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10 things I’m absolutely overreacting to after Week 7 in the B1G

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Garbage.

That’s what littered the field at Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium on Saturday evening. It is also the proper word to describe the actions of Volunteer fans attending Lane Kiffin’s return to Knoxville. And, quite frankly, there was a part of me that was happy with how the game ended between Ole Miss and Tennessee.

After witnessing the scene, Tennessee fans didn’t deserve to see their team win. My apologies to the players — who had nothing to do with the ridiculousness that ensued after a bad spot near the end of the game.

Give me a moment to climb off my soapbox…

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s move on to the B1G, shall we? Even though three of the conference’s five ranked teams were off on Saturday, there was still a high entertainment value in Week 7.

David Bell went off against Iowa again. Northwestern found a way to get its first conference victory. Wisconsin and Indiana are still very bad offensively.

There’s a lot to dissect as we speed past the halfway point of the season.

For whom the Bell tolls

David Bell did it again.

For a third consecutive season, the Purdue wide receiver confused, mystified and utterly bamboozled one of the best secondary units in the country. He didn’t just have a big game, Bell was dominant in his performance. He caught 11 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown in the Boilermakers’ 24-7 upset win.

In 3 games against the Hawkeyes, Bell has 37 catches for 558 yards and 5 touchdowns, averaging 15.1 yards per reception. I don’t know what the records are for a single receiver’s success against one specific opponent — and quite frankly I’m working on a deadline and have no interest in looking it up right now — but this has to be up there.

Kirk Ferentz and Phil Parker are probably glad they’re not going to see Bell on the field again (assuming he’s off to the NFL). Otherwise, they might have to invest in an actual bell to ring in order to call off the fight.

Do not pass go…

Look, I’m not here to call out the security guy at Huntington Bank Stadium for doing his job … but I’m absolutely going to call out the security guy at Huntington Bank Stadium for doing his job.

In case you missed it, Scott Frost was asked to present credentials while he was walking onto the field before Nebraska’s game against Minnesota. His response was both epic and hilarious:

The best part of that? The security guy yelling, “Still need a credential,” making it very clear that he does not give one single damn about name or status. He’s checking those credentials come hell or high water.

In all seriousness, shouldn’t there be some sort of quiz for this? Every B1G head coach is pretty recognizable, right? I mean, they’re names and photos are pretty easily accessible in 2021.

P.J. Fleck gets the last laugh

On Friday afternoon, Nebraska fans had quite a bit of fun on Twitter dot com with the Minnesota head coach. Hundreds, maybe even thousands (I didn’t count), of tweets were fired off teasing Fleck in a fun showing of Huskers unity.

It was all pretty harmless. Or maybe it was done out of hate. Perhaps a combination?

Either way, the result was that Fleck’s name was trending on Twitter and some news outlets wrote stories on the topic. But the fun did not last long in Husker Land.

Fleck got the last laugh, with Minnesota taking down Nebraska 30-23. The leader of the Golden Gophers was so happy, he nearly beat up some police officer and then had a word with Adrian Martinez, insisting that he warn Husker fans about any future tomfoolery.

OK, maybe that wasn’t what the conversation was about, but Fleck absolutely put a hurtin’ on the security guy.

Where’s Schiano?

One of the weirdest things happened before Rutgers took the field against Northwestern on Saturday. After giving a few players what appeared to be a pretty inspiring speech, Greg Schiano just disappeared. Like, literally.

Literally probably isn’t the best word usage, but that did appear to be the case thanks to the specific camera angle. It looked like Schiano just disappeared into the mysterious air at Ryan Field before kickoff.

It immediately sent my mind to the Where’s Waldo? books, as well as Cal Naughton Jr.’s nickname in Talladega Nights — Magic Man. Now you see him, now you don’t.

All joking aside, where did he actually go? I know there is a reasonable explanation but I’ve also watched this clip more times than I’d like to admit and still cannot figure it out.

Please help. I was never very good at those Where’s Waldo books, anyway.

Nobody in the B1G plays anybody, apparently

We’re all exhausted from hearing certain analysts on ESPN rip the B1G. I would let it go, but I’m not the bigger man. I will not let this go.

David Pollack was railing against the B1G on College GameDay again this weekend. When the pregame show started discussing the top teams in the league, he played a few of the classic hits. You know, that the B1G never plays anyone?

“I think all of those teams are good,” Pollack said about literally every team in the B1G except Ohio State. “I don’t think they’d be ranked where they’re at if they played stiff competition.”

Just tell us what that criteria of “stiff competition” is, or is there even an answer to that question?

Back off, LSU

Ed Orgeron’s job security is in serious jeopardy. Mel Tucker has Michigan State off to a 7-0 start in his second season in East Lansing. LSU remembers how well it worked out the last time it poached the head coach in East Lansing.

Yes, it’s true, at least according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman. He reported that important decision-makers at LSU think pretty highly of Tucker and would be interested in bringing him to Baton Rouge if a change is made.

As a fan of Tucker’s intensity and attitude in the B1G, I’m telling the Tigers to back off! There’s already enough personality in the SEC.

Tuck ain’t comin’ to LSU.

Once it hits your lips!

Purdue offensive lineman Greg Long was responsible for one of the greatest moments in college football history: Chugging a beer while on the field in full uniform in the middle of an upset win over No. 2 Iowa.

Put it on a poster. Make it into a statue. Find a way to include it on the entrance video. You’re smart, Purdue, figure something out to make this image a permanent part of Boilermaker football lore.

It’s a pretty nice photo, after all.

As a consumer of Bud Lights, I can confirm they are quite tasty. As Frank Ricard from Old School would say after partaking in a beer bong, “It’s so good! Once it hits your lips!”

It’s probably even better after an upset victory over Iowa.

 

1 is the loneliest number

Indiana has played 3 B1G games, equating to 6 halves, 12 quarters and 180 minutes. The Hoosiers have scored exactly 1 touchdown in those games.

That, in itself, is pretty sad. There’s actually something that makes that number even sadder.

IU’s offense has actually thrown 3 pick-sixes this fall, which means opposing defenses in the B1G have scored 2 more touchdowns that the entire Hoosiers’ squad.

Do you maybe understand why Indiana is 2-4?

UConn do it

When Al Michaels exclaimed, “Do you believe in miracles?!” you didn’t realize he was talking about UConn’s football program. Folks, believe it or not, the Huskies have won a game of American football for the first time since 2019, snapping an 11-game losing streak.

It was scary at times, but UConn defeated Yale 21-15 to get its first win of the season. You’d think Yale would be a little smarter than putting a hungry Huskies team on the schedule.

Slots! slots! slots! slots! slots! slots!

There’s a new favorite prop in college football. It should come as absolutely no surprise at all that it’s located in Las Vegas.

UNLV has placed a giant slot machine on its sideline, pulling the lever anytime the Rebels score a touchdown or force a turnover. It’s truly one of the most creative props we’ve seen since the introduction of Miami’s Turnover Chain.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB