Big Ten Game balls are ready to be dished out for Week 5!

The weekend brought with it a full slate of league games, and the B1G slate did not disappoint. Illinois fell from the ranks of the unbeatens while Rutgers, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon all emerged unscathed.

Michigan and Nebraska also secured wins, though there is plenty to be concerned about with those teams after what we saw. So, without further ado, let’s get right into the game balls!

Washington at Rutgers

  • Rutgers: RB Kyle Monangai. Monangai is racking up game balls this season, and for good reason. In a game without a turnover, Monangai led the Scarlet Knights with 132 yards and a touchdown to power Rutgers to a 4-0 start to the season. With this win, Rutgers will get a chance to punch bowl eligibility before we get to November.
  • Washington: LB Carson Bruener. In a game that saw Washington miss 3 kicks and fail to convert on 2 4th downs, the defense allowed the Huskies to still have a chance in the 4th quarter. Bruener was the leader of that unit with a team-high 9 tackles on 4 solo stops, his highest output of the season.

Minnesota at Michigan

  • Minnesota: DB Koi Perich. Minnesota’s prize true freshman, Perich has been the main return man for the Gophers. He finished the game vs. Michigan with 108 return yards, including 82 yards and a key 60-yard pickup in punt returns. That gain helped set up a crucial touchdown in the 4th quarter.
  • Michigan: DT Mason Graham. The Wolverine defense had Minnesota locked down tight until allowing 21 points in the 4th quarter. The star of the defensive effort was Graham after delivering 4 tackles, 2 sacks and a QB hit and terrorizing the middle of the offensive line. He was the kind of matchup nightmare Michigan can lean on in the middle.

Nebraska at Purdue

  • Nebraska: WR Jacory Barney Jr. Listed as a receiver, Barney is a jack of all trades for the Husker offense. Against Purdue, he recorded 2 catches for 28 yards but was also the team’s leading rusher for Week 5. Barney recorded 66 yards on 4 carries, and his touchdown with just over 6 minutes left effectively iced the game for the Huskers.
  • Purdue: P Keelan Crimmins. With neither offense clicking for much of the game, Crimmins was called on to punt 6 times for an average of 43 yards per punt. That allowed Purdue to force Nebraska to travel most of the field all afternoon with an average start of their own 32-yard line for the Huskers.

Maryland at Indiana

  • Maryland: RB Roman Hemby. Maryland’s star RB delivered his best game of the season with 117 yards and a 75-yard touchdown on the ground to go with 48 yards receiving and another touchdown in the loss to Indiana. It was Hemby’s first game with 100+ yards on the season to go with his first of the season with multiple touchdowns.
  • Indiana: RB Ty Son Lawton. Indiana has been rotating Lawton and Justice Ellison in the backfield, but it was Lawton who led the team with 19 carries for 93 yards and a touchdown vs. Maryland. (He also added 2 catches for 18 yards.) His touchdown also came with 4 minutes left in the game to solidify the win.

Wisconsin at USC

  • Wisconsin: WR Vinny Anthony II. Anthony gave Wisconsin some big plays early — and late — against USC. He led the Badgers with 70 receiving yards and a touchdown on 3 catches and also produced 92 yards on kick returns, including a 74-yard return that gave Wisconsin great field position.
  • USC: WR Ja’Kobi Lane. There is a clear caveat with this game ball: USC’s game ball could just about go to Miller Moss on a weekly basis, and Week 5 was no different. (Moss had 4 total touchdowns in the Trojan win.) However, Lane has developed into a go-to target for the offense, and he shined with 10 catches for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Ohio State at Michigan State

  • Ohio State: WR Jeremiah Smith. Ohio State’s stud freshman has scored in every game of the season thus far, and he turned in a second 2-TD game this season against the Spartans. Smith scored from 19 yards out on his first rushing TD of his career, and he followed that up with a pair of one-handed grabs with a touchdown on a drive late in the first half. The freshman ended the game with 101 yards of offense.
  • Michigan State: LB Jordan Turner. Turner came up with some key plays for Michigan State early in the game and led the Spartans with 9 total tackles and 6 solo stops to go with half a TFL and an interception. Unfortunately, the Buckeyes eventually overpowered the Spartans. But it would have been even more lopsided without Turner’s contributions.

Illinois at Penn State

  • Illinois: DB Matthew Bailey. In a game that saw Illinois struggle to get rolling offensively, the defense kept the team in the game all night long on the road in a hostile environment. Bailey was the leader of that unit with 9 total tackles (3 solo stops).
  • Penn State: LB Abdul Carter. In Penn State’s biggest game of the season to date, Carter was a terrorizing force. He led the Nittany Lion defense with 1.5 sacks and 3.5 TFLs while the team finished with 7 sacks and 13 TFLs against Illinois. Carter also contributed 7 total tackles (3 solo), a pass breakup and a forced fumble.

Oregon at UCLA

  • Oregon: RB Jordan James. James had a season-high 103 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries vs. UCLA. The star RB now has at least 86 rushing yards in every game of the season and is averaging 6 yards per carry for the Ducks.
  • UCLA: DB Bryan Addison. Addison had a key performance with 8 total tackles and 7 solo stops, the 2nd-best marks on the Bruins vs. Oregon. However, he also added a 96-yard pick-6 just before halftime that gave UCLA a bit of life.