Big Ten Recap: Buckeyes earn BCS berth

It’s not the kind of going-away party Lloyd Carr had envisioned, we’re sure, but Ohio State’s 14-3 win over Michigan in Ann Arbor stayed true to what we should have expected of this game.

Michigan was incapable of stopping the Buckeyes rushing attack, just as it had failed the week before in Madison. With a large enough lead to sit on, that was all Jim Tressel and company needed to control the clock and the momentum in the second half.

K.C. Lopata’s missed 48-yard field goal before halftime was more important than fans know. Prior to it, Ohio State had just gotten control back from their rival and could have easily sat on the football to walk into the locker room with a 7-3 lead. Tressel decided to keep his foot on the gas, however, and quarterback Todd Boeckman gifted the Michigan defense with an interception that was returned to the Ohio State 34-yard line. From there, any score would have pushed the momentum back to Michigan. But the Wolverines failed to move the ball on three tries, and then Lopata failed on the long attempt.

To make matters worse, Michigan received the ball to open the second half, went three-and-out, and then watched Ohio State score on the very next play.

End of ballgame.

As is common in ‘the big game,’ play calling and special teams were the deciding factors in the outcome. While we can’t say this was a game fit for Woody and Bo, we could argue that it very much resembled one of the limited-offense, high-intensity duels from the 10-year war.

Week of the tight end
We’re use to seeing Wisconsin’s Travis Beckum put up big numbers. On Saturday Beckum had another dandy (five catches for 89 yards and a touchdown), but so did several other Big Ten tight ends, including Michigan State senior Kellen Davis (four catches for 106 yards); Iowa’s Brandon Myers (six catches for 59 yards and a touchdown); Purdue’s Dustin Keller (six catches for 81 yards); and Illinois’ Jeff Cumberland (four catches for 131 yards and a touchdown).

Hoosiers’ win locks up bowl game
Six wins did not guarantee that Indiana a bowl game after a 14-year absence. But in beating Purdue on Saturday the Hoosiers are virtually a lock to see December football. Kicker Austin Starr nailed a 49-yard kick in the final minute to help his team claim a 27-24 win. One of the keys to the victory was the running of Marcus Thigpen (140 yards on 19 carries). It was Thigpen’s only 100-yard performance of the season, but it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Iowa’s bowl chances in doubt
The Hawkeyes seemingly had an easy matchup against 3-7 Western Michigan. The game was in Iowa City, and no Big Ten team had been as hot as Iowa lately. But the Broncos put the Hawkeyes in an immediate 19-0 hole and from there it was difficult climbing in the eventual 28-19 loss. At 6-6 Iowa could still get a glimpse, especially due to its well-traveling fan base, but this loss did plenty of damage.

Offensive Player of the Week: Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State
The Buckeyes and Wolverines spent much of Saturday afternoon struggling to move the football. The defenses made plays and elements to both offenses sputtered. But Wells was the game’s one player to gain ground. His 222 yards on Saturday were the most he’s posted in 2007, and his second touchdown run of the day swung the momentum in Ohio State’s favor for good.

Defensive Player of the Week: Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State
The Buckeyes’ defensive lineman was in the face of Michigan quarterback Chad Henne all game long. The Wolverines probably should have boosted pass protection on Gholston’s side, because he finished with three sacks. His ability to apply pressure limited the amount of time that Henne had to find Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington. Said Ohio State coach Jim Tressel afterward, “I’m sure Chad Henne will be seeing (Gholston) in his sleep.”

Special Teams Player of the Week: David Gilreath, KR/PR, Wisconsin
The lanky return man gained 119 yards on six kick returns, and had punt returns of 56 and 51 yards in the 41-34 win over Minnesota. Gilreath supplied his team with excellent field position all afternoon in the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe.

Game of the Week: Michigan State 35, Penn State 31
Midway through the third quarter Penn State held a commanding 24-7 lead. The Nittany Lions had run all over the Spartans up to that point, thanks to another big day by senior running back Rodney Kinlaw. Then Michigan State answered, and answered again, and again. Quarterback Brian Hoyer found Devin Thomas twice in the game’s final 18 minutes, and Big Ten scoring leader Jehuu Caulcrick capped off the come-from-behind effort with a one-yard score.

Freshman Impact: Zach Brown, RB, Wisconsin
For a second week in a row, Brown earned this title with a mighty performance in place of P.J. Hill. If this keeps up, Brown might replace Hill for good. Brown collected 250 yards rushing on 29 carries against Minnesota on Saturday. His first score gave Wisconsin its first lead of the game; Brown’s second trip to the end zone helped stave off a late Gopher rally.

Additional Notes
Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall ended up with the rushing title, despite an end-of-the-year surge from Ohio State’s Chris Wells. Mendenhall finished with 1,526 yards thanks to a 124-yard day in his team’s 41-22 win over Northwestern.

It was another well-rounded effort for Michigan State’s do-it-all wonder Devin Thomas, who had 139 yards receiving (three scores), 89 yards on kick returns, and one carry for eight yards in the win over Penn State. Fans tend to follow rushing and passing numbers, but Thomas’s average of 197 all-purpose yards per game might be the most impressive statistic to come out of the Big Ten this year.

Penn State’s Dan Connor notched the conference’s most tackles (136). All season he competed with teammate Sean Lee, Northwestern’s Adam Kadela, Illinois’ J Leman and Mike Humpal from Iowa for the lead. What makes Connor’s numbers most impressive, though, is that he also collected 6.5 sacks – three more than any of the other top five finishers.

Del.icio.us | Digg it | Athlon Sports RSS Feeds