Week 6 in the Big 10

Let’s take a look at everything that happened on the field in the Big Ten in Week 6 and look ahead to Week 7!

Week 6 Results

Nebraska 20 @ Illinois 7

Michigan 52 @ Minnesota 10

Maryland 17 @ Ohio St. 37

Rutgers 13 @ Wisconsin 24

Howard 20 @ Northwestern 23

Purdue 14 @ Iowa 20

Top 3 Notable Games of Week 6

3) Purdue 14 @ Iowa 20

I honestly have no idea how Iowa pulls it off. A quarterback performance that saw Deacon Hill complete just 6 of his 21 pass attempts, including ZERO to his wide receivers but the Hawkeyes once again come out victorious in spite of themselves. The Iowa defense harrassed Purdue QB Hudson Card all day, ending up with 6 sacks and 2 INTs and RB Kaleb Johnson rushed for 134 yards as the Hawkeyes won their 5th game of the season despite all of their offensive woes.

2) Michigan 52 @ Minnesota 10

A dominant performance by the Wolverines on both ends of the ball. If you took away all of the points they scored on offense, they still would have won thanks to 2 interceptions returned for TDs. Minnesota only had 52 yards passing as they have yet to break the 200-yard mark through the air this season.

1) Maryland 17 @ Ohio St. 37

In their first true test of the season, Maryland looked like they belonged…for a half. Unfortunately, they were undone by too many costly mistakes by QB Taulia Tagovailoa and too much Marvin Harrison Jr., who finished with 8 catches for 163 yards and a TD. Head coach Mike Locksley and the Terps showed enough for me to believe they have a good team this year, but still have a long way to go before they can compete with the best the Big Ten has to offer.

Week 6 Summary

The Terps answered the final unanswered question of the conference. They fall into the middle pack of the conference with Wisconsin, Rutgers, and an Iowa team that’s hanging on for dear life as Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State have shown why many predicted they would finish at the top of the Big Ten and the national picture.

Top Individual Performances of Week 6

Passing:

Kyle McCord, Ohio State - 19/29 320 yards 2 TDs vs. Maryland

Rushing:

Kaleb Johnson, Iowa - 17 carries/134 yards/1 rushing TD vs. Purdue

Receiving:

Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State - 8 rec/163 yards/1 TD vs. Maryland

Defense:

Logan Lee, Iowa - 10 tackles/2 sacks vs. Purdue

Power Rankings After Week 6

Penn St.

Ohio St.

Michigan

Wisconsin

Maryland

Iowa

Rutgers

Northwestern

Minnesota

Nebraska

Indiana

Michigan St.

Purdue

Illinois

Week 7 Games To Watch

3) Illinois @ Maryland: Tough loss last week for the Terps. They look to bounce back against an Illinois team that has been the worst in the conference this year. If they do, they will become bowl-eligible for the 3rd straight year under head coach Mike Locksley.

2) Michigan State @ Rutgers: Both teams showed a lot of heart in losses against better conference opponents last week. Unfortunately, heart doesn’t translate to points on the scoreboard. Michigan State looks to get something going before the matchup with rival and national power Michigan. Rutgers’ passing attack has let them down all year long. A matchup with a reeling Spartan defense could be just what they need to get on track.

1) Iowa @ Wisconsin: 2 teams firmly in the tier below the cream of the crop of the conference. Is Wisconsin finally figuring things out under new head coach Luke Fickell? Can RB Braelon Allen (472 yards and 7 TDs) make something happen against a tough Hawkeye defense? Can the Hawkeye offense get anything going at all? This one figures to be a grind-it-out game no matter who comes out on top.

Brandon Silvers