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Big Ten Game Balls for the Week 9 slate are ready to be handed out! And, with Week 9 in the rearview, we can turn our attention to the official start of November next weekend.
This weekend, fans were treated to a major near-upset in Nebraska vs. Ohio State and an in-state rivalry showdown in the state of Michigan. Indiana, the wonder of the 2024 college football season, also continued its season with a strong showing against Washington.
Now, let’s get to some B1G Game Balls!
Rutgers at USC
- Rutgers: WR Dymere Miller. With Kyle Monangai mostly shut down by USC, Rutgers leaned into its passing attack more than usual It led to a big night for Miller as he led the Scarlet Knights with 11 catches for 131 yards. It was by far Miller’s best game of the season and his first with 100+ yards.
- USC: WR Makai Lemon: Lemon produced over 250 all-purpose yards in the win over Rutgers. He led the Trojans with 134 receiving yards and a touchdown on 4 catches while also recording 122 yards on kick returns. Lemon’s big plays were on display with an 80-yard return to his credit and a 70-yard reception.
Nebraska at Ohio State
- Nebraska: Edge Jimari Butler. Butler was a handful for Ohio State’s offensive line all game long. He finished tied for 2nd on the Huskers with 5 tackles but led the team with 3 TFLs and added an early sack to his tally.
- Ohio State: DB Jordan Hancock. This game was truly about Ohio State’s defense from start to finish. Hancock had 5 tackles but mainly gets the nod for a forced fumble and also ending the game with an interception off Dylan Raiola.
Washington at Indiana
- Washington: LB Alphonzo Tuputala. Washington had plenty of chances at tackles after Indiana went to a methodical ground-and-pound approach in the 2nd half. Tuputala did his best to get stops, leading the Huskies with 14 total tackles and a whopping 10 solo stops. He added a QB hit to his tally in the loss.
- Indiana: DB D’Angelo Ponds. This game for the Hoosiers started with a spark from the defense with Ponds delivering a pick-6 early on. It was just the start as Ponds would record a pair of interceptions to go with 5 tackles and half a TFL. It’s hard to take away from what Indiana’s offense is doing on a regular basis, but this one goes to the playmaking DB.
Illinois at Oregon
- Illinois: Edge Gabe Jacas. Truth be told, no one on Illinois looked very well on the road against the top-ranked Ducks. However, Jacas continued his prowess as a pass rusher with a sack and QB hit. That was truly the only pressure Illinois placed on Oregon all game long.
- Oregon: QB Dillon Gabriel. Oregon’s star QB can say he’s not interested in individual accolades, but he can’t run from his impressive individual performance against the Illini. He carved up the Illinois defense for 291 passing yards and 4 total touchdowns, leading the Ducks to 35 points in the first half. Gabriel is now 2nd on the NCAA’s all-time list for passing yardage and passing touchdowns.
Maryland at Minnesota
- Maryland: WR Tai Felton. It’s hard to find someone deserving after that kind of performance. However, we’ll go with Mr. Reliable, and that’s Felton who recorded 104 receiving yards on 9 catches. Felton is turning in a year to remember with his 6th game of the season with at least 9 catches and his 5th 100-yard game of the year.
- Minnesota: QB Max Brosmer. It’s hard to open a game better than Brosmer’s effort against Maryland. He threw 2 touchdowns in the first quarter and finished 26-for-33 for 320 yards and 4 touchdowns without a turnover against the Terrapins. Brosmer led the Gophers to a 5-for-5 performance in the red zone and over 440 yards of offense.
Northwestern at Iowa
- Northwestern: DB Theran Johnson. Northwestern’s offense was shut out, but the Wildcat defense managed to get on the board. That came via Johnson’s pick-6 off Cade McNamara to give the Wildcats a 7-5 lead until just before halftime.
- Iowa: WR Kaden Wetjen. At this point, I’m trying to find ways to not give a game ball to Kaleb Johnson on a weekly basis, but Wetjen deserves some praise. He actually led the Hawkeyes with 176 all-purpose yards from the return game, including an 85-yard punt return touchdown in the 3rd quarter. Wetjen punctuated the 28-point quarter as the Hawkeyes cruised to the blowout win.
Penn State at Wisconsin
- Penn State: QB Beau Pribula. There are a handful of Nittany Lions worthy here. But considering Pribula was tossed into the fire for the 2nd half, and the results he produced down he stretch, he gets the nod. After replacing Drew Allar, Pribula finished the game 11-for-13 for 98 yards and a touchdown to go with 28 yards rushing. If he has to start in place of Allar, those reps will be crucial moving forward.
- Wisconsin: DB Hunter Wohler. It was a tough night for Wisconsin without the offense doing enough to put more points on the board. As for Wohler, he led the Badgers with 11 total tackles (7 solo stops) and also recorded 26 yards on a pair of punt returns.
Michigan State at Michigan
- Michigan State: RB Nate Carter. With the ground game looming over the rivalry, Carter had his best game of the season with 118 rushing yards and a touchdown to go with 56 yards in the receiving game. Michigan State outrushing Michigan usually leads to good things in the rivalry. Unfortunately, some miscues left the Spartans on the wrong side of things this time around.
- Michigan: TE Colston Loveland. Michigan utilized a lot of variety to keep MSU off-balance. The common thread to the production all night long was Loveland. He led the Wolverines with 6 catches for 67 yards and caught a touchdown from 2 different players. His TD with 13:20 left in the game would solidify the eventual win.
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.