Conference play opened strong last week when the Chalk emerged victorious in three of the four Big Ten games. The only upset came at West Lafayette, where Purdue emerged victorious over Minnesota despite trailing slightly. The conference appears to be a three-team race and next week will go a long way toward separating the field. Below is a summary of the highlights of the past week and a preview of a very important week ahead:
– Our “College Game of the Year” went into the books as a push, even though 20 percent of our customers won the game. Michigan gave up an early score when they turned the ball over near midfield and set up a short touchdown drive for Wisconsin. Quarterback John Stocco converted it into a 29-yard touchdown pass to give the Badgers a 7-0 lead. Michigan couldn’t muster much offense in the first half and thus only put 10 points on the board, three of which were helped by a missed punt by UW’s Zach Hampton. Wisconsin should have taken the lead at halftime; instead, the score was tied at 10 apiece.
The second half was a different story, as the Badgers couldn’t muster any offense and Michigan’s defense took over the game. It was just a race against time to see if Michigan could score enough on offense to cover the two-touchdown spread. We looked to be in great shape when Garrett Rivas kicked a 32-yard field goal with less than six minutes remaining to give Michigan a 27-10 lead.
But then something miraculous happened; the Badgers made not only their first opening try of the second half, but actually kept up momentum that led to a first-and-goal. Michigan stuffed Wisconsin over the next three plays and Coach Bielema was faced with a fourth-down decision at the nine-yard line.
Most coaches would have gone for the touchdown, but instead he chose to kick the field goal to cut the deficit to 14 points. The shot went through the middle of the posts and thus ended the match, 27-13. Personally, I would have preferred to see them go for the touchdown and lose by 17 points or 10 points, so our team would have had action. Michigan’s defense was strong throughout and QB Stocco would have been bombarded and forced to throw the ball far out of the end zone.
But that was not what happened and therefore most of us got a boost in the game. That early touchdown drive for Wisconsin is the only thing that stood in the way of a complete loss. Taking a 7-0 lead gave the Badgers a bit of confidence and allowed them to stay tied with Michigan for two quarters. Had the Wolverines won 7-0, I have no doubt this would have been a 40-point blowout.
The next step for Wisconsin is a road trip to Bloomington to take on the struggling Hoosiers. The Badgers enter this game as 10.5-point favorites and it will be interesting to see how they respond by playing back-to-back games on the road. Indiana is coming off two devastating losses at home and their confidence must be shattered. Michigan is also on its way to the Twin Cities to take on the Gophers. If Michigan is going to have problems before Columbus, I hope he comes here. Oddsmakers are inviting a Minnesota pick as they’re overcoming a touchdown at The Dome.
– The Buckeyes got their revenge on co-champion 2005 Penn State, but it wasn’t as easy as many pundits thought it would be. Penn State dominated the first half and took a 3-0 lead when Kevin Kelly was given a second chance to make a field goal. The Buckeyes finally got on the board in the third quarter when RB Antonio Pittman drove it home from 12 yards. The second half was also dominated by defenses, as the Buckeyes returned two interceptions for touchdowns for a 28-3 lead. The result was as expected. However, the in-game stats certainly weren’t.
Quarterback Troy Smith took a step back from his pursuit of the Heisman Trophy. He completed just 12 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. He threw two interceptions in this game and Ted Ginn Jr. was non-existent with just two catches. One has to suspect that State was expecting a matchup with the Hawkeyes next week. A similar performance like this and they will see their hopes of a National Championship go down the drain. Penn State put in a good effort on this one, but it’s apparent that their offense has dwindled in the early 2000s, when they can’t shoot the ball at all.
The next step for Penn State is a home game with Northwestern. The front row has State as a 16.5-point favorite. The Wildcats have struggled outside of the conference and I can see this game getting ugly. Ohio State will head to Iowa City for ABC’s Saturday night game of the week. The Buckeyes enter as a touchdown favorite, but I think the pink locker rooms could doom them. Iowa has had this game in circles for quite some time.
Finally, the game of the night took place in a rainy East Lansing. Michigan State proved once again why it would never be considered a top-tier program, blowing a 16-point fourth-quarter lead at Spartan Stadium to allow the No. 12 Irish to escape with a three-point victory. This was a season-saving win for Notre Dame as it kept their chances of a BCS Bowl alive and they can now still afford a loss to USC.
The Irish are still unable to run the ball effectively and are left shooting the ball at every opportunity. I mentioned last week that one should consider playing the over in all their games and this one certainly validated that point. They amassed a total of 77 points between the programs and 754 yards of total offense. The teams combined to make just 4 of 25 third-down attempts, but the big plays easily offset this statistic.
Two late turnovers made the difference, the last one being returned for a 27-yard touchdown run by Terrail Lambert to give Notre Dame the lead for good. Michigan State moved the ball into midfield with less than a minute left, but a casual interception occurred when the ball bounced off three people and Lambert caught it for his second pick of the game.
The next step for the Irish is their final game against the Big Ten, when they host state rival Purdue. The front row has ND as a 16.5-point favorite. I expect the Irish to play a complete game in this one like they did earlier this year with Penn State. Michigan State has another home game against Illinois to open up conference play and I hope they don’t have a problem with the Illini. This is a team that can beat anyone on any given day and I wouldn’t be surprised if they pull off a straight win against Michigan or Ohio State. The talent is there; it’s just the mind games that continue to haunt them.
In other action, Purdue got a nice win at home against Minnesota coming back from an early deficit. This is typical of Minnesota getting off to a good start before collapsing as the season progresses. Looks like another trip to Nashville awaits them.
Final Thoughts on College Football
1) The Big East deserves a bowl bid this year and can contend for a National Championship if West Virginia can topple Louisville on Nov. 2. That Thursday night affair should be unmissable on television.
2) What happened to ASU last week? They took a 7-0 lead before letting the Bears take the next 35 points. They have a must win game against Oregon in Tempe and this will make or break the season for my alma mater.
3) Congratulations to Clemson Kicker Jan Dean who scored all seven of his extra points against UNC last week. It’s good to see that he has found his form after having blocked three kicks in the previous two weeks.
We’re coming strong this week with a Big Ten winner and encouraging you to jump on board with one of our many packages. Free selection. Take Over 54 at Stanford at UCLA. That’s all for this week!
