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Big Ten Game Balls for Week 7 are ready to be dished out — and what a week it was!
Across the B1G, we had just 7 games on the docket with 4 teams hitting bye weeks, but the action did not disappoint. The weekend included 2 overtime matchups, another decided by one point and another that came down to a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
This was also the first weekend where the new landscape of the B1G was heavily featured with 4 total games between teams separated by at least 2 time zones. The results are intriguing, to say the least, but the action throughout has been dynamic so far this season.
The action will only get tighter as we barrel into the middle of October. For now, here are the Week 7 B1G Game Balls!
Northwestern at Maryland
- Northwestern: DB Damon Walters. The Wildcats forced 4 turnovers on Friday night, and Walters was a big part of that. Despite not recording a tackle from his DB position, Walters came up with an interception, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. That was a major performance in the first B1G win of the season for Northwestern.
- Maryland: LB Kellan Wyatt. There were not many bright spots for the Terrapins in this one. This one goes out to Wyatt who had 3 tackles, half a sack and a team-high 1.5 TFLs.
Washington at Iowa
- Washington: QB Demond Williams Jr. There should not be any type of QB controversy because the 2-QB system has mostly worked well for Washington. But Williams looked solid with a 12-for-16 passing performance for 71 yards and a late touchdown while also picking up 23 yards on the ground. Considering the defense was gashed and the Husky regulars held in check, Williams is the right call here.
- Iowa: RB Kaleb Johnson. It’s hard to not keep throwing love at Johnson. He delivered his 2nd game of 3 touchdowns in the rout of Washington and averaged 7.9 yards per carry with 166 total rushing yards. He also had 22 yards in the passing game and led the Hawkeyes with 3 total catches.
Wisconsin at Rutgers
- Wisconsin: RB Tawee Walker. It sure looks like Wisconsin has found its workhorse running back. Since Chez Mellusi’s decision to step away from the team due to rehab concerns, Walker has scored 3 touchdowns in back-to-back games. Against Rutgers, Walker rushed for an incredible 198 yards and averaged 8.3 yards per carry against a traditionally tough rushing defense.
- Rutgers: P Jakob Anderson. Considering the struggles of the Scarlet Knights, Anderson had arguably the most productive afternoon of any player. He punted 9 times but still managed to record an average of 44.1 yards per punt. He delivered a 61-yarder for his longest of the afternoon while dropping 3 inside the 20 to keep the Badgers backed up.
Penn State at USC
- Penn State TE Tyler Warren. Do we need an explanation here? At the very least, it needs to be pointed out again that Warren set Penn State’s single-game program record with 17 catches against USC. If that’s not enough, he delivered the first 200-yard receiving game for a Nittany Lion TE and lined up at TE, WR, RB, QB and center in a performance of supreme versatility.
- USC: RB Woody Marks. While Marks did not score a touchdown vs. Penn State, he was the most productive back on the same field as Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, and that’s saying something. Marks finished with 111 rushing yards on 5.6 yards per carry and eclipsed 150 yards from scrimmage with 2 catches for 44 yards.
Purdue at Illinois
- Purdue: QB Ryan Browne. It’s hard to describe what truly went down in Champaign today. After 3 points before halftime, Browne led the Boilermakers to 46 points across the 2nd half and overtime. He threw for 297 yards and 3 touchdowns while also leading Purdue with 118 rushing yards in his first career start. Unfortunately, the rally fell just short on a 2-point conversion for the win in OT.
- Illinois: RB Josh McCray. With Kaden Feagin out this weekend, McCray stepped into the lead RB role for the Illini. He shined with 3 total touchdowns, including 2 on the ground, with 124 total yards of offense. It was a game of wild circumstances for Illinois, but McCray kept the team balanced all game long.
Ohio State at Oregon
- Ohio State: DB Caleb Downs. Ohio State was able to deliver pressure at times up front against Dillon Gabriel but could not get a sack in the game. However, Downs did record 8 tackles with a TFL and 2 pass breakups in the secondary. Ohio State had some good moments defensively but could not come up with the big stop late.
- Oregon: WR Evan Stewart. No disrespect to Dillon Gabriel or Jordan James, key players who performed the way the Ducks need on a regular basis. But in this game, it was Stewart who stepped up with Ohio State focusing on Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden getting ejected early on. Stewart’s breakout performance consisted of 7 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown, helping Oregon grab the momentum in the 2nd quarter of the game and making catches late.
Minnesota at UCLA
- Minnesota: DL Anthony Smith. In another low-scoring affair, Minnesota’s defense kept the Gophers in the game all night long. Smith was the leader of that unit, delivering 4 tackles, a sack and leading the Gophers with 2.5 TFL. The pressure generated also led to 2 interceptions thrown by Ethan Garbers.
- UCLA: LB Carson Schwesinger. It’s hard to describe how impactful Schwesinger was against Minnesota. He led the Bruins with 12 total tackles and a remarkable 11 solo stops. He also led the Bruins with 2 sacks and 4.5 TFLs, finishing the game with 39 yards lost on his tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Schwesinger did his best to wreck the Gophers, and it nearly led to an upset Saturday night.
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.