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Maryland football (4-2) entered this week with a chance to make up for its crushing loss to then-No. 5 Iowa with a matchup against the No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes.
However, Maryland suffered its second loss of the season in a 66-17 rout in Columbus, Ohio.
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and the rest of the Ohio State offense shredded the injury-riddled Maryland defense and cruised to a win after totaling nearly 600 total offensive yards. The Terps have a much-needed bye week coming up and will look to get healthy before their matchup with Minnesota on Oct. 23.
The Big Ten experienced no upsets this week, so instead of listing an upset game of the week, we’ll be recapping the Big Ten game of the week. Let’s see how the Big Ten fared in Week Six.
Big Ten East
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall | Weekend Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall | Weekend Outcome |
| Michigan | 3-0 | 6-0 | W, 32-29, Nebraska |
| Michigan State | 3-0 | 6-0 | W, 31-13, Rutgers |
| Ohio State | 3-0 | 5-1 | W, 66-17, Maryland |
| Penn State | 2-1 | 5-1 | L, 23-20, Iowa |
| Maryland | 1-2 | 4-2 | L, 66-17, Ohio State |
| Indiana | 0-2 | 2-3 | BYE |
| Rutgers | 0-3 | 3-3 | L, 31-13, Michigan State |
Big Ten West
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Weekend Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Weekend Outcome |
| Iowa | 3-0 | 6-0 | W, 23-20, Penn State |
| Minnesota | 1-1 | 3-2 | BYE |
| Purdue | 1-1 | 3-2 | BYE |
| Wisconsin | 1-2 | 2-3 | W, 24-0, Illinois |
| Illinois | 1-3 | 2-5 | L, 24-0, Wisconsin |
| Nebraska | 1-3 | 3-4 | W, 32-29, Nebraska |
| Northwestern | 0-2 | 2-3 | BYE |
Game of the week: No. 4 Penn State at No. 3 Iowa
It was a classic, hard-fought Big Ten matchup between Penn State and Iowa, two of the top teams in the country, on Saturday afternoon
The Iowa offense got out to a slow start and Penn State was able to take advantage early on, as the Nittany Lions jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter. However, Penn State suffered a major blow to its hopes in the second quarter.
After stretching the lead to 17-3 in the second frame, Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford exited the game with an injury and was unable to return. Clifford was replaced by redshirt sophomore Ta’Quan Roberson, and Iowa’s stout defense took advantage of the young quarterback.
Roberson really struggled to move the ball all game, finishing 7-for-21 for 34 yards and two interceptions.
The Hawkeyes were able to find the end zone once in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 17-10 at the half. The two teams traded field goals in the third quarter before Iowa knocked in another field goal to make it a 20-16 game with just over eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.
After the Iowa defense came up with a big stop, quarterback Spencer Petras was able to find wide receiver Nico Ragaini for a 44-yard touchdown, sealing a 23-20 Iowa victory.
Surprise game: No. 11 Michigan State at Rutgers
Michigan State went on the road and dominated a Rutgers team that isn’t nearly as bad as advertised. Rutgers played a close game at home against Michigan earlier this season, a big reason it entered this game as just four-point underdogs.
The Spartans came out firing, as quarterback Payton Thorne found wide receiver Jalen Nailor for a 63-yard touchdown in the opening quarter. Nailor was dominant for the Spartans as he continues to emerge as one of the best wide receivers in college football. He finished the game with five catches for 221 yards and a whopping three touchdowns.
Running back Kenneth Walker III also continues to run all over his opponents, as he finished with 28 carries for 223 yards and one touchdown. Walker broke the game open with a 94-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, the longest play from scrimmage in Michigan State history.
Nailor and Walker are becoming game-changers and that duo is making the Spartans an extremely dangerous team. Thorne also played one of his best games, completing 16 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns en route to the Spartans’ win.
Michigan State went on to win this one 31-13, moving to 6-0 on the season.
Statement game: No. 9 Michigan at Nebraska
This game initially looked like a potential trap game for Michigan, as it entered the game as slight favorites and on top of that, Nebraska has been playing well as of late.
The game got off to a slow start, and then Michigan scored 13 points in the second quarter off of two field goals and a Hassan Haskins touchdown run. Haskins had a great game for the Wolverines, racking up 21 carries for 123 yards and two touchdowns. The teams headed into the half with a score of 13-0 in favor of Michigan.
The Cornhuskers’ offense came out firing in the third quarter, scoring immediately on a 46-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Adrian Martinez. The quarterback has shown an impressive skill set and built on that this weekend. He finished with 291 yards, four total touchdowns and one interception.
Nebraska went on to take the lead before the start of the final quarter, outscoring Michigan 22-6 in the third frame in an attempt to pull off the upset.
Michigan answered with a touchdown, but Nebraska wouldn’t back down either. Martinez found the end zone from five yards out and Nebraska took back a 29-26 lead with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. Michigan went on to kick two field goals in the final three minutes of the game, securing a 32-29 road win over the Cornhuskers on the road.
The Wolverines now move to 6-0 as they enter a bye week and Michigan is now cruising under head coach Jim Harbaugh.