Wisconsin 44, Wofford 14: Nothing too remarkable about this one. Unlike last year, when they should have lost to Cal Poly, the Badgers cleaned up against a I-AA opponent. To quote Bucky's Fifth Quarter:
Finally! For the first time since their win over Marshall in the second game of the 2008 season, the Badgers looked dominant against a team they should always dominate. This one was over by halftime despite a sloppy start for Wisconsin that featured penalties and turnovers. Wofford simply could not move the ball on the Badgers' starting defensive unit and that led to a resounding 44-14 Wisconsin victory.
Northern Illinois 28, Purdue 21: It turns out that even a no-nonsense demeanor, square jaw, and ferocious mustache are no match for a team coached by someone named "Jerry Kill." NIU pulled out to a big lead and Purdue's comeback stalled, in no small part because of a ballsy fake punt with 3:30 remaining. Hammer and Rails:
All this was really inexplicable too. I know some people expected a slight let down. No one expected a total crap fest from start to finish. Our whole effort was something that no one expected. There was no energy whatsoever. I credit the defense for playing its heart out and forcing several stops in order to keep us alive, but they had to be exhausted by the end. It is no wonder we gave up so many yards. We never had the ball. Two of our three scoring drives were one play (the punt return and Elliott's big run). Even when we did well, we didn't give our defense any rest.
I wonder if anyone has ever done a study of how teams from the eastern time zone do the week after a trip to the west coast. After IU upset Oregon in 2004, the Hoosiers laid an egg the next week by giving up 51 points to a horrid Kentucky team that scored only 173 points all year.
Penn State 31, Temple 6: Somehow, the Nittany Lions came out on top in this bitter intrastate rivalry. Black Shoe Diaries:
With the extra point, this would prove to be all the points Penn State needed on the day as the defense once again turned in a gem of a performance. The Owls were held to just six points, 251 total yards and 46 rushing yards on 29 carries.
Ohio State 38, Toledo 0: Yet another in-state mismatch. While IU played an actual MAC road game in Akron, the Buckeyes played a MAC "road" game against Toledo in Cleveland. WWAHT:
Today, Ohio State pitched its first shut out of an FBS opponent since 2006, and, for the first time this season, we can take away decidedly more positives than negatives from the game. I'm not sure what was more fun; watching Terrelle Pryor finally run with some confidence and assertiveness, or watching the nation's leader in total offense frequently flustered by a ferocious front four.
Michigan 45, Eastern Michigan 17: I'll have much more on this one as the week transpires, but it was 1975 again in Ann Arbor as the Wolverines gained 380 of their 448 yards on the ground. Maize-n-Brew:
Definitely a few things to still work on gents, but how much better is it to be worrying about X or Y after a 28 point win??? WOO, indeed! The particulars: Michigan: 39 rushing attempts, 380 yards, 9.7 yards per carry, 6 TDs.
California 35, Minnesota 21: The Gophers kept it close for most of the game, but the Golden Bears handed Minnesota its first loss in TCF Bank Stadium. The Daily Gopher:
You can't clasify this as a heart-breaker and Cal didn't exactly steal one from the Gophers but this was a game where we had a chance to upset one of the 10 best teams in the country. This also isn't a moral victory, we lost and there was clearly a feeling of missed opportunity from the players and Coach Brewster following the game. But I firmly believe things can be taken from this game that will make this team better and we are much more prepared to face anybody in the Big Ten after hanging tough with Cal.
Notre Dame 33, Michigan State 30: The guys at The Only Colors haven't had much to say about the Spartans' tough loss at Notre Dame, a game that ended MSU's six-game winning streak in South Bend. This was ND's first home win against Michigan State since 1993, but it came only after Spartan QB Kirk Cousins missed a wide-open reciever in the end zone for what would have been the game-winner.
Iowa 27, Arizona 17: The Hawkeyes won at home against Iowa alum Mike Stoops. BHGP:
Feeling pretty good about that, right? As well we ought to be; that Arizona defense was fast. The headlines are probably going to be about Robinson's 100 yards or "OMG 2 FRESHMAN RBS"--maybe even about Stanzi--okay, probably not about Stanzi--but the real story has to begin on the other side of the ball.
Syracuse 37, Northwestern 34: The Orange nearly upset Minnesota in week one, and got their Big Ten scalp against Northwestern last night. Lake the Posts:
I will have full grades tomorrow on each unit after I've had time to digest, but once again our D got gashed by an offense that was not doing much before tonight. Syracuse was the 111th ranked offense and Greg Paulus put up more yards tonight than his first two games combined as he went 24/35, 346 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT.