and dropping to 3-5 (3-1) on the season. It was their first loss since the firing of former head coach Ron Turner.

Ball State – 25 – Akron - 35

After starting off strong, Ball State has fallen to .500 on the season and they are now just 1-3 in the MAC after losing to the Akron Zips, 35-25. James Gilbert ran for 133 yards with one touchdown and the Cardinals ran for 256 yards. However, Thomas Woodson threw for 338 yards and Akron racked up 529 total yards in their victory. 

Conference Opponents

Michigan State – 17 – Maryland – 28

The Maryland Terrapins got Perry Hills back from injury and rode a balanced offensive performance to a come-from-behind victory over the Michigan State Spartans. Maryland is now 5-2 (2-2) and they enter Saturday’s critical clash in Bloomington just one win shy of bowl eligibility. Hills was 21 of 27 for 200 yards with a pair of touchdowns and both Ty Johnson and Lorenzo Harrison ran for more than 100 yards. Michigan State (2-5, 0-4) gave the reigns of the offense to Brian Lewerke and he struggled mightily, going only 11 of 24 for 156 yards. The Spartans rushing attack got going, churning out 270 yards on 44 carries as they staked themselves to a 17-14 lead after three quarters but the Terrapins controlled the final quarter, scoring on drives of 75 and 82 yards while MSU failed to reach 50 yards in the quarter. The two teams were nearly identical in statistics: time of possession was very close, yardage only favored Maryland by 21, yards per rush was 6.1 (MSU) to 5.9 (MD), each team had 22 first downs. The difference came in penalties (7 for 84 yards for MSU and only three penalties for Maryland) and turnovers (MSU coughed it up twice). 

Ohio State – 21 – Penn State – 24

The Ohio State Buckeyes have only themselves to blame as they suffered a stunning loss on Saturday night in front of a raucous crowd in State College. The Buckeyes (6-1, 3-1) were in firm control of the contest, ahead 21-7 at the end of the third quarter, before things went haywire and the course of the college football season was altered. Penn State marched 90 yards in only five plays and Trace McSorley ran it in to make 21-14. The Buckeyes went three and out and Penn State had great field position. They only managed a field goal that made it 21-17 and Ohio State moved the ball well, setting up a field goal with just over four minutes left. However, the kick was blocked and returned 60 yards by Grant Haley for a Penn State touchdown that proved to be the game winner. Ohio State outgained the Nittany Lions 413-276 as PSU converted only 2 of 13 third down conversions and the Buckeyes had the ball for 37:19 to Penn State’s 22:41. Trace McSorley was only 8-23 and they only gained an average of 3.3 yards per carry. After watching the game, the outcome truly made no sense and Ohio State had no business losing but credit to the Nittany Lions. They hung around, prevented Ohio State from landing a knockout punch and ultimately made a couple of huge plays that swung the final score in their favor. The loss hurts the Buckeyes but they are definitely not out of the running for a Big Ten East championship or for selection in the College Football Playoff. As for Penn State, it moves them to 5-2 (3-1) and lands them in the top 25 (at number 24) with upcoming games against Purdue and Iowa. It’s likely they come to Bloomington on November 12 at 7-2 and in the top 20 (Indiana’s schedule has turned out to be quite difficult). 

Rutgers – 32 – Minnesota - 34

For the second straight week, Rutgers moved the ball fairly effectively. They turned to junior Giovanni Rescigno to lead the offense and he was 22-38 for 220 yards with three touchdowns. They also gained 4.2 yards per carry and gained 150 yards on the ground (Justin Goodwin was the leading rusher as Robert Martin sat out with an injury, head coach Chris Ash believed Martin would be available for November 5’s game against IU). Also for the second straight week, the Scarlet Knights struggled on defense and turned the ball over too much. Rescigno threw a pair of interceptions and lost a fumble. Minnesota’s ground game hammered out 243 rushing yards and Minnesota gained 399 total yards. Rutgers had a golden opportunity to grab the game as they took possession with great field position late in the fourth quarter. However, they only gained one yard on the drive before settling for a 39-yard field goal that put them ahead 32-31. The Golden Gophers drove 13 plays for 59 yards and Emmit Carpenter connected on a 28-yard field goal with only six seconds to play to give Minnesota the hard-earned 34-32 victory. Rutgers is now only 2-6 (0-5) but they’ve looked much better in the past two weeks and they now have a bye week to prepare for Indiana. IU’s November 5 trip to New Jersey no longer looks like a “gimme”.

Michigan – 41 – Illinois – 8

The Michigan Wolverines are now 7-0 and they have moved up to #2 in the rankings following a drubbing of Illinois (plus Ohio State’s loss). The Wolverines were ahead 31-0 at halftime and 34-0 after three quarters before coasting to the final of 41-8. Wilton Speight was 16-23 for 253 yards with two touchdowns and the Wolverines ran for 270 yards and an average of 4.6 yards per carry. Karan Higdon had 106 yards while De’Veon Smith led the Wolverines with 18 carries. Illinois gave Jeff George Jr. a shot at quarterback and he had a miserable time, going only 4-15 for 95 yards. The running game wasn’t any better, gaining only 77 yards on 23 carries. The total yardage was 561 to 172 and Michigan had the ball for an astonishing 41:23 of this game. The Wolverines appear to be a dominant machine and IU’s chances of having a good time at Michigan Stadium on November 12 appear very low. 

Nebraska – 27 – Purdue – 14

The Nebraska Cornhuskers overcame a 14-10 halftime deficit to knock off the Purdue Boilermakers in Lincoln, 27-14. The Boilers were playing their first game under Gerad Parker after Darrell Hazell was fired and they seized a lead with a pair of David Blough touchdown passes, including an 88-yard catch and run connection with DeAngelo Yancey. Blough threw for 309 yards but the Boilers failed to gain any semblance of balance, rushing for a woeful 24 yards on 22 carries. Markell Jones continues to be hampered by a shoulder injury and the blocking is non-existent. Nebraska was much more balanced as Tommy Armstrong threw for 252 yards and they ran for 157 rushing yards. Purdue had only 13 first downs on the day and Nebraska’s ball-control attack churned out 409 total yards as they held on for another unconvincing victory. They are now ranked eighth in the country heading into back-to-back road games at Wisconsin and Ohio State. The Purdue Boilermakers will head back to West Lafayette to host #24 Penn State.