Big Ten roundup: Ohio State favored by 16 against Wisconsin
A roundup of Saturday's Big Ten football games from The Associated Press:
Wisconsin (5-0, 2-0) at No. 9 Ohio State (4-1, 2-0), 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
Line: Ohio State by 16. Series Record: Ohio State leads 52-17-5. Last Meeting: 2008, Ohio State 20-17.What's at Stake Wisconsin feels slighted, since it remains unranked despite being unbeaten. Thirteen teams with losses, including Ohio State, are in the AP Top 25. The Buckeyes hope to stretch a three-game winning streak.
Key Matchup Wisconsin RB John Clay and Ohio State's defensive line. Clay, with 248 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame, leads the Big Ten in rushing. Ohio State's defense, led by linemen Doug Worthington, Todd Denlinger, Thaddeus Gibson and Cameron Heyward, is No. 1 in the conference against the run. Something's gotta give.
Players to Watch Wisconsin: QB Scott Tolzien must handle the pressure and be accurate with throws when he's rolling out. TE Garrett Graham could be a valuable relief valve for Tolzien when he's in trouble. DE O'Brien Schofield needs to get in the OSU backfield and LBs Mike Taylor, Culmer St. Jean and Jaevery McFadden must prevent big plays. Ohio State: QB Terrelle Pryor is coming off one of his best games (222 yards of offense at Indiana) and needs to take another step forward. TB Brandon Saine had his first 100-yard rushing game.
Facts & Figures This game is almost a carbon copy of the 2008 game, with Ohio State coming in with only a loss to USC and unbeaten in the Big Ten and the Badgers overlooked but unbeaten. ... Wisconsin has won three of the last four meetings in Ohio Stadium, including wins in 1999 and 2001. ... The Badgers' are plus-5 in turnover margin, which leads the Big Ten. ... Ohio State's defense ranks among the top 15 in the nation in four categories: scoring defense (8th), total defense (9th), rushing defense (10th) and pass-efficiency defense (15th).
Michigan State (2-3) vs. Illinois (1-3), Noon (Big Ten Network) Line: Michigan State by 4½. Series Record: Michigan State leads 23-17-2. Last meeting: 2006, Illinois 23-20.
What's at Stake With last week's overtime win over Michigan, Michigan State is 1-1 in the Big Ten. A win over Illinois and a remaining schedule that includes Northwestern, Minnesota, Western Michigan and Purdue could see the Spartans through to the postseason. An Illinois loss will have the already unhappy fans in Champaign checking their basketball schedules and sizing up replacements for coach Ron Zook.
Key Matchup Illinois QB Eddie McGee vs. MSU LBs Greg Jones and Eric Gordon. McGee, a redshirt junior, gets his first start at Illinois after Zook benched ineffective senior Juice Williams. McGee likes to run, and has made big plays in regular relief of Williams. Jones leads the Big Ten in tackles and Gordon had eight tackles and a sack last week.
Players to Watch Michigan State: QBs Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol. They combined for 220 passing yards and 83 yards on the ground against Michigan. Illinois' defense, meanwhile, is last in the Big Ten against the run — giving up 183.8 yards a game — and seventh against the pass, surrendering 234 yards per game. Illinois: WR Arrelious Benn. If McGee can find him, Benn is fast and athletic, catching balls he shouldn't and running for big yards in the open field. But he has only 10 catches for 138 yards and no TDs this season. The Spartans' pass defense is the worst in the conference, giving up 244 yards a game and a dozen touchdowns through five games.
Facts & Figures Michigan State has won nine of the last 10 games between the teams, including five straight in Champaign. ... Spartans linebacker Greg Jones is second in the country in tackles with 12 per game. ... Michigan State gave up just 28 yards rushing last week in its win over Michigan. ... Illinois' 2006 win ended a nine-game losing streak to Michigan State and was Zook's first Big Ten win. ... Illinois has been outscored in the third quarter this season 41-7.
No. 12 Iowa (5-0) vs. Michigan (4-1), 8:12 p.m. (ABC) Line: Iowa by 8 Series Record: Michigan 40-10-4 Last Meeting: 2006, Michigan 20-6
What's at Stake Iowa followed up a huge win over at Penn State with a lackluster home performance against Arkansas State. Michigan still hasn't proven it can be a factor in the Big Ten race after barely beating Indiana and falling at Michigan State last week. A win here would change that.
Key Matchup Michigan QB Tate Forcier vs. Iowa's defense. As good as the Hawkeyes D has been so far, they've been burned at times by quarterbacks who can keep plays alive with their feet. The Wolverines will likely struggle to run the ball against Iowa's formidable front seven, but Forcier's playmaking ability could neutralize that.
Players to Watch Michigan: DE Brandon Graham. If the Iowa offensive line doesn't improve, expect Graham to be in quarterback Ricky Stanzi's face all night. Graham ranks second in the nation in tackles for loss. Iowa: RBs Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher. The freshmen duo has combined for 628 yards and six touchdowns this season. With cold, windy conditions in the forecast, Iowa would love to control the game on the ground.
Facts & Figures Michigan has won 11 of its last 13 night games. ... Iowa has allowed its opponents to score on their opening possession once in its last 18 games. ... Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz isn't a big fan of deferring to the second half. The Hawkeyes have started 109 of 128 games on offense under Ferentz.
Eastern Illinois (4-1, 2-1) at No. 14 Penn State (4-1, 1-1), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN Classic) Line: No line. Series record: First meeting.
What's at Stake FCS school Eastern Illinois gets a $450,000 payday to fill out Penn State's weak nonconference schedule. The banged-up Nittany Lions hope to avoid more injuries, and a big early lead against a lower-division foe could get young reserves valuable playing time.
Key Matchup Eastern Illinois QB Jake Christensen vs. Penn State defense. Christensen, a transfer from Iowa, shouldn't be shellshocked about playing at massive Beaver Stadium. But there's a significant talent gap between the Hawkeyes and the Panthers, especially going up against the Nittany Lions' stingy D.
Players to Watch Eastern Illinois: Christensen. He's thrown for 11 touchdowns and 1,090 yards and completed 65 percent of his passes with just three interceptions this season. Penn State: QB Kevin Newsome. A game that has the makings of a blowout could allow coach Joe Paterno to lift star starter Daryll Clark early and give freshman backup and heir-apparent Newsome some experience.
Facts & Figures Penn State LB Sean Lee will sit out a third straight game as he recovers from a left knee sprain. ... The Panthers' Bob Spoo has coached at Eastern Illinois since 1987, the fifth-longest tenure in Division I. Paterno tops the list, with a record 44 years as the lead Nittany Lion. ... Besides Christensen, Eastern Illinois also features another former Big Ten player in RB Jimmy Potempa, a transfer from Michigan. ... The Panthers' O'Brien Field seats about 10,000 — or less than one-tenth the seating capacity of Beaver Stadium (107,282).
Miami, Ohio (0-5, 0-2 MAC) at Northwestern (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten), noon Line: Northwestern by 20 1-2. Series Record: Miami leads 6-2, including 6-1 in Evanston. Last Meeting: 2006. Northwestern won 21-3
What's at Stake Miami wants a win for first-year head coach Michael Haywood after a tough early-season schedule that included games against Kentucky and Top 10 teams Boise State and Cincinnati. The RedHawks are playing on the road for the fifth time. Northwestern's stirring 27-21 comeback win over Purdue last week — the Wildcats trailed by 18 in the second quarter before forcing six turnovers — has turned around their season after back-to-back losses to Syracuse and Minnesota. They need to keep the momentum going in their final non-conference game.
Key Matchup Northwestern's defense against Miami's offense. The Wildcats held Purdue to 62 yards rushing last week. And Miami QB Zac Dysert will have to be mobile after being sacked 10 times by Cincinnati.
Players to Watch Miami: At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Dysert is built like another former RedHawks QB — Ben Roethlisberger. In the loss to Cincinnati last week, Dysert was 33 of 47 for 286 yards. In his two starts, he's averaging 311.5 passing yards. Northwestern: PK Stefan Demos, who fueled the comeback win over Purdue with four field goals last week. He is 8-for-8 on the season.
Indiana (3-2) at Virginia (1-3), 3:30 p.m. Line: Virginia by 7. Series Record: First meeting.
What's at Stake After turning some heads with three consecutive victories to start the season, Indiana has lost two straight, both in the Big Ten, and is looking to right the ship. Virginia started with three losses in a row, leading the increased speculation about Al Groh's future as coach, but has played better each week, is coming off a win and looks to keep it going.
Key Matchup Virginia's offensive line against Indiana's defense. The Hoosiers had three sacks in their home loss to Ohio State last week and have two proven pass rushers in senior DEs Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton. Virginia QB Jameel Sewell has been sacked 16 times in his last three games even thought the Cavaliers have four returning OL starters.
Players to Watch Indiana: Tandon Doss has made wreaking havoc on defenses part of his weekly routine, whether by catching the ball, running it or on kick returns. He's been the Hoosiers' leading receiver in all five games and is third in the Big Ten with 131.4 yards per game. Virginia: Vic Hall. The Cavaliers starting quarterback in their opener before he was sidelined by a hip injury, Hall returned to action last week against North Carolina and played wide receiver, quarterback, safety and was the holder on placement kicks.
Facts & Figures Only one other Big Ten team has played at Scott Stadium. Penn State lost 20-14 there in 2001. ... This is the only scheduled meeting between teams from the Big Ten and ACC this season. ... Mikell Simpson's 100 rushing yards last week marked the first time this season a Virginia runner has reached the plateau. ... Hoosier QB Ben Chappell's favorite player in Brett Favre, and he plays the same kind of game in one respect: his passing yardage average, almost 231 yards, is higher than his total offense average, almost 223.
Purdue (1-4, 0-1) at Minnesota (3-2, 1-1), noon Line: Minnesota by 3½. Series Record: Minnesota leads 32-30-3. Last Meeting: 2008, Minnesota, 17-6.
What's at Stake Purdue: Boilermakers have done nothing but lose since opening season with 52-31 win over Toledo. This is the first road game in the Big Ten for Purdue and just its second game away from Ross-Ade Stadium this season. Boilermakers have lost four in a row by a combined 18 points. The Golden Gophers will try to bounce back from a deflating home loss to rival Wisconsin last week. A loss here would drop them to .500 on the season with visits to Penn State and Ohio State in the next two weeks.
Key Matchup Purdue WR Keith Smith vs. Minnesota WR Eric Decker. Decker is the only reliable weapon the Gophers have on offense. Despite being the target of opposing defenses every week, he leads the Big Ten with 8.6 catches per game and 127.8 yards receiving per game. Smith has caught a pass in 17 straight games, and is second to Decker in the Big Ten with 7.0 catches per game and third in the conference with 91.8 yards receiving per game.
Players to Watch Purdue: RB Ralph Bolden. He is second in the Big Ten, averaging 108.2 yards rushing per game. Small and shifty, he will give the Gophers a much different look than Wisconsin bruiser John Clay, who rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns last week at TCF Bank Stadium. Minnesota: C Trey Davis. The sophomore is taking over for senior Jeff Tow-Arnett, one of the most trusted leaders on the offense. Tow-Arnett's career ended last week when he broke his leg against the Badgers. Davis started five games as a freshman.