Big Ten Football: Who Are the Non-Conference Offensive MVPs?
We have now completed four weeks of college football. All but two of the Big Ten teams have completed their out-of-conference slate.
Certainly, the out-of-conference saw its share of cupcake games, but there were some extremely competitive games as well: Michigan vs. Notre Dame, Ohio State vs. Miami (FL), Iowa vs. Arizona, just to name a few.
Furthermore, even the cupcakes told us a good deal about our teams, what they will try to accomplish, and what a number of newer and younger players have to offer.
Obviously, and unfortunately, when you speak of "offensive MVP's," linemen get left out in the cold. In the end, as linemen don't really accumulate stats, there is no way to measure them unless you watch every single snap of every single game.
And I didn't even attempt to do that.
Therefore, it would be more accurate to say that this is a list of Big Ten Football Non-Conference Offensive Skill Playing MVP's. However, that is a mouthful.
Nevertheless, take it for what it's worth. With so much football left to be played, it remains to be seen if Denard Robinson can avoid getting torn in half, or if John Clay can lose his spare tire.
Honorable Mentions
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Adam Robinson, or A-Rob as he is often called, probably doesn't have much of a future in the NFL. He lacks anything approaching top-line speed, and he is not going to fool anybody into thinking he is Ladainlian Tomlinson.
For this reason, he came to Iowa with a grayshirt, as opposed to a regular scholarship offer.
Nevertheless, outside of that speed and burst, he has everything you could ask for in a back. He is patient, has superb vision, all-conference quality balance, he has yet to fumble the ball in over 200 collegiate carries, and he is an able receiver.
This season, he is sixth in the conference in rushing with 385 yards, to go along with six touchdowns. He also has six receptions for 137 yards.
Ricky Stanzi is his partner in the Iowa backfield. The Hawkeye senior quarterback has now been the starter for three somewhat wild years. Over the past two years, it seemed like he would light his own hair on fire just to see if he could put it out. And, with a 21-5 record as a starter, more often than not, he did.
As often as not, this seemingly self-sabotaging behavior came in the form of what has come to be known as Stanziballs.
Heading into his senior campaign, the Iowa signal caller appears to have left all of that behind him. After four games, his quarterback efficiency rating is second in the conference.
He has completed 67 percent of his passes for 999 yards. He also has nine touchdowns to go with one interception; an interception that came off the hands of one of his receivers.
It remains to be seen how he'll fare against stiffer competition, but right now, he looks to be one of the three best passers in the Big Ten.
And speaking of good passers, Indiana quarterback Ben Chappell is also a senior heading into his third year as a starter.
His quarterback efficiency rating is currently third in the conference. After three games, he has completed just over 72 percent of his passes for 890 yards. He also has nine touchdowns, and has yet to throw an interception.
On the other hand, having only played games against FCS Towson, Western Kentucky, and Akron, as with so many other Big Ten players, his report card against more competitive foes is still waiting to be determined.
Lance Kendricks: Tight End, Wisconsin
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As Gomer Pyle used to say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise."
I think most people that haven't watched Wisconsin play this year would assume that running back John Clay would at least be the Badgers' offensive MVP thus far, if not one of the top five on this list.
However, I would counter that by saying that those people have not watched Wisconsin play.
Yes, Clay has averaged over six yards per carry, and has hauled the ball for over 100 yards in every game. When he has been good to go, he has been a solid back.
He has also often looked winded and been unable to really carry the offense. At this point in the season, understudy Montee Ball and true freshman James White have combined to log almost as many carries as Clay. And those carries have not been in mop up time.
On the other hand, Kendricks has been phenomenal on every single snap. He has been Wisconsin's go-to guy in the play action game, which has, in turn, forced defenses to play honest against the run.
He currently leads the Badgers in receptions, yards, yards-per-catch, and touchdowns. His numbers are as follows: 17 receptions, 299 yards, 17.6 ypc, and three touchdowns.
Right now, with all due respect to Iowa's Allen Reisner, Northwestern's Drake Dunsmore, and Ohio State's Jake Stoneburner, Kendricks is easily the best tight end in the Big Ten. Moreover, it is safe to assume quarterback Scott Tolzien will only rely on him more as we get deeper into the season.
It will be interesting to see how he performs when he faces a team with a linebacker or safety that can actually cover him.
Terrelle Pryor: Quarterback, Ohio State
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I don't know if it is possible for Terrelle Pryor to live up to the buildup that preceded him coming into this season. I don't know if it is possible for him to live up to the buildup that preceded him when he came out of high school.
I suppose he could win the Heisman and lead his Buckeyes to a National Championship. He could then opt to come back for his senior season, and repeat his performance on both counts.
Outside of that, it may just be impossible for him to live up to the hype.
That does not diminish what he has done on the field.
He is currently the Buckeyes' leading rusher with 269 yards. He has three rushing touchdowns to go along with that. He also has one reception for 20 yards and a receiving touchdown.
His passing game is still a bit unpolished, but it is much improved from where he was at this point last year.
He has completed just over 66 percent of his passes for 939 yards. He has 10 touchdowns to go along with two interceptions.
He is personally responsible for just over 60 percent of the Ohio State offensive yards from scrimmage.
The only real knock on him this year was his 44 percent completion percentage against Miami (FL). Of course, he also had 113 yards rushing in that game.
Against better defenses, he will have to make more plays with his arm, but if his last game against (an admittedly awful) Eastern Michigan is any indication, he is getting there.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Dan Persa: Quarterback, Northwestern
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Dan Persa is currently the Big Ten's most efficient passer. In four games, he has completed over 80 percent of his passes for 1,049 yards. He has also thrown eight touchdowns to go along with one interception.
On top of that, he is the Wildcats' leading rusher with 172 yards. While this speaks volumes about the sad state of the Northwestern rushing attack, it is an impressive feat for Persa. It is even more impressive when you consider that sacks factor into a quarterbacks' rushing totals, and NU has allowed the most sacks in the Big Ten up to this point in the season.
The junior signal caller is single-handedly responsible for over 65 percent of the Cats' total yards-from-scrimmage.
As Persa has yet to face any truly competitive opposition this season, we don't know how he'll hold up in a tougher situation.
However, as Northwestern's first two Big Ten games are against Minnesota and Purdue, respectively, it does seem highly likely that Persa and his Wildcats will be 6-0 when they face Michigan State on October 23.
Edwin Baker/Le'Veon Bell: Running Backs, Michigan State
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Perhaps the two biggest surprises of the season thus far, have come out of the Great Lakes State. One of those surprises has come out of East Lansing in the form of a two-headed rushing attack that goes by the names of Edwin Baker and Le'Veon Bell.
After four games, true sophomore Baker is third in the Big Ten in rushing with 449 yards. He also has five touchdowns, and a 7.9 yards-per-carry average.
He seemed to come out of nowhere, as last season he only rushed for 427 yards and one touchdown. However, he was hampered by injuries that kept him out of four games. Furthermore, even with the injuries, his yards-per-carry was still 5.02.
Then there is the true freshman, Le'Veon Bell. Bell is currently fifth in Big Ten rushing yards with 397. He has seven touchdowns, and is averaging over eight yards per carry.
With an established quarterback and receivers, there should continue to be a good amount of room for these two to get yards. The only question is whether they will be able to generate those yards against good defenses.
The FBS teams they have played are the 83rd, 85th, and 91st scoring defenses in the country. Moreover, they are 84th, 98th, and 120th (dead last) against the rush.
Nonetheless, the way the Spartans' schedule stacks up, they only play two teams with dominant, or potentially dominant defenses. Those two teams are Iowa and Penn State, and the first of those matchups won't be until the end of October.
If they can continue to roll over those teams, this season and future seasons may be very rosy in East Lansing.
Denard Robinson: Quarterback, Michigan
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After four games, Denard Robinson leads the Big Ten in rushing.
Let me repeat that: Denard Robinson, the quarterback, currently leads the Big Ten in rushing, with over 200 yards more than his closest competitor—a running back.
I'll repeat that once again: All 200 pounds of Denard Robinson have accumulated 688 yards rushing. Coming into the week, he also led the conference in rushing attempts, though he no longer holds that distinction.
I'll come back to Robinson's durability in a bit. For now, I'll concentrate on how impressive he has been on the field, and how valuable he has been to his team.
He not only has 688 yards on the ground, but he also has an 8.7 yards-per-carry, as well as six rushing touchdowns.
He has not been quite as impressive through the air, but he has been very good. He has completed 71 percent of his passes for 731 yards. He also has four touchdowns to go with one interception.
On the season, 4-0 Michigan has accumulated 2,251 total yards, which is tops in the Big Ten. Robinson has had a hand in 1,419 of those yards. That is just over 63 percent. Coming into this week's game against Bowling Green, Robinson had played a part in just under 93 percent of Michigan's yards-from-scrimmage.
Part of the reason he didn't accumulate quite as many yards this week was because he left the game before the first quarter was over. The reason he left the game was because he tweaked his knee on a hit he took near the sideline. The injury is not serious, and he is expected to play next week against Indiana.
However, this brings into question whether Robinson will be able to physically survive the season if he continues to play the style of football he plays. After all, he left the game against Bowling Green due to injury. He also sat out a series against Connecticut, due to a minor scrape.
Neither of those teams have good defenses. In fact, none of the teams the Wolverines have played so far could be said to have good, hard-hitting defenses.
Michigan's opponent next week—Indiana—also doesn't have a good defense. After that is where Robinson could be in trouble.
After the Hoosiers, the Wolverines will take on All-American linebacker Greg Jones and the Michigan State Spartans. If they don't tear Robinson into fifteen different pieces, Michigan will face All Big Ten defensive end Adrian Clayborn and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
If they don't eat Robinson alive, UM will face Linebacker U, aka Penn State. If he survives that, as well as Illinois, Purdue, and Wisconsin, he will travel into Columbus to face hated rival and defensive giant, Ohio State.
In closing, Denard Robinson is a mega-talent, and after four weeks of play, he is unquestionably the Big Ten's most valuable player. Nevertheless, if Michigan doesn't put together an offense apart from him, he will have a big fat bullseye on his chest all season.
And unlike the opponents he's faced so far, at least one of those Big Ten sharp shooters is probably going to hit that target.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
