Big Ten Football Week 12 Breakdown
The Big Ten continues to make noise in the media, but not in the light that they want. The Penn State scandal has been dominating ESPN and has overshadowed one of the most exciting years in the Big Ten. This week features some excellent games and all 12 teams in the Big Ten are competing against each other this week. This looks to be another outstanding Big Ten weekend.
Lock of the Week: Indiana at Michigan State
The Hoosiers have yet to win a Big Ten game as their sole win is over South Carolina State. This week does not get any easier for them, playing one of the Big Ten’s best teams on the road. Indiana has struggled to score and has been awful on defense. Indiana has recently started a new quarterback, freshman Tre Roberson, who has played pretty well. He has thrown three touchdowns but also has thrown three interceptions. He has completed 58 percent of his passes on the year. However through the air is not where he is most dangerous. It is his legs that make him a scary threat. He has scored twice on the ground and has rushed for 330 yards and will look to burn the Spartans defense with his rushing in this contest. However, the Spartans are one of the best teams in the Big Ten and have played great defense all year, only surrendering 16.5 points per battle. This defense will shut down the Hoosiers in all facets of the game.
The Spartans are led by a pair of sophomore linebackers, Max Bullough and Denicos Allen, who routinely make plays. Michigan State has an excellent defensive line and Allen and Bullough take every advantage of that. Bullough is their leading tackler, notching 25 solo tackles and tacking on 46 additional assisted tackles. He has also recorded two sacks and four solo tackles for a loss. Allen has led the team in sacks, tallying five solo sacks and two assisted sacks on the year. This destructive defense has held opponents down all season and Indiana will not be any different. The Spartans will not be happy just dominating on defense, however. Senior quarterback Kirk Cousins will make sure that the offense holds up their end of the bargain to make this game a blowout. The offense has been mediocre throughout the year, but has done most of their damage through the air. Look for the Spartans to go to the air early and often as they rack up points on Indiana. Michigan State will shut the door on the Hoosiers early and dismantle them throughout the game. Michigan State 37 Indiana 10
Upset Alert! Penn State at Ohio State
It seems like almost every week the Nittany Lions find themselves on upset alert, yet always seem to pull out a victory. Will the magic end with Joe Paterno gone? Can they overcome all the distractions and manage a big victory for their former head coach? Ohio State will do their best to make their lives miserable. The Buckeyes are 3 and 3 in the Big Ten, and looking to break the .500 barrier, so this is a big game for them. Penn State has been dealing with a ton of distractions off the field, but on the field they could also be looking ahead to the Badgers, which will be the game that decides who goes to the Big Ten championship game. If Penn State is looking ahead that will be a fatal mistake. Ohio State is coming off a terrible overtime loss to Purdue. The Buckeyes need to rebound in a big way and upsetting Penn State would be exactly what they need. Ohio State has been hanging in with every team because of their great defense, which only gives up 18.9 points per game. Their rushing attack has been stellar as well this year, averaging just over 200 yards per game. This attack is led by talented running back, senior Dan Herron and the dual threat quarterback Braxton Miller. These two will look to run wild on a stingy Penn State defense, which has only been giving up a measly 12.9 points per game, third best in the nation. The Nittany Lions defense is led by junior defensive back Gerald Hodges who has had a nose for the ball all year. He has recorded 46 solo tackles and tacked on 40 more assists. Penn State will look to control Ohio State defensively and score just enough to win. That’s a risky strategy and with all these distractions going on it’s even tougher to win.
Game of the Week: Nebraska at Michigan
This game features two teams with identical 8-2 overall records and 4-2 Big Ten records. Both teams boast outstanding rushing attacks, which are led by dangerous dual threat quarterbacks. These two players are explosive and well known, and whichever one plays better could be the difference in the game. The Wolverines attack ranks 11th in the nation in rushing yards per game at 235.9. Denard Robinson has led them on the ground scoring 12 times. He has also rushed for 864 yards and 5.7 yards per carry. The quarterback opposing him, Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez, has rushed for nine scores, 768 yards, and averages an impressive 5.0 yards per carry. When asked to throw the ball, both quarterbacks have made mistakes. Martinez has completed a respectable 57.7 percent of his passes so far this year and has thrown for 1,688 yards and ten touchdowns. In 2011 he has already thrown for more yards than he did a year ago and matched his touchdown output. Martinez has however thrown seven interceptions.
Robinson on the other hand, has completed 52 percent of his attempts for 1,611 yards and 13 scores to go along with 13 interceptions. Protecting the football will be his top priority in this contest. The Wolverines running game has also received a spark from sophomore Fitzgerald Toussaint. He is a very powerful runner and has averaged an excellent 5.9 yards per carry. He has scored five times and has rushed for 673 yards. The pair of Toussaint and Robinson lead this rushing attack and they will have to bring their A game against a physical Nebraska unit. The Cornhuskers running game, which ranks 13th in the nation with 232.7 yards per game, is sparked by a very physical and talented running back of their own. Junior Rex Burkhead has rushed for over 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns on the year. The key to this game will be limiting the damage done by the powerful ground and pound attack of each team. Both of these teams, when forced to pass, struggle. The Wolverines defense has the edge, at least in production this year, as they have only been giving up 15.5 points per game, good for 5th best in the nation. But the Wolverines have struggled against physical teams, giving up 28 to Michigan State and 24 to Iowa. The Wolverines will struggle against the physical Cornhuskers team, as Nebraska will go on the road and beat Michigan. Nebraska 31 Michigan 27
Best of the Rest! Wisconsin at Illinois
Illinois has fallen off the map as of late, completely falling apart after beating the Hoosiers in early October. Since then, the Fighting Illini have lost four straight games. As Illinois looks to end the skip at four, the Badgers are in control of their own destiny. If they win out they get a chance at redemption in the Big Ten Championship game. The Illinois offense has been doing them in so far this year as they have only scored 25 points per game, just 79th best in the nation. Their running game has been very good, ranking 38th in rush yards per game at 182.3. But they just do not score points. Penalties and turnovers have really haunted this team. The defense is doing all they can to help end the skid, giving up just 18.6 points per game, which is 12th nationally.
Illinois is led by Nathan Scheelhaase, who is a dual threat quarterback. He has thrown for 12 touchdowns and has tacked on six with his legs. A total of 1,857 of his yards have come through the air and 515 have been on the ground. His favorite target is clearly senior A.J. Jenkins, who has caught 76 passes, seven for touchdowns. Expect the Badgers to be keying on him when Illinois turns to the aerial assault. Illinois’ outstanding defense will face by far their biggest test of the season in the Badgers offense. Wisconsin has dominated opponents on offense, scoring 46.5 points per game. Their rushing attack, as always, has been the key to their success. They average 250.1 yards per game on the ground. This potent attack is led by junior stud Montee Ball. He has rushed for 1,242 yards and has scored a ridiculous 23 rushing touchdowns. He has also scored four times catching the ball and has even thrown a touchdown! If the Badgers win out and go to the Rose Bowl, this guy could be a Heisman sleeper. Look for Wisconsin to roll over Illinois in this contest, as Montee Ball adds a few scores and Russell Wilson shines. Badgers 47 Illinois 23
Iowa at Purdue
Iowa is 6-4 on the year and Purdue is 5-5. However, the Boilermakers are coming off their biggest win of the year, toppling Ohio State in overtime. Purdue hangs their hat on their ground game, like so many other Big Ten schools. Their attack ranks 47th in the nation in yards per game at 170.3. They use a pair of talented junior halfbacks, Ralph Bolden and Akeem Shavers. Bolden has received the bulk of the carries with 120 for 549 yards. Shavers has crossed the end zone more however, rushing for six scores. Bolden has hit pay dirt four times on the year. Iowa is coming off a loss at home to Michigan State and looking to rebound. Unlike Purdue, Iowa does most of its offensive damage through the air. Quarterback James Vandenberg is the man, throwing for 2,351 yards and 20 scores. He will need to have a big day for Iowa to win this game. Marvin McNutt continues to prove he is one of the elite receivers in the Big Ten as he is over 1,000 yards and has reeled in 10 touchdowns. Iowa will win this game through the air, as Purdue will just not have enough to keep up. Iowa 27 Purdue 20
Minnesota at Northwestern
The Golden Gophers are sitting at 2-8 overall and 1-5 in the Big Ten. But give them credit; they will not just lay down for any opponent to whip them. At the very least they will put up a fight for as long as they can. This game will be no different. Minnesota will rely heavily on junior Marquesis Gray, who is their leading passer and rusher. He has thrown for 1,286 yards and seven scores to go along with 639 yards and three scores on the ground. This game features an interesting quarterback battle. Opposing Gray is the ultra exciting and talented Dan Persa. He has thrown for 1,702 yards and 13 scores. If the game comes down to quarterback play, Northwestern has a distinctive advantage, but do not overlook Gray, who is quietly having a good year for a poor team. However, the balanced offense of Northwestern, which averages 30.9 points per contest, will be too much for Minnesota to overcome. The fans will be cheering loud and proud for their beloved Persa and he will please them with a big game. Northwestern 31 Minnesota 24
Lock of the Week: 11-1
Game of the Week: 7-4
Week 12 Football Breakdown Page
