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And then there were none.
There’s not a B1G team with an undefeated any longer following Purdue’s upset win over No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday afternoon. Now, the Buckeyes join Michigan and Iowa as the three teams with only one blemish on the resume through eight weeks of the season.
We had a rivalry game, a first victory and a thrilling upset to create a memorable Saturday in Week 8. Here’s how we’ve graded each B1G team from the weekend.
B1G East
Michigan: A
Don Brown and the Wolverines defense was not messing around on Saturday. Michigan held the Spartans to just 94 total yards and 15 rushing yards. This has proven to be one of the best defenses in college football this season. It would’ve been nice to see the offense put a few more points on the scoreboard, but that’s just a minor detail. Michigan controls its own destiny and Jim Harbaugh doesn’t have to worry about “not winning the big one” for a few more weeks.
Penn State: B
After back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Michigan State, it would’ve been easier for Penn State to go into panic mode in a seesaw battle with Indiana. Special teams was critical for the Nittany Lions in the win, particularly late. Jonathan Thomas’ 94-yard kickoff return to set up a touchdown to give Penn State a late lead. A fumble recovery on a fumbled punt return set up another score. In the clutch moments, the Lions made plays. That’s something they’d lacked in the last two weeks.
Indiana: B-
Every week feels like Indiana is going to get over the hump. The Hoosiers have had hard fought battles with Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State but haven’t been able to come through. Three turnovers were too many when squaring off against an offense as explosive as Penn State. Indiana still registered over 500 yards of offense and gave the Nittany Lions a run for their money. There were just too many mistakes. Which has been a recurring problem in Bloomington.
Rutgers: C+
Considering how poorly Rutgers has played over the last six weeks, it was hard to imagine it would even be in contention to earn another victory this season. And yet, the Scarlet Knights had a chance to steal one from Northwestern. Rutgers was still awful offensively but it didn’t commit any turnovers and the defense kept Chris Ash and Co. within striking distance. It was another disappointing day in Piscataway, but at least it wasn’t a complete disaster.
Michigan State: D
Ninety-four yards in a rivalry game is not good. Rushing for only 15 yards is even worse. Michigan State’s offense was abysmal on Saturday and failed to get anything going against Michigan. Some slack can be cut for Brian Lewerke, who didn’t have his top receiver, Felton Davis III, for most of the game — and he won’t the rest of the season after an Achilles injury, which is a problem. It makes you wonder if the Spartans will be able to find any offense the rest of the way.
Ohio State: D-
The final score was lopsided and Ohio State played poorly, but the scoreboard wasn’t entirely reflective of Saturday’s game, which is why the Buckeyes receive a passing grade. Purdue added a few touchdowns on at the end when OSU looked like it wanted to pack up and go home. Urban Meyer has to find a running game and the secondary has to get a lot better. The Buckeyes still have plenty of time to prove they’re playoff contenders, but they also have a lot to clean up. And in a hurry.
Maryland: F
No points, 115 yards and seven first downs. Matt Canada’s offense just couldn’t get anything going against a stout Iowa front. The Terrapins’ struggles against ranked teams continues. It was just a two-score game until late in the third quarter, but it never really felt like Maryland had a chance, which is a credit to Iowa’s dominance defensively. The Terps’ offense is just too one-dimensional right now and it’s been ugly against some of the better teams on the schedule.
B1G West
Purdue: A+
Before long, Jeff Brohm is going to have his own statue outside Ross-Ade Stadium. Purdue’s offense was virtually unstoppable, amassing 539 yards and not having a single turnover in the game. It boosted the Boilermakers to their first win over a top two opponent since 1984. Purdue is one of the hottest teams in the B1G right now and is fully capable of competing with Iowa and Wisconsin in the B1G West race. The offense has to sustain this type of production to do so.
Nebraska: A+
Whether or not it was really an “A+” effort can be debated, but let’s not get too nitpicky. Nebraska won its first game of the season and did so scoring 53 points and totaling over 600 yards of offense against Minnesota. That’s good enough to earn a pretty high mark. There just aren’t enough good things to say about Adrian Martinez. He’s going to be extremely fun to watch in the future. First, let’s see if he can lead the Huskers to a few more wins now that the pressure of getting the first one is out of the way.
Iowa: A-
No, Iowa hasn’t played the best competition this season, but this defense is still pretty special. Holding Maryland to 115 yards in a shutout win is impressive, regardless of opponent. The Hawkeyes’ win was particularly impressive because they relied on a strong defensive effort and a solid rushing attack. In the previous two weeks, it had been the Nate Stanley show. Iowa rushed for 224 yards Saturday afternoon. Kirk Ferentz is proving he can beat teams in a variety of ways.
Wisconsin: B
Wisconsin had a nice bounce-back performance after an ugly weekend in Ann Arbor last Saturday. Alex Hornibrook still struggled throwing the football, but the snow globe-like conditions played a role in that. The Badgers reverted back to what they do well; running the football. 357 of the 545 yards came on the ground in the 49-20 victory. Now, the Badgers will travel to Evanston to take on Northwestern with the B1G West lead on the line.
Northwestern: D+
Ugly. Sloppy. Unwatchable. There are a lot of different words used that would fit the description of how awful Northwestern played Saturday against Rutgers. Yes, it was a win, but a three-point decision over Rutgers isn’t something to write home about. The Wildcats better figure something out offensively and quick. If it can’t figure out the way to run the football, at least in some capacity, Northwestern has zero chance of beating Wisconsin and keeping its lead in the West next week.
Illinois: D+
We’re passed the midway point of the season and Illinois looks like it’s running out of gas. The Illini looked so much better early in the season, but injuries, suspensions and departures leaves an already thin and young roster even thinner and younger. The Illini defense had no answer for the Wisconsin rushing attack. The offense was really bad, turning the ball over five times in the contest. Illinois just isn’t good enough to overcome those mistakes.
Minnesota: F
There haven’t been a lot of great performances in the P.J. Fleck era for Minnesota just yet, but Saturday may have been one of the worst. The Gophers surrendered over 600 yards and gave up 53 points against a winless Nebraska team. To put it simply, that’s bad. Aside from a better-than-expected performance against Ohio State last week, Minnesota has been abysmal since B1G play has kicked off. A team that looked like it might hit bowl eligibility will be lucky to get a single conference win this year.
Hall passes
Michigan defense: Holding your rival to under 100 total yards is pretty special. Michigan clearly owns one of the top defenses in the country and it looks better and better with each passing week.
Iowa defense: The first shutout since keeping Illinois scoreless in 2016. This was old school Iowa football, which even included a defensive touchdown. Not a bad day for the Hawkeyes.
Nebraska offense: Absolutely no doubt this time. Nebraska racked up over 600 yards and scored 53 points in a convincing win over Minnesota. Get used to this, because the Huskers are going to have a really potent offense once Scott Frost gets things rolling.
Purdue offense: There aren’t many better feelings than picking apart the defense of one of the top-ranked teams in the country. Purdue did exactly that. And did it from start to finish.
Detention
Michigan State offense: Mark Dantonio better figure something out, and quickly. MSU only needs two wins to clinch bowl eligibility, but it’s hard to say that’s a guarantee considering how poorly that unit has played.
Maryland offense: The Terps still can’t figure anything out against a decent defense. There really isn’t much more to say about that.
Ohio State defense: Rondale Moore is good, but the Buckeyes couldn’t allow the freshman receiver and running back D.J. Knox to get into a rhythm. Plus, David Blough dissected Ohio State’s secondary all evening.
Minnesota defense: You’re going to be on this list when you give up 600 yards and 53 points to a team that was 0-6. It’s pretty cut and dry.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB