Week 4 in the Big Ten saw Michigan spoil USC’s B1G debut, and the Wolverines essentially did so without a passing game.

How long can the defending national champions continue with such struggles through the air?

Let’s check in on each Big Ten QB heading into Week 5:

18. Jack Lausch, Northwestern

Lausch had a disastrous outing in the Wildcats’ road loss to Washington. He was just 8-of-27 for 53 yards with 2 interceptions. The Wildcats are on a bye this week and need to get healthy and figure out their offensive identity. In their 2 games against Power 4 teams (Duke and Washington), they have been held under 300 yards of total offense each outing.

17. Ethan Garbers, UCLA

In a 34-17 loss to LSU, Garbers passed for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns, but he also lost a fumble in the first half and was intercepted in the second. However, DeShaun Foster’s squad responded well after its 42-13 home loss to Indiana a week earlier. The Bruins stood tough with the Tigers for over a half of play. It could serve as a building block for the team as it gets back into B1G play.

16. Braedyn Locke, Wisconsin

The Badgers enjoyed a bye this past week after their 42-10 home loss to Alabama. Locke and Co. open Big Ten play this week at USC. With Tyler Van Dyke out for the year, this is now Locke’s show. Against the Crimson Tide, he went 13-for-26 for 125 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown to Will Pauling.

15. Hudson Card, Purdue

In a 38-21 loss at Oregon State last week, Card’s first attempt — a swing pass — was intercepted by Oregon State linebacker Zakaih Saez and returned 20 yards for a touchdown. He completed just 7 passes for 56 yards in the loss. The Boilermakers host Nebraska this week, and they are going to need much more production through the air. Their run defense is a major issue heading into Big Ten play as well. They allowed 362 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns to Notre Dame, and Oregon State gained 341 of its 445 total yards on the ground with 4 scores.

14. Alex Orji, Michigan

The Wolverines have an offensive identity: They are going to ground and pound you, as senior running back Kalel Mullings showed last week in the comeback win over USC. The problem is they finished with only 32 passing yards, their fewest in a game since 1987, as Orji made his first start and was 7-for-12 through the air. But he is a big part of the rushing attack, as he had 43 yards on the ground. For better or worse, Mullings is going to be the centerpiece of the offense, with Orji operating the run-heavy attack. But can he develop as a passer over the course of the season?

13. Aidan Chiles, Michigan State

Chiles led Michigan State into Boston College territory on a potential game-winning drive, but he was picked off by Max Tucker at the back of the end zone before the Eagles ran out the rest of the clock for the win last week. The Oregon State transfer was just 17 of 35 for 241 yards, and he also threw 3 interceptions. His decision making must improve, and he has a very difficult test this week as Sparty hosts Ohio State Saturday night.

12. Cade McNamara, Iowa

McNamara had an erratic game in a 31-14 win over Minnesota last week. He finished 11-for- 19 for just 62 yards and had trouble finding any sort of rhythm. The Hawkeyes relied on the legs of Kaleb Johnson, who rushed for a career-high 206 yards and 3 touchdowns. They topped 200-plus rushing yards for the 4th straight game, the longest streak for the program since 2013. But a much more prolific outing will be needed from McNamara if Iowa will have any chance in its next game at Ohio State on Oct. 5. The Hawkeyes last won at Ohio Stadium in 1991.

11. Max Brosmer, Minnesota

In a loss to rival Iowa, the 6th-year transfer from New Hampshire went 17-of-26 for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns before halftime. He gives Gophers coach PJ Fleck his best passing attack since arriving in 2017, but Brosmer will face a difficult test this week at Michigan, which has not hosted the Gophers since a 33-10 win in 2017.

10. Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers

In a 26-23 win over former Big East foe Virginia Tech, Kaliakmanis completed a 63-yard screen pass to Ian Strong that led to the game-winning field goal after the Hokies had tied it at 23. It was a great play call by Scarlet Knights offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca, who is overseeing a balanced unit. The Scarlet Knights host Washington Friday.

9. Billy Edwards Jr., Maryland

Edwards Jr. completed 28-of-32 passes for a career-high 328 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 38-20 victory over Villanova last week. His favorite target, Tai Felton, caught 14 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown and Maryland scored on its first 4 drives. Edwards could see himself in a shootout this week when the Terps travel to take on Indiana.

8. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska

Raiola is coming off a disappointing overtime home loss to Illinois, and the Cornhuskers have now lost 25 straight games to Top 25 teams since 2016. He passed for 297 yards and 3 touchdowns and was intercepted once. Jahmal Banks caught eight balls for 94 yards and Isaiah Neyor had 4 catches for 90 yards and two scores. But the team’s overtime possession was a mess, as Raiola was sacked 3 times, including on fourth down to end the game. The Huskers next play at Purdue Saturday.

7. Will Rogers, Washington

Rogers threw a pair of first-half touchdowns to Denzel Boston in Washington’s 24-5 win over Northwestern last week. He finished 20-of-28 passing for 223 yards, while Boston had 7 catches for a career-high 121 yards. The Huskies next play at Rutgers on Friday night.

6. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana

First-year coach Curt Cignetti has the Hoosiers cooking behind an explosive offense led by Rourke, who is proving to be one of the best transfer portal additions in the country. IU won its first 4 games by an average margin of 41 points, and its Ohio transfer quarterback is a big reason for its success. In the Hoosiers’ last game, he completed 16-of-20 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown in a 52-14 victory over Charlotte. Rourke has a QBR of 92.4 and has thrown 8 touchdowns without an interception. Next up is a home game against Maryland with a chance to start 5-0 for the first time since 1967.

5. Will Howard, Ohio State

The Buckeyes routed Marshall 49-14 last week, scoring 4 touchdowns of 40 yards or more to tie their most in a game over the past 20 seasons. Howard threw for 275 yards and contributed 2 TD passes. Howard is surrounded by a bevy of playmakers, including Emeka Egbuka, Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson and Jeremiah Smith, among others. The Buckeyes next play Michigan State in East Lansing on Saturday night.

4. Miller Moss, USC

The Trojans were unable to put away Michigan at the Big House, delivering a 3-and-out on offense with the lead, and the defense wilted as the Wolverines went on a long go-ahead drive to win. After being down 14-3 at the half, Moss battled and threw a season-high 3 touchdowns. However, he threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown and was just 28-of-51 passing.

3. Luke Altmyer, Illinois

The Fighting Illini are off to their first 4-0 start since 2011, and Altmyer is a big reason for the success. In their thrilling overtime win at Nebraska last week, he had 4 touchdown passes and only 6 incompletions. Offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. has put Altmyer in position to be successful, and another big test awaits this week as the Illini travel to Happy Valley looking for yet another win over a Top 25 team.

2. Drew Allar, Penn State

The Nittany Lions overwhelmed Kent State last week, jumping out to a 28-0 lead behind Allar and a stout defense. Penn State set a team record with 718 yards, a mark that had stood since 1926 (711 yards). Allar had 250 passing yards in the first half and completed 17-of-21 passes for 309 yards and 4 touchdowns before giving way to backup Beau Pribula.

1. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon

The Ducks enjoyed a bye last week, which probably came at the right time for Dan Lanning’s team as it heads into Big Ten play. In his last start at Oregon State, Gabriel looked much more comfortable, throwing for 290 yards and 2 touchdowns. He is surrounded by a plethora of weapons, and the offense isn’t even in total sync yet. The sky’s the limit.