BIG Ten Week 3 Recap

Posted on September 19, 2015. Filed under: Football, NCAA Sports | Tags: Amateur Sports, AmateurSports365, ASNN365, Big Ten Football, Brenden Motley, Illinois, Nebraska, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, VIRGINIA TECH, Wisconsin |

BIG Ten Week 3….

September 19, 2015

All four of the conference’s ranked teams were victorious this weekend, but there’s been a shake-up in the bottom half of the power rankings. Here’s how things went…..

VIRGINIA TECH 51, Purdue 24

We were LIVE in West Lafayette covering the matchup between Purdue and an ACC powerhouse, Virginia Tech Hokies. What a sign of two-halves….

Coach Frank Beamer looks at his team as they warm up to play…

Both teams started out 1-1 and this is a non-conference game, both teams are desperate to win for many reasons and looking and for some momentum for the season.

In the end, the Boilermakers’ passing game struggled on Saturday, totaling only 121 yards and zero touchdowns to go along with a pair of interceptions. Hokies’ fullback, Sam Rogers, did better than the Boilermarks actual QB, as he threw two passes – including a touchdown. Thus, the overwhelming score in the loss.

Junior Austin Appleby completed nine of 28 passes for 110 yards and two interceptions. Backup David Blough was three of seven for 11 yards. Markell Jones led the Purdue running game with 90 yards and a touchdown on just six carries. Virginia Tech quarterback Brenden Motley finished the day 15 of 23 for 220 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a rushing score.

Beamer Ball was alive and well as they played their very first game in the fine State of Indiana on Saturday as the Hokies scored a touchdown off a blocked punt. Both defenses also found the endzone by way of fumble recoveries.

NORTH CAROLINA 48, ILLINOIS 14

After a nice start to the season for the Illini, things came crashing down in Chapel Hill this weekend. The Illi running game seemed to be the only bright spot as they had a total of 227 yards and two scores on the ground. Junior quarterback Wes Lunt completed 15 of 32 passes for 140 yards and an interception.

Senior Josh Ferguson rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

NORTHWESTERN 19, DUKE 10

For the Wildcats, Clayton Thorson struggled throughout the day. The redshirt freshman was 9 of 23 for just 70 yards and a pair of interceptions. Tailback Justin Jackson added 120 yards on 35 carries. Backup running back Warren Long led the way for Northwestern. While the junior only touched the ball three times, he recorded a 55-yard touchdown run and recovered a punt late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the Wildcats. Winning ugly is part of a good season. Come November who will actually care how ugly this win was as long as a W was in the right place…

INDIANA 38, WESTERN KENTUCKY 35

The Big Ten’s leading rusher led the way for the Hoosiers this weekend as Jordan Howard ran for 203 yards on 31 carries. Quarterback Nate Sudfeld threw for 355 yards and a trio of touchdowns as the offense continued to have its way with opposing defenses. When all was said and done, the IU offense had amassed 639 yards.

MIAMI 36, NEBRASKA 33

A wild comeback by the Huskers forced overtime, but they ended up falling just short after an errant pass by quarterback Tommy Armstrong. The Hurricanes got off to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, and with just over eight minutes left in the fourth, that lead had grown to 23 points. Nebraska then answered with 23 unanswered points to tie the game at 33-33 and force overtime.

On the first play of overtime, Miami defensive back Corn Elder picked off Armstrong. An ugly late hit by Nebraska offensive tackle Alex Lewis gave the Canes great field position which ultimately led to a chip-shot field goal.

Armstrong tossed four touchdown passes on the day – three of which came in the fourth quarter to help lead the comeback. He threw for 309 yards but also added three costly interceptions.

PENN STATE 28, RUTGERS 3

The Penn State ground game was too much for Rutgers as Big Ten play kicked off on Saturday night. The Nittany Lions rushed for 330 yards, most of which came from Saquon Barkley and Akeel Lynch. Barkley, a true freshman, continues to make an early impact as he rushed for 195 yards and two scores. Lynch added 120 yards and a touchdown of his own.

On the other side of the ball, the Nittany Lions defense continues to be stingy as they allowed less than 300 total yards and forced three turnovers. Rutgers’ quarterback Chris Laviano threw for 213 yards and a pair of interceptions.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS 13, OHIO STATE 20

MICHIGAN STATE 35, AIR FORCE 21

MICHIGAN 28, UNLV 7

IOWA 27, PITTSBURGH 24

WISCONSIN 28, TROY 3

MINNESOTA 10, KENT STATE 7

MARYLAND 35, SOUTH FLORIDA 17

Overall, it wasn’t a very impressive from the standpoint of the boxscore this week for the Big Ten, but they went 9-3 including the multiple games with ACC teams.

Nebraska and Illinois both suffered bad losses. The Buckeyes and Spartans weren’t up to snuff against inferior opponents while Minnesota and Indiana barely squeaked by. But a win is a win right?

What’s on the itinerary for week four? Michigan faces off against BYU – whew! The Hoosiers will be on the road at Wake Forest. Maryland takes on an undefeated West Virginia squad. And the Buckeyes’ offense will look to get back on track against Western Michigan. See yall then…..