The Monday Mull Over: Party Like It's 1987
Welcome to the first Monday Mull Over. This is a weekly segment that will quickly review each of the past weeks games from the Big Ten, Iowa State... and Notre Dame. These reviews will give you insight into player performance and team form that may help you make decisions on which teams to pick in the future. Here we go!
Indiana vs Penn State:
Result: IU 36 - Penn State 35.
What a game! Penn State jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after an opening drive that saw Sean Clifford look like the All-Big Ten quarterback most analysts predicted him to be. The drive ended with a Clifford pass to All-American and future NFL first rounder Pat Freiermuth for the touchdown. The rest of the half however was a sloppy mixture of turnovers and penalties but would eventually see Indiana take a 17-7 lead into the break following two Stevie Scott touchdowns. The third quarter saw only one Penn State touchdown and after that, the fireworks began. with IU up 20-14 and 2:30 to play, Sean Clifford found a WIDE OPEN Jahan Dotson for a 57 yard touchdown strike to put the Nittany Lions up 21-20. Following a 4 and out by Indiana at their own 20 yard line and 1:24 to play, Penn State running back Devyn Ford accidently ran the ball into the end zone for a score instead of falling short to run out the clock. This was complete coaching idiocy by James Franklin to run the ball instead of taking a knee to run the clock out. Down 28-20 IU had to drive the length of the field and get the 2-point conversion to force OT. Dual Threat quarterback Micheal Penix (who may be the second best QB in the East) did just that by way of a QB sneak with 22 seconds left. He would scramble for the 2-point conversion and tie the game at 28. Indiana almost Hoosiered it up after the kicker miss hit a squib ten yards giving PSU the ball at the 50 with 20 seconds left. PSU would just miss a 57 yard field goal as the two teams headed to overtime.
OT: Penn state started with the ball and after a Clifford run for 12 followed by a beautiful scramble and throw to Parker Washington, the Lions took a 35-28 lead. This should have been the end for the Hoosiers. They have multiple Pulitzer Awards when it comes to writing the "Take the lead against a top 10 team into the fourth and find a way to blow it" novel. But not this time, not in 2020. After a touchdown pass from Penix to one of the best names in college football in Whop Philyor, (rivaled only by Big Kat Bryant from Auburn) the Hoosiers had a decision to make. Would Tom Allen force a second OT or go for two? Well, Allen reached into the closet, got the largest pair of 2020 cargo pants he could find, with enough pockets to fill all the bravado and Big Dick energy he was exuding towards the PSU sideline, and went for it. This is what happened...
This was the first win for the Hoosiers over a top 10 team since 1987. Bloomington broke out all the Whitney Houston and Hysteria music they could find and and it was rumored Tom Allen sang "Pour Some Sugar On Me" for so long and with such sincerity that crimson and cream flavored candies fell from the sky causing Bloomington to celebrate Halloween a week early.
Take Away:
Indiana may have the best skill position talent alongside Ohio State, Purdue, and Minnesota in the league. Penn State will be fine. They actually outgained IU 488 yards- 211. Unforced errors are to blame for their playoff elimination.
Michigan State vs Rutgers:
Result: RUTGERS 38 - Michigan State 27
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Take Away:This game made me so happy. Rutgers had lost 21 STRAIGHT BIG TEN GAMES! And the game they won to start that streak was Maryland so that doesn't even count! Knowing that Spartan fans have to deal with this for the rest of history should make us all feel very warm inside. I'm sure we will all be receiving invitations to Devin Bush's celebration party any day now. Next to Nebraska, well, way down the line from Nebraska, Michigan State is the team I cant stand! Even with that sniveling rat of a coach Mark Dantonio gone my skin still crawls any time I hear a Spartan fan yell the conference’s dumbest chant. It's the only damn one they say the whole game! "Go Green. Go White." You would think at a state university there would be more ingenuitive thinking when it comes to cheers right? What's even funnier is the fact that the chant is 10 times more creative then the Spartan offense! Rocky Lombardi is the farthest thing from what his last name may suggest he is. Although he does live up to his first name by making every Big Ten front four look like Apollo Creed as they land haymaker after haymaker on the poor dude. But in all seriousness I think this Rutgers team may be for real. Nebraska transfer Noah Vedral at QB is a God send and along with Wisconsin receiver transfer Aaron Cruikshank on the outside and returning kicks, the Scarlet Knights have some legitimate fire power. On defense, they are anchored by two Michigan D-line transfers in Michael Dwumford and Arron Lewis, as well as Ohio State safety transfer Brandon White. Mix actual talent with the only coach ever to win at Rutgers in Greg Schiano and they may have something brewing in New Jersey.
Ohio State vs Nebraska
Result: Ohio State 52 - Nebraska 17
Kevin Warren sat down to watch this game in his finest scarlet and grey Arabian silk robe, his best vintage Macallan 25 Scotch Whiskey in hand, and the fattest stogie he could find whilst grinning ear to ear. I can hear him saying to himself, "well Nebraska, you wanted it... now your going to take it."
The game went as everyone not in Husker red knew it would. Justin Fields did Justin Fields things with a "pedestrian" 20/21 for 276 and two TDs. Meanwhile Nebraska (after the opening scripted 10 plays all programs have) looked lifeless on offense. Offensive genius Scott Frost continues to trot out Adrian Martinez game after game with the only wrinkle coming when he used a two QB system of Dylan Mcaffery and Martinez. This genius plan which has worked soooooo well for any team that has done it in the past produced a whopping 155 pass yards. The only offense of any kind for Nebraska came from Dedrick Mills at RB which I hate to admit, actually looked good.
Take Away:
Ohio State is still Ohio State but I will say that this is the first time I have seen them struggle to move the line of scrimmage on offense. Nebby is not a good run stopping team so the Buckeyes were not hurt in this game but after watching Kwity Paye and Michigan on Saturday, we should expect a little urgency from Ryan Day to try and fix the issue. As for Nebraska, keep doing what your doing boys, I'm loving it!
Wisconsin vs Illinois
Result: Wisconsin 45 - Illinois 7
Well it was a shitty night for the rest of the Big Ten West as it watched Wisconsin roll to a victory in a game I actually thought would be pretty tight. Freshman sensation QB Graham Mertz, who spurned Nick Saban and Alabama to become the highest rated QB recruit Wisconsin has ever had, looked like Russel Wilson on Friday. He began the game completing his first 17 passes tying a program record and finished 20/21 for 248 yards and 5 Touchdowns! An Illinois defense that statistically speaking, was extremly stout last season and has been on the rise ever since Lovie Smith showed up in Champaign, looked flummoxed by a Badger offense that can now run and pass the ball. The Illini lost star middle linebacker Jake Hanson to a concussion early but it hardly mattered as the offense never scored against the Badgers D.
Take Away:
Great. As an Iowa fan the only thing I've been able to hang my hat on the last 10 years when we play Wisconsin is the fact that at the QB position it seems as though Paul Chryst drives to the nearest dairy farm (inset PJ Fleck saying "I would have ran"), grabs whoever is milking the teats that day and tells them, "I need you to hand the ball off this Saturday for me and the great state of Wisconsin". Add an actual quarterback to a monstrous offensive line that features a dude with a deer tattoo and you are going to have some problems on defense.
Northwestern vs Maryland
Result: Northwestern 43 - Maryland 3
All you need to take away from this game is that IU Grad-transfer quarterback Peyton Ramsey is all Pat Fitzgerald and Northwestern needed. Northwestern scored 43 points against somewhat of a Big Ten team on Saturday. Lets compare those 43 points to last years squad who had the worst statistical offense the Big Ten has ever had. Seriously look it up, it was literally THE worst in the 124 year history of the league. Last year, Northwestern didn't reach a TOTAL of 43 points in conference play until they're 7TH league game! Sure it was Maryland on Saturday but Northwestern's usual stingy defense is back and they may just have a leader at signal caller.
Take Away:
When betting on Northwestern games expect them all to be close again with last year being an outlier. Peyton Ramsey looks like the reincarnation of Clayton Thorson and as a Hawkeye fan I could not be more pissed/scared than I am right now if that's the case. Maryland has Tua's younger brother at quarterback and an ok basketball program.
Iowa vs Purdue
Result: Iowa 20 - Purdue 24
Welp, since all of us except Ethan picked the Hawkeyes to cover on Saturday I say, "welcome to the nonsensical world of being a Hawkeye fan". I should have known that after NASA landed a rover on an asteroid for six seconds last week that the nerds over at Purdue were not going to be denied in this one. Jeff Brohm was out with Covid, the best receiver in football, Rondale Moore, was hurt along with King Dorue at running back for the Boilers and the Hawkeyes still managed to piss this one away. First year sophomore starter Spencer Petras was...ok... but did himself no favors by sporting the grossest red beard I've ever seen.
Purdues Barstool account was all over him comparing him to Steve the Pirate from Dodgeball, in which case give me Steve because that scallywag has a cannon for an arm. The Hawkeyes gave this one away with 10 penalties for 100 yards and two fumbles deep in Purdue territory. One of the fumbles was even caused when right guard Cole Banwart Punched the ball out of running back Tyler Goodsons hands himself...😑
Take Away:
It will be interesting to see how much all of the national disruption to everyday life hurts a a team built upon being structured and discipline like the Hawkeyes are. The 100 yards of penalties sure look like the disruptions are playing a factor as Kirk Ferentz squads are usually one of the least penalized teams in the country. Purdue on the other hand is also difficult to project moving forward. Wide receiver David Bell is the second best wide-out in the Big Ten only because his counter part in Moore is the best in the USA! The defense is sub par so the Boilers season will rest on whether or not former walk-on Aiden O'Connel can get his two studs the ball.
Michigan vs Minnesota
Result: Michigan 49 - PJ Fleck and his misshapen canoe 24
Joe Milton is the real deal. It surprised me to learn this week that Joe Milton is the first QB that Harbaugh recruited from high school and started a game for Michigan. Milton went 15/22 for 225 with a touchdown as well as 8 carries for 52 yards and another score. Milton, who has drawn many Cam Newton comparisons in the past may not be at the level of Cam, but he is more than enough to give the wolverines a shot at the Big Ten crown. This game featured an incredibly balanced Wolverine offense that accumulated 225 yards through the air and 222 on the ground. Minnesota and all of its unwarranted preseason hype had absolutely no answer on defense or offense as Kwity Paye (who I think is one of if not the best defensive player in the Big Ten) and the rest of Michigan's defense teed off on Tanner Morgan in a game that was over by halftime.
Take Away:
Michigan looked darn good. Don Brown catches a lot of heat for getting burned by teams that have the receiver personnel to shred man coverage. Even though I loathe Minnesota, the Gilded Rodents have plenty of quality receivers and Michigan locked them down. Tanner Morgan still had a couple of his stat padding "heave it up and pray" plays but Michigan absolutely squashed PJ Fleck and the Gophers. As mentioned before, if Joe Milton plays with the poise he showed on ABC Saturday night, this may finally be the Wolverines year.
Notre Dame vs Pittsburgh
Result: Notre Dame 45 - Pitt 3
Take Away:
I thought Pitt would cover on the basis of they always play ND close. That being said, it should not be overlooked that the Irish squashed an otherwise mediocre Pitt team. The offense and Ian Book found the rhythm they were missing the previous week against Louisville as well as finding a possible big play wide-out in Northwestern Grad-transfer Ben Skowronek. ND's ground game did its usual thing and Brian Kelly should feel at least a semblance of relief after the offense showed improvement. ND must still tighten the screws across the board before they host Clemson in two weeks.
Iowa State vs Oklahoma State
Result: Iowa State 21 - Oklahoma State 24
As a former Cyclone I saw this coming. the only positive was the back door cover when Brock Purdy found Xavier Hutchinson with 22 seconds to go to cover the +3.5. This was the annual road stinker of a game the Cyclones give us every year. The usually strong defense was mediocre, Big Cock Brock was getting turf tossed all game and Mike Gundy and his damn Mullet won another game for One America News.
Take Away:
Iowa State still controls its own destiny in the completely laughable race to the Big 12 title game where we will get two incredibly ordinary teams running up and down the field on each other in Dallas with the nearest defense being the security system surrounding Jerry Jones' Mansion to which only Blake knows the code. For Oklahoma State, all I can say is “I hate Mike Gundy”.
Well there you have it, the first ever Monday Mull Over is in the books. I may have to rethink the structure of this because that took longer than expected. Remember, tune in Wednesday for each league members player profile. Until then, be merry, enjoy a drink, and giggle at the fact that the last name of Iowa States kicker is "Ass"alley.✊
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