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Brent Yarina's Bio: BigTenNetwork.com editor Brent Yarina takes you around Big Ten athletics, on and off the court. |
| Oct 31 2009, 7:33 PM | Topic: Talking Big Ten | ||
I respect the heck out of the never-say-die Hawkeyes, but it's not too far of a stretch to suggest the winner of next week's Ohio State-Penn State game is the conference's best team, whether Iowa beats Northwestern or not. Both the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are the reigning co-champs, after all, and both sit just one game behind the Hawkeyes. I know, last year means nothing. I know, Ohio State lost to Purdue. And I certainly know Iowa beat Penn State earlier this year, not to mention in 2008, which makes such an argument borderline asinine. But hear me out, Hawkeye fans. Saturday's latest win, a 42-24 comeback triumph over Indiana, marked the fourth game in which Iowa has trailed in the fourth quarter. That's not a recipe for success, let alone domination, although it hasn't gotten in the way of a wildly surprising 9-0 start. Yet, that is. The Hawkeyes have trailed in eight of their nine games and have just one convincing victory, a 35-3 win over rival Iowa State. Other than that, every game has been in doubt well into the second half, even home contests against Northern Iowa and Arkansas State. In other words, the Hawkeyes, who have won four games by three or fewer points, could easily be, say, 5-4 or 6-3. They aren't, of course, but you still expect a little more sizzle from your undefeated teams. And with all these close encounters, in addition to a mounting injury list, you can't help but feel this fairy tale season is destined to hit a hiccup or two. Sure, the only important thing is to score one more point than your opponent, but right now, all things considered, it seems like the run-of-the-mill team has a better shot of knocking off Iowa than it would against either Ohio State or Penn State. Whether that has to do with injuries, talent, or something else, Iowa's stash of incredible fortune is showing some serious signs of running out. Stay tuned to see if it ever happens. MY WEEK 9 HONORS Player of the Week: QB Adam Weber, Minnesota - Weber's struggles have been well chronicled this fall, so much so many Gopher fans have called for his benching. Well, the seasoned vet twirled his best game of the season Saturday night, torching Michigan State for 416 yards and five touchdowns in primetime on the Big Ten Network. Weber's stats were even more impressive when you consider it was his first game without injured star receiver Eric Decker. Game of the Week: Michigan State vs. Minnesota - Who would have thought two teams coming off such painful losses the week before would have combined to give us a gem like this? Aside from the flags -- Minnesota tied a Big Ten record for infractions (17) -- this game had big play after big play and answered score after answered score. It even featured two Minnesota scores in the first two minutes, all before Kirk Cousins and the Spartan offense ever touched the playing field. Stat of the Week: In Ohio State's 45-0 thrashing of lowly New Mexico State, seven different Buckeyes accounted for more yards than New Mexico State did as a team (62). Overall, Ohio State amassed a ridiculous 559 yards, including 310 on the ground. Ricky Stanzi's fourth-quarter stats weren't too bad, either, throwing for 177 yards and two touchdowns on the three completions. Gameball of the Week: QB Juice Williams, Illinois - It wasn't a repeat of his record-setting performance the last time out against Michigan, but Williams' 220 total yards, two scores and, most importantly, zero turnovers in the Illini's victory were equally as big. The Illini desperately needed a Big Ten win to avoid a possible winless conference campaign and Williams delivered in what has been a a highly frustrating senior campaign. |
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