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Big Ten Game Balls for the Week 3 slate of action are ready to be handed out!
With the weekend winding down, we are one week closer to the end of September and another week closer to the full arrival of conference play! From the Week 3 results, Oregon finally looked like the potential juggernaut fans were warned about, but other teams were not as lucky.
Wisconsin (vs. Alabama), Washington (vs. Washington State) and Purdue (vs. Notre Dame) were all teams to lose crucial nonconference matchups against quality opponents, and 2 of those final scores came in blowout fashion.
Some of the top teams in the B1G were also idle in Week 3, but that doesn’t change what was another exciting weekend of football.
With that being said, let’s get to the game balls!
Illinois
- QB Luke Altmyer: After struggling with turnovers last season, Altmyer continues to be efficient early in 2024. He finished 19-for-29 passing with 242 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Illini moved to 3-0 for the first time since 2011 with the win over CMU. Altmyer now has 6 touchdowns without an interception in 3 games.
Indiana at UCLA
- QB Kurtis Rourke: Curt Cignetti has continually praised his veteran QB, and Rourke jumpstarted a big win for the Hoosiers with 2 first-quarter touchdowns. Rourke would finish the game against UCLA with 307 passing yards and 4 touchdowns in a blowout win for the Hoosiers.
Iowa
- RB Kaleb Johnson: Iowa’s star running back has been the most effective player all season long. He is riding a streak of 3 straight games with 100+ yards and finished the (comeback) win over Troy with 25 carries for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns. Right now, the Hawkeyes go as Johnson goes.
Maryland
- DL Quashon Fuller: Maryland trailed Virginia 13-7 at halftime before the Terrapins pitched a second-half shutout defensively. Fuller was a key piece of that, finishing with 5 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery to limit the Cavs down the stretch.
Michigan
- RB Kalel Mullings: Mullings continues to look like RB1 for the Wolverines this season, leading the team with 153 yards and 2 touchdowns on 15 carries against Arkansas State. Donovan Edwards actually had 2 more carries in the game but finished with just 82 rushing yards. It’s clear the Wolverines need Mullings running between the tackles with the concerns related to the QB position.
Michigan State
- DB Charles Brantley: Brantley carved his name into Michigan State’s history books, intercepting a pass and delivering it end zone to end zone for a 100-yard pick-6. It was actually Brantley’s 2nd interception of the game, but his first one was called back for a roughing the passer penalty.
Minnesota
- RB Darius Taylor: Taylor was already having a major day before he iced the win over Nevada with an 80-yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter. Minnesota’s workhorse back would finish the game with 124 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on just 11 carries. He also led the Gophers with 5 catches and added a 3rd touchdown with 37 yards in the passing game.
Nebraska
- LB John Bullock: In the big win over Northern Iowa, Bullock and Isaac Gifford tied for the team lead with 9 total tackles. However, Bullock tacked on his first sack of the season in the win. The Huskers are now 3 games into the season and have given up a total of 2 touchdowns and 20 total points.
Northwestern
- QB Jack Lausch: After 2 games, Northwestern opted to roll out Jack Lausch over Mike Wright, and the performance was noticeable. Lausch was efficient throwing the ball (20-for-31) with 227 yards and 2 touchdowns and also rushed for 62 yards as the 2nd-leading rusher for the Wildcats. We’ll see if Lausch can duplicate that against stiffer competition, but it’s a good start.
Oregon
- QB Dillon Gabriel: These are the kinds of performances many envisioned when Gabriel entered the season as the Heisman favorite. The QB went 20-for-24 with 291 yards with 2 touchdowns and added 64 yards on the ground with another rushing touchdown. It must be said Gabriel played behind a much better offensive line this week, and the Ducks rolled Oregon State as a result.
Purdue
- None: In a first-ever occurrence, I have declined to award a game ball for the Notre Dame-Purdue contest. That’s what happens when you are down 42-0 at halftime — at home — to a ranked opponent one week removed from a loss to Northern Illinois.
Washington
- WR Giles Jackson: Jackson was a matchup nightmare in the Apple Cup, going for 8 catches and a career-high 162 yards with a touchdown. He would come up with big moments throughout the game and delivered a 45-yard catch that gave Washington a chance at a go-ahead touchdown late in the game. Unfortunately, the drive came up just short on 4th-and-goal in the loss to the Cougars.
Wisconsin
- LB Aaron Witt: It’s hard to find anything worth highlighting from Wisconsin’s home beatdown at the hands of Alabama. Witt at least tied or the team lead with 5 total tackles and 4 solo stops while also leading the Badgers with 2 of the teams 5 TFL.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.