Big Ten Game Balls for the Week 10 slate are ready to be handed out!

This week, we saw one of the remaining undefeated teams fall by the wayside with Penn State’s loss to Ohio State. It was a much-needed jolt for the Buckeyes though the Nittany Lions are not out of things yet with just one loss to their tally.

As for Oregon, the No. 1 team in the country, the Ducks lived up to their status by flexing their muscle in an Ann Arbor beatdown of Michigan. The status of Tez Johnson, injured early in the game, will be something to monitor.

Indiana also remained unbeaten as the Hoosiers received a big boost from the return of QB Kurtis Rourke. He threw for 4 touchdowns and was back to his efficient ways in a blowout of Michigan State.

With that in mind, let’s get to the B1G Game Balls:

Minnesota at Illinois

  • Minnesota: RB Darius Taylor. Minnesota’s formula is pretty simple: Get Taylor to 100 yards of offense. Saturday’s win moved the Gophers to 5-0 this season when their star RB eclipses that number. He finished with 131 yards on the ground and averaged 6 yards per carry while also leading the team with 9 catches.
  • Illinois: WR Zakhari Franklin. Illinois dealt with some self-inflicted wounds, but it was a 4th-quarter score by Franklin that kept the team in this one to the final drive of the game. He tied with Pat Bryant for the team lead with 5 catches and went for 71 yards in the loss.

Northwestern at Purdue

  • Northwestern: RB Joseph Himon II. The sophomore had his most productive and efficient game of the season, rushing for 78 yards and scoring a 51-yard touchdown in a big first half for the Wildcats. He was also there at the end, scoring a walk-off touchdown in overtime on a 22-yard pass from Jack Lausch.
  • Purdue: DB Antonio Stevens. Stevens had a crucial interception and also finished 3rd on the team with 7 total tackles.

Ohio State at Penn State

  • Ohio State: OL Donovan Jackson. This one could go to the entire Ohio State o-line for the way they responded in this one after struggling vs. Nebraska. But Jackson deserves the spotlight. A stalwart at guard and future NFL Draft pick at the position, Jackson moved outside to left tackle in a major spot of need for the Buckeyes. Based on what we saw vs. PSU, it’s likely the Buckeyes need Jackson there down the stretch before he focuses on an NFL Career at guard.
  • Penn State: Edge Abdul Carter. Big-time players make big-time plays, and Carter delivered in this one. He finished with 2 sacks (4 total tackles) against the Buckeyes and was a menace anytime Ohio State dropped back to pass.

Indiana at Michigan State

  • Indiana: DL Mikail Kamara. It’s hard to not acknowledge the return of QB Kurtis Rourke who had 4 touchdowns, but Kamara was a true game-wrecker against the Spartans. He led a dominant IU defense with 2.5 sacks and 4.5 TFLs while finishing 2nd with 7 total tackles. As a unit, the Hoosier defense registered 7 sacks and 15 TFLs.
  • Michigan State: WR Nick Marsh. It’s hard to find a bright spot in this performance. However, Marsh scored the only touchdown for the Spartans with an early acrobatic score via a connection with Aidan Chiles. Marsh also finished with team-high numbers with 5 catches for 78 yards.

Oregon at Michigan

  • Oregon: WR Traeshon Holden. Oregon was without Tez Johnson early in this one, and his ultimate status moving forward is still TBD. With Johnson out, Holden stepped up to lead the Ducks with 6 catches for 149 yards, averaging just under 25 yards per catch. Even if Johnson returns quickly, Holden can help ease the load on Oregon’s top receiver with that kind of outing.
  • Michigan: TE Colston Loveland. If Michigan was going to beat Oregon, the Wolverines needed the defense to wreak havoc. That didn’t happen with the Ducks holding Michigan’s elite defensive front without a sack in a dominant performance. However, Loveland continues to be a matchup problem for every team he faces, finishing with 7 catches for 112 yards.

UCLA at Nebraska

  • UCLA: LB Kain Medrano. With UCLA going +2 in turnover margin, Medrano came up with his 2nd career interception. He finished it off with his first career pick-6 coming out of halftime to keep the momentum squarely in favor of the Bruins. Medrano also finished 2nd on UCLA with 6 tackles.
  • Nebraska: DL Ty Robinson. It’s unlikely any Nebraska player really wants to remember their performance in this one. However, Robinson was a leader defensively with 4 total tackles. Robinson had 1 of Nebraska’s 2 sacks and also led the team with 2 TFLs.

USC at Washington

  • USC: WR Zachariah Branch. In addition to serving as USC’s star punt returner, Branch had his best game as a receiver Saturday night. He recorded his first 100-yard game as a Trojan and finished with 102 yards while tying his season high with 6 catches.
  • Washington: LB Carson Bruener. Washington rode a +3 turnover margin to the win over USC, and Bruener recorded 2 of those takeaways via interceptions. He also led the Huskies with 12 total tackles and produced 2 pass breakups. Bruener was undoubtedly the star of the show as Washington used 2 defensive stands late to secure the win.

Wisconsin at Iowa

  • Wisconsin: LB Christian Alliegro. There was not a lot to hang your hat on from that kind of performance by the Badgers, but Alliegro was a star defensively. He led all players with 16 tackles to go with a sack and 1.5 TFLs.
  • Iowa: RB Kaleb Johnson. It’s hard to go with anyone else this season when Johnson routinely morphs into Superman for the offense. The star RB turned in yet another hat trick, giving him his 4th game of the season with 3 touchdowns. Johnson now has multiple touchdowns in 7 of his 9 games this season.