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Maryland football is now eligible for a bowl game in 2021. After dominating Rutgers 40-16 on the road, Maryland finally captured its sixth win of the season to officially clinch bowl eligibility.
Maryland was anchored by quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who was spectacular in the win and became the Terps' all-time single-season passing yards leader after his performance.
The Terps entered the game as 1.5-point underdogs but were able to dominate Rutgers in every facet of the football game, earning them the surprise game of the week.
Let’s take a look at how the Big Ten fared this past weekend.
Big Ten East
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall | Weekend Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall | Weekend Outcome |
| Michigan | 8-1 | 11-1 | W, 42-27, Ohio State |
| Ohio State | 8-1 | 10-2 | L, 42-27, Michigan |
| Michigan State | 7-2 | 10-2 | W, 30-27, Penn State |
| Penn State | 4-5 | 7-5 | L, 30-27, Michigan State |
| Maryland | 3-6 | 6-6 | W, 40-16, Rutgers |
| Rutgers | 2-7 | 5-7 | L, 40-16, Maryland |
| Indiana | 0-9 | 2-10 | L, 44-7, Purdue |
Big Ten West
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Weekend Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Weekend Outcome |
| Iowa | 7-2 | 10-2 | W, 28-21, Nebraska |
| Minnesota | 6-3 | 8-4 | W, 23-13, Wisconsin |
| Wisconsin | 6-3 | 8-4 | L, 23-13, Minnesota |
| Purdue | 6-3 | 8-4 | W, 44-7, Indiana |
| Illinois | 4-5 | 5-7 | W, 47-14, Northwestern |
| Nebraska | 1-8 | 3-9 | L, 28-21, Iowa |
| Northwestern | 1-8 | 3-9 | L, 47-14, Illinois |
Surprise game: Maryland at Rutgers
In a huge game for both football programs, Maryland came away with its biggest win of the Michael Locksley era, defeating Rutgers by a final score of 40-16. The Terps will now look ahead to their first bowl game in five years, while Rutgers’ season has come to a close.
What a time for Tagovailoa to put together arguably his best performance of the season. The star quarterback completed 21-of-30 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns. Early in the game, Tagovailoa passed Scott Milanovich to become the single-season passing yards leader in Maryland history. Tagovailoa added a touchdown on the ground as well.
Maryland running back Tayon Fleet-Davis also provided a major spark to the offense, rushing for 152 yards and two touchdowns on just 18 carries. The surprise of the day for the Terps was sophomore tight end Corey Dyches. Dyches opened the scoring on the first drive of the game, catching a 25-yard touchdown to put the Terps up 7-0. Dyches wasn’t done, as he went on to score another touchdown in the second half, giving him two on the day.
Rutgers was unable to get anything going during the game. The Maryland defense was able to get to the quarterback and force a switch up at the position as Rutgers’ signal-caller Noah Vedral went to the sideline. The three Rutgers quarterbacks, Vedral, Evan Simon and Johnny Langan combined to complete just 16-of-30 passes for 173 yards, zero passing touchdowns and one interception.
Maryland wide receiver Rakim Jarrett was brilliant yet again on Saturday, hauling in seven receptions on a team-high 12 targets for 111 yards. The Terps now have a few weeks to prepare for their bowl game. Locksley has this program on the come-up and Maryland football fans have something to be excited about.
Statement game: No. 2 Ohio State at No. 5 Michigan
Michigan has taken down Ohio State for the first time since 2011.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh entered the game with an 0-5 record against the Buckeyes in his career but that didn’t matter Saturday as the Wolverines dominated this football game on the ground, winning by a final score of 42-27.
Michigan simply looked bigger, faster and stronger than an Ohio State team that entered this game looking nearly unstoppable after beating Michigan State, 56-7, just a week ago.
The Wolverines set the tone early, pounding the ball down the Buckeyes’ throat on the opening drive of the game. The drive was capped off with a 14-yard touchdown run from Michigan wideout A.J. Henning, giving the Wolverines a 7-0 lead.
Ohio State was able to string together a few scores and a few stops to take a 10-7 lead at the beginning of the second quarter but the Michigan offense was just getting started.
Running back Hassan Haskins went on to punch in three straight touchdowns, in what was one of the best running back performances of the season. Haskins rushed the ball 28 times for 169 yards and a jaw-dropping five touchdowns. The Ohio State defense had no answer for Haskins and the Michigan run game.
Ohio State was able to cut the deficit to eight points with just under five minutes remaining on a touchdown pass from CJ Stroud to wideout TreVeyon Henderson but Michigan went right back to Haskins, who marched the Wolverines down the field for the game-sealing touchdown with two minutes remaining.
Stroud was able to find success through the air at times, but the Ohio State defense was unable to stop the Michigan rushing attack. The freshman quarterback finished the game with 394 yards and two touchdowns. His top target in the game, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, was fantastic in this one. The sophomore finished with 11 catches for 127 yards, including a few crucial fourth down conversions late in the game.
Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara finished with a modest 159 yards and one interception on 19 pass attempts but he made big throws when it mattered. Michigan will now face Iowa in the Big Ten championship game next weekend, while Ohio State will begin preparation for its bowl game.
Upset game: No. 14 Wisconsin at Minnesota
What a huge letdown from No. 14 Wisconsin, a team that entered the final week of the regular season just one win away from the Big Ten championship game.
The Wisconsin offense has been quiet for most of the season but recently gained some steam behind freshman running back Braelon Allen. Allen has been dominant since the injury to Chez Mellusi but was held in check Saturday. Allen ran the ball 17 times for just 47 yards.
Wisconsin was actually able to jump out to a lead in this game behind a pick-six from Scott Nelson early in the second quarter. This gave the Badgers a 10-3 lead and put them in a good position to run the ball and close this one out. The only problem? They weren’t able to run the football. The Wisconsin offense was forced to rely on quarterback Graham Mertz, who hasn’t always delivered this season.
Mertz finished the game with 21 completions on 38 pass attempts for 171 yards and one interception. Mertz, a sophomore, came into Wisconsin as a freshman with sky-high expectations and has not lived up to the hype. He has just nine touchdowns on the season to go with nine interceptions.
Minnesota was able to take advantage of Wisconsin’s offensive struggles, taking a 20-13 lead with two minutes left in the third quarter on a 27-yard touchdown strike from Tanner Morgan to Chris Autman-Bell. Morgan finished the game with 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception while completing 11-of-16 passes.
The only bright spot for the Badgers was junior linebacker Leo Chenal. Chenal is a force to be reckoned with on the defensive side of the football. He finished the game with 14 total tackles, including one tackle-for-loss.
The Badgers and Golden Gophers officially both finish the season with 8-4 records. This was a heartbreaking finish for Wisconsin, which seemed to look past the storied Wisconsin-Minnesota rivalry and set its sights on the Big Ten championship, which they will not be playing in.