Week 3 in the Big Ten saw Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel excel in the Ducks’ blowout win over rival Oregon State, while Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke continued to show he was one of the best transfer additions of the offseason.

We also saw a couple of quarterback benchings and a major injury.

Let’s check in on each Big Ten QB heading into Week 4:

18. Ethan Garbers, UCLA

The Bruins were dominated by Indiana 42-13 in their Big Ten debut. Garbers threw for 137 yards and an interception, and things don’t get any easier with games against LSU, Oregon and Penn State coming up. Garbers, who completed 14-of-23 passes, struggled under pressure from the IU defense. The Hoosiers sacked him twice, and he too often held onto the ball too long. The Hoosiers just wouldn’t let the UCLA offense get into any kind of rhythm.

17. Alex Orji, Michigan

Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore announced Monday ahead of their Big Ten opener that Orji will replace senior Davis Warren, a former walk-on, as the starting QB against No. 11 USC. Warren is averaging just 148 passing yards per game and has thrown only 2 touchdowns with 6 interceptions in 3 games this season. He had 3 picks in the win this past weekend over Arkansas State. Meanwhile, Orji has only thrown 6 passes and has 10 carries, averaging 5.8 yards per rush. His dual-threat ability will be a sight for sore eyes for this offense.

16. Braedyn Locke, Wisconsin

Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke will miss the rest of the season, per The Wisconsin State Journal, after sustaining a torn ACL in his right knee during Saturday’s 42-10 loss to Alabama. It’s a big blow to the Badgers, who saw redshirt sophomore Locke replace Van Dyke in the game and complete 13-of-26 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. The Badgers have a bye this week and next play Sept. 28 at No. 11 USC.

15. Hudson Card, Purdue

The Boilermakers were smashed at home by Notre Dame, 66-7, for the most lopsided loss in their 137-year history. Purdue finished with 162 yards of total offense. Card was 11-of-24 passing for 124 yards and a touchdown with 2 interceptions. Not a great look coming off a bye. The Boilermakers will now make their first road trip of the season to play Oregon State.

14. Jack Lausch, Northwestern

After Mike Wright struggled to consistently move the ball for the Wildcats through the first 2 games, coach David Braun turned to Lausch. After a slow start, Lausch threw for 227 yards and his first 2 collegiate touchdowns to help the Wildcats put away Eastern Illinois 31-7. The Chicago native and redshirt sophomore finished 20-of-31 passing after connecting on just 4 of his first 13. His 3-yard toss to AJ Henning late in the third quarter was Northwestern’s first passing TD this season. Lausch also rushed for 62 yards, all in the first half. He made a big difference for this offense.

13. Cade McNamara, Iowa

McNamara was 19-of-23 passing for 176 yards as Iowa rallied in the second half for a 38-21 win over Troy. During one stretch, he had 9 consecutive completions. The Hawkeyes’ offense wore down the Trojans in the second half, but can the unit be more consistent week to week?

12. Aidan Chiles, Michigan State

Chiles ran for a touchdown and threw for another in Michigan State’s 40-0 win over FCS foe Prairie View A&M last week. The Spartans scored on 3 of their first 4 possessions. They are 3-0 for the first time since 2021. MSU travels to Boston College for a primetime matchup Saturday night.

11. Max Brosmer, Minnesota

In a 27-0 win over Nevada 27-0, Brosmer finished 16-of-26 for 191 yards and a touchdown as the Gophers averaged 6.66 yards per play. Brosmer has been a real breath of fresh air for a Gophers squad that has traditionally been pretty run heavy under PJ Fleck, who has made it known that he wants the pass to set up the run.

10. Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers

Rutgers, fresh off a bye week after starting out 2-0, will hit the road for the first time and take on former Big East member Virginia Tech this week. IKaliakmanis had back-to-back games with 3 scoring passes. He is a key cog to a team that could surprise in the new B1G because of its schedule.

9. Billy Edwards Jr., Maryland

Edwards Jr. threw for a touchdown and ran for another to help visiting Maryland beat Virginia 27-13. After an uneven first half, Edwards settled in and hit star receiver Tai Felton on several key plays to help the Terrapins bounce back from their loss to Michigan State the previous week.

8. Luke Altmyer, Illinois

In a 30-9 win over Central Michigan, Altmyer threw for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns, both to Pat Bryant. The Fighting Illini are 3-0 for the first time since 2011. They will need to clean things up, though, as they hit the road the next 2 weeks to play No. 22 Nebraska and No. 8 Penn State.

7. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana

Rourke passed for 307 yards and 4 touchdowns in Indiana’s emphatic 42-13 victory over UCLA to spoil the Big Ten debut of the Bruins. The 29-point victory was the largest in the Big Ten for the Hoosiers since they beat Northwestern 34-3 in 2019. Rourke has been one of the best transfer portal additions of the offseason. He completed 25-of-33 passes and was 9-for-9 for 128 yards on 3rd down. It was the 10th 300-yard game of his career.

6. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska

The 5-star true freshman passed for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Cornhuskers continued their best start since 2016 with a 34-3 win over Northern Iowa last week. They scored on 5 of their first 6 possessions against the FCS Panthers. Raiola threw for 209 yards in the first half and completed 13 of his first 14 passes, including 11 in a row. He finished 17-for-23 before turning things over to Heinrich Haarberg midway through the fourth quarter.

5. Will Rogers, Washington

Rogers threw for 314 yards and a touchdown, but the Huskies had to settle for too many field goals in a 24-19 loss to rival Washington State in the Apple Cup. The Huskies were called for 16 penalties, which were the 3rd-most in program history, for 135 yards. Many were defensive penalties that kept drives alive for the Cougars. The Huskies open Big Ten play by hosting Northwestern this week.

4. Will Howard, Ohio State

The Buckeyes enjoyed a bye last week and host Marshall on Saturday. Howard has shown off his dual-threat ability in 2 wins thus far. As he gets more familiar with Chip Kelly’s offense and the weapons around him, expect him to become even more lethal.

3. Miller Moss, USC

The Trojans had a bye week and are set to visit Michigan in their Big Ten debut. Since last season’s Holiday Bowl, Moss has proven he’s the real deal. Expect the fireworks to continue in this offense.

2. Drew Allar, Penn State

The Nittany Lions were off last week and will host Kent State this Saturday. Thus far, James Franklin’s hiring of Andy Kotelnicki as the new offensive coordinator has paid dividends. It looks like Allar is going to have a lot of opportunities to make big plays under the new OC.

1. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon

Gabriel threw for 291 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran for 64 yards with another score to lead Oregon to a 49-14 win over Oregon State in the Civil War last Saturday. After a couple of underwhelming victories over Idaho and Boise State, the Ducks relied on their ground game with 240 rushing yards and compiled 546 total yards. Gabriel completed 20 of 24 passes and had a 54-yard scoring run.