Week Nine Opponent Recap

Written By T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Non-Conference Opponents

Florida International – 35 – Middle Tennessee – 42

The FIU Golden Panthers fell to 3-6 (3-2) as Alex McGough threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown with only 1:22 left in the contest. McGough threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns but it wasn’t enough as the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders improved to 6-2 (3-1). 

Wake Forest – 13 – Army – 21

The Army Black Knights outscored Wake Forest 14-3 in the fourth quarter and stunned the Demon Deacons to improve to 5-3 on the season. The loss dropped Wake Forest to 5-3 and they’ll need a win over either Virginia or Boston College to get to bowl eligibility. Army outgained Wake Forest 383 to 343 and the Demon Deacons turned the ball over three times in defeat.

Conference Opponents

Michigan State – 23 – Michigan – 32

Despite owning this rivalry for much of the past decade, the Michigan State Spartans were heavy underdogs at home against the Michigan Wolverines. A first half from the road favorites made sure Michigan remained unbeaten as they raced out to a 27-10 halftime lead and cruised to a 32-23 victory. Michigan State turned to three different quarterbacks on Saturday as Brian Lewerke, Tyler O’Connor and Damion Terry each saw snaps. Lewerke the most effective, throwing for 100 yards and running for another 24. LJ Scott had a surprisingly strong day, gaining 139 yards with a touchdown. The Wolverines relied on wide receiver Amara Darboh (eight catches for 165 yards) and a spread out rushing attack (nine players registered carries in the game) to churn out 436 yards, 35 more than the Spartans. The second half was 13-5 in favor of Michigan State and it was the most out-of-sync the mighty Wolverines have looked all season. Still, this was a fairly comfortable victory in a bitter rivalry game and Michigan has earned its place in the first College Football Playoff standings of the season. 

Ohio State – 24 – Northwestern - 20

The Ohio State Buckeyes survived a stiff test from the visiting Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday afternoon, winning 24-20 and improving to 7-1 (4-1). Northwestern’s loss dropped them to 4-4 (3-2) but they have to feel good about themselves after battling the Buckeyes to a near standstill in Columbus. Ohio State was led by Mike Weber and a ground attack that gained 208 yards. J.T. Barrett was only 21 of 32 for 223 yards and he did not account for a touchdown, a true rarity for him. Clayton Thorson was inefficient, completing only 22 of 42 passes, but he threw for 256 yards with a touchdown and he ran for 44 yards with another score. Austin Carr continues to tear up opposing defenses (eight catches for 158 yards) but the Buckeyes kept him out of the end zone and hung on for the victory.

Nebraska – 17 – Wisconsin - 23

The Nebraska Cornhuskers and Wisconsin Badgers pummeled each other in a primetime clash in Madison. The contest ultimately couldn’t be ended in regulation but a Wisconsin touchdown in overtime halted Nebraska’s unbeaten season and left the race in the Big Ten West up for grabs. Tommy Armstrong struggled mightily against the elite secondary of the Wisconsin Badgers, completing only 12 of 31 passes for 153 yards with two interceptions. The Huskers ran the ball 44 times for 152 yards, an average of only 3.5 yards per carry. However, their much-improved defense kept them in the game, limiting Wisconsin to only 114 yards passing and forcing a pair of turnovers. But Wisconsin found enough room on the ground, gaining 223 yards on 38 carries (5.9 yards per carry). Dare Ogunbowale had 120 yards on 11 carries and Corey Clement gained 82 yards on 19 carries. Wisconsin is now 6-2 (3-2) and Nebraska fell to 7-1 (4-1). The Huskers are still in first place in the Big Ten West with a 4-1 record. There are four teams right behind them at 3-2: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Northwestern. The Huskers must now go to Columbus to play Ohio State and they still have games against Minnesota, Maryland and Iowa left on the schedule.

Penn State – 62 – Purdue – 24

Oh Purdue. The Boilermakers were locked up with Penn State at halftime. It was 17-17 and the Boilers had to feel good about themselves. A week prior, they had been competitive against Nebraska and now they were tied with the Nittany Lions at home. Then the second half happened. Penn State scored 24 points in the third quarter and 21 in the fourth quarter as they roared to a 45 point second half and a resounding 38 point victory to improve to 6-2 (4-1). The 24th ranked Nittany Lions gained 257 yards rushing and 254 yards passing. Trace McSorley was only 12-23 but continued to connect on a few big plays and gained 228 yards with three touchdowns. The star though was Saquon Barkley as he gained 207 yards on only 18 carries with two touchdowns. Purdue has the conference’s worst running game and that continued to rear its ugly head on Saturday as the Boilers managed only 1.8 yards per carry on 26 rushes. David Blough threw for 281 yards with two touchdowns and one interception but it wasn’t nearly enough and incredibly poor second half defense plus four Purdue turnovers proved fatal. The Nittany Lions now host Iowa next Saturday night before coming to Bloomington on November 12. A win over the Hawkeyes would likely put Penn State into the top 20, making them the fifth top 20 opponent on IU’s schedule. The Boilers now sit at 3-5 and they have games against Minnesota, Northwestern and Wisconsin before the season-finale against Indiana.