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Big Ten Game Balls for the Week 4 slate of action are ready to be handed out!
The weekend officially ushered in more conference action, starting with a Friday night showdown under the lights between Illinois and Nebraska. That game went to overtime, setting the tone for some great and dramatic finishes across the board in Week 4.
As for the marquee game of the weekend, USC at Michigan did not disappointing with those two programs going toe-to-toe down to the wire in Ann Arbor. Michigan State also played Boston College to the wire, though that game ended up in disappointing fashion for the Spartans with turnovers continuing to plague Jonathan Smith’s squad.
With that being said, let’s get to the game balls!
Illinois at Nebraska
- QB Luke Altmyer: It really is hard to overstate the kind of growth Altmyer has produced from last season. He was 21-for-27 for 215 yards and 4 touchdowns on the road Friday night. He did lose a fumble, but Altmyer is now up to 10 touchdowns on the year without an interception after throwing 10 picks a season ago.
Indiana
- RB Ty Son Lawton: Indiana scored 6 rushing touchdowns against Charlotte with 5 players scoring on the ground. Lawton gets the nod here for his 2 touchdowns while carrying the ball 7 times for 35 yards.
Iowa at Minnesota
- RB Kaleb Johnson: Who else? The nation’s leading rusher entering the weekend produced his best game of the season with 206 yards and a hat trick in the scoring department. Johnson’s 3rd touchdown of the game gave the Hawkeyes a lead they would not relinquish in the 3rd quarter vs. Minnesota.
Maryland
- WR Tai Felton: Felton has helped make life easier for Billy Edwards Jr. as the Terps move into life without Taulia Tagovailoa. The star receiver finished the win over Villanova with 14 catches for 157 yards and a touchdown, giving him 4 straight games with 100+ receiving yards. That’s a program record for consecutive games with 100 yards to open a season.
Michigan State
- K Jonathan Kim: Michigan State left plenty of opportunities on the field in the loss to Boston College, but Kim was money for the Spartans. He connected on all 5 of his kicks, including 4-for-4 on field goals with a 51-yarder. Kim gave the Spartans a 19-16 lead with a short kick with 4:12 left in the game, but the defense was unable to hold the lead.
Northwestern at Washington
- WR Denzel Boston: Washington used the Will Rogers-to-Boston connection for the first score of the B1G opener vs. Northwestern, and the Huskies used that connection throughout the game. Boston finished the night with career-high numbers after going for 7 catches, 121 yards and 2 touchdowns as Washington kept Northwestern on its heels all night long.
Penn State
- TE Tyler Warren: It’s hard to spotlight just one player after Penn State set the program record for yards in a game and scored 8 touchdowns from 8 different Nittany Lions. At the expense of not going with the obvious choice of Drew Allar, Warren deserves some love for his performance. Warren delivered a highlight-reel catch to go with 5 catches for 50 yards and a touchdown, and he also threw a 17-yard touchdown pass in the win.
Purdue
- RB Devin Mockobee: It’s been a tough season for the Boilermakers, but Mockobee delivered a solid showing with 168 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries vs. Oregon State. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to keep Purdue in the game on the road.
Rutgers
- DB Robert Longerbeam: Rutgers let Virginia Tech get back into the game on Saturday, but a late field goal and defensive stop provided the win. Longerbeam was the defensive star, leading the team in total tackles (7) and solo stops (4) while adding half a TFL and getting the game-sealing interception on VT’s final drive.
UCLA
- QB Ethan Garbers: The Bruins hung in there as well as they could have against LSU, facing a ranked SEC team on the road. Garbers was the main reason why after throwing for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns. All of UCLA’s scoring came in the first half, but it was a much needed sight to see after last week.
USC at Michigan
- DB Will Johnson: I know the offensive numbers on the ground stand out, but this game completely swung when Will Johnson took a 3rd-down pass from Miller Moss back to the house. That pick-6 was the difference in the game and allowed Michigan to maintain enough momentum after the Trojans were heating up in the 2nd half.
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.