Big Ten Football: A Detailed Analysis of 2011 Big Ten Conference Play
2010 marked the 115th season in the storied history of Big Ten Conference football, which, contrary to the rumors, was not founded by Joe Paterno.
Before the first game was played, it had already been decided by the powers that be that the math-challenged conference would no longer tolerate being laughed at for having 11 members in the “Big Ten," and will therefore add the Nebraska Cornhuskers to the conference in 2011 to make it an even 10 members.
With the new member, the 10 members of the Big Ten would now be segregated into two divisions of six members each, with one division primarily made up of teams in the “West” and the other consisting mostly of teams in the “East.”
Naturally, a conference built on its traditional, no-nonsense approach then named each division the “Leaders” and “Legends.”
Lost in all the pageantry and no-nonsense tradition was the secret of the origin of the monikers for the new “Leaders” and “Legends” divisions. Legend has it, after months of diligent research, the Big Ten kiss-ass marketing firm said, “Hey, Commissioner Jim Delany, we have lots of really really great ideas, but we’re really, really interested in what you think.”
To which a more-than-flattered Commissioner Jim Delany replied, “I don’t know, this conference has had so many leaders and legends, it’s hard to decide. Hey wait! That’s it!! Leaders and Legends!!!”
To which the one marketing guy winked at the senior partner and said in particularly garish fashion, “That’s exactly what we were thinking. We’re all on the same page, Jimbo! Wow!!!”
After the obligatory five rounds of back slapping and winking, the announcement was made and in relatively short order and the first 50 media guides were ordered. Shortly thereafter, the entire sports media and national fanbase responded to the news with the singular phrase, “What stupid clown thought up these dumbass names?”
In a novel approach, the marketing firm immediately explained to Delany that they always take an extremely expensive Marketing Poll after the names are announced and the 2011 media guides had already been printed to confirm their group creative process.
So the poll went out to America and the Republic of Siam, where Delaney has a half-cousin:
Do you like Legends and Leaders as names for the new Big Ten divisions?
- Like
- Don’t Care
- Dislike
The marketing poll received a huge response from across the country, with 22 people submitting “Like," 35,054 submitting “Don’t Care” together with a note…”What’s a division?”, and only two people submitting a vote of “Dislike." There was a strong write-in vote of 44,659,832 people that wrote, “What stupid clown thought up these dumbass names?”
Commissioner Delany, his mother and the 20 guys at the marketing firm were shocked at the results.
As everything was already at the printers, Delany saved face and his $350 deposit by saying these were just “pretend names” and that the real names will be picked at a later date. For the sake of a great conference, let’s all hope it happens as soon as the new media guides can be printed.
So while we’re waiting, I thought we might want to go ahead and announce the results for the 2011 season for each division so that they can get the printing out of the way and move on to some tradition rich names like “West” and “East” or even some craziness like "Black" and "White."
To determine the 2011 results, rather than just pick something out of my butt Delany-style, I actually looked into silly things like how each team did last year, what personnel each team has coming back, what coaching changes a team is going through, scheduling issues and intangibles, like five-game suspensions or what pretty colors a team wears.
Using standard regression methods, two cases of Guinness and what was left of my Jack Daniels after mom broke into the liquor cabinet again, I have come up with a ridiculously early, yet meticulously detailed prediction of the exact final standings for the dumbass Legends and Leaders divisions for 2011.
I am sure everyone will agree.
Leaders Division: Illinois Fighting Illini
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As a Notre Dame graduate, I was a bit angry to find out that the 1887 Fighting Irish shortly had their name ripped off in 1890, when the Fighting Illini came along and decided that they couldn't come up with anything more original with the over 12 teams across the country having taken up all the good names.
Worse, I soon found out that Illini is not even a word.
Despite the name and my angst over the whole bruhaha, to my knowledge there has never been an actual fight between a Fighting Irish and a Fighting Illini, although there are confirmed reports of several instances when a drunken Irishman has inadvertently tripped over an equally drunken Illini, and vice versa.
In the interest of peace, I want to be the first to extend an olive branch and offer to petition Notre Dame to change the team name to "The Disgruntled Irish."
Overall, the Fighting Illini were disgruntled in 2010 too.
2010 REVIEW
With a few breaks, a young but talented Illini team could have tossed some much-needed Gatorade on head coach Ron Zook’s smoldering chair. It didn’t happen.
In 2010, the Fighting Illini had a 7-6 campaign that was a bit above what most expected, with solid wins at Penn State and Northwestern. A 67-65 3OT loss at Michigan, a disappointing 38-34 home loss to Minnesota and a surprising 25-23 setback at Fresno State turned what could have been an outstanding rebuilding year into a so-so season, and kept head coach Ron Zook’s butt planted firmly in the fire.
Redshirt freshman Nathan Scheelhaase became the starting quarterback for the 2010 season, completing 155 passes on 264 attempts for 1,825 yards, along with 17 touchdown passes and eight interceptions. Scheelhaase also ran for 806 yards on 175 carries with four touchdowns.
He was an excellent complement to Illini RB Mikel Leshoure in the running game for a 26th ranked scoring offense that put up 32.5 points a game.
2011 PROSPECTS
For 2011, the Illini have nine starters returning on offense. With Leshoure off to the NFL, RB Jason Ford, with his 99 carries, 480 yards and seven TD’s, looks to step in and pick up the slack.
The Illini lived and died by the running game with Leshoure and Scheelhaase combining to average close to 200 yards per game on the ground, but to get to the next level, it’s obvious that Scheelhaase has to start putting up the ball more after the offense finished 111th in the nation in passing.
To help him out, leading receiver A. J. Jenkins returns after catching 56 balls for 746 yards and seven TD’s in 2010. There are some talented receivers on the roster, but the coaching staff is going to have to do a much better job of spreading the ball around so teams can’t key on a one-dimensional offense again this year.
With the disappointing defection of studs DT Corey Liuget and MLB Martez Wilson to the NFL, the Fighting Illini return only six starters on what was the 48th best scoring defense in the country. The defensive backfield gets three starters back in the secondary, including free safety Trulon Henry, a big, linebacker-sized defender who should be an All-Big Ten selection.
2011 SCHEDULE AND PREDICTION
Illini does have some talent in the ranks that will be damn good with some experience, and four non-conference home games to get them warmed up.
Dealing with the personnel losses will be tough, but having a schedule with eight home games and only one 2010 bowl team (Penn State) on the road should make life much easier in 2011.
With the strong wind of the Almighty Scheduling Gods at their back, the Fighting Illini should go 5-3 in conference.
Legends Division: Iowa Hawkeyes
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You have to love Iowa if for no other reason than when they pick a name, they don't get too greedy. When offered the name of the "Hawks," they politely refused to be the whole bird and humbly accepted being just the eyes.
So can somebody tell me how such nice people can then go out and beat the crap out of everybody that dares to walk out on their football field every year?
Not complaining, but Iowa always brings the lumber in football, and 2010 was no different.
2010 REVIEW
After an 11-2 2009, in 2010, the Iowa Hawkeyes returned a veteran quarterback and an intimidating defensive line that that included NFL talents Adrian Clayborn, Karl Klug and Christian Ballard.
The D-line was so intimidating, three different quarterbacks feigned the flu on game day. Some of the more timid fans wouldn’t let their children watch on Saturdays.
Anxious to release the hounds, Hawkeye nation was ready to deal some high heat to announce their presence with authority—all eyes expected to see a solid run for the Big Ten, if not the national title.
Instead, an inconsistent 50th ranked scoring offense screwed the pooch way too often. Unable to take advantage of a seventh ranked scoring defense, the 2010 Hawkeyes staggered through a mediocre campaign that landed with a rather dull thud at 8-5.
Last year’s team probably deserved better. A seven point non-conference loss at Arizona halted national title talk, and four conference losses by a grand total of eleven points silenced the Big Ten title banter. In each of Iowa's five losses, the Hawkeyes were leading or tied for the lead in the fourth quarter.
Just to make a point, this is a five loss team that beat Big Ten Co-champ Michigan State by 31.
As a result, Iowa led the nation in shoulda-wons and ultimately gets to brag it was probably the closest an 8-5 team came to being undefeated in the history of college football.
Through it all, the most disappointing aspect of the 2010 season might have been the mediocre play of a very talented defensive line. The Hawkeyes were sixth in the nation against the run, but they were dead last in the Big Ten and 110th in the nation in tackles for loss. Even more amazing, with three future pros running loose, Iowa had only 22 sacks.
2011 PROSPECTS
For 2011, the Hawkeyes have to replace seven starters on defense with three starters from the defensive front gone. Defensive tackle Mike Daniels is the only D-line starter coming back, and while there are some decent prospects waiting their turn, the talent drop off will be massive. The secondary will lose safeties Tyler Sash and Brett Greenwood, now departed for the NFL.
The offensive turnover is almost as drastic, as Iowa has to replace six starters from an already inconsistent group.
On the bright side, workhorse RB Marcus Coker is big, powerful and effective. With the return of Coker’s 114 carries and 622 yards working behind a line with three returning starters, the running game should be better, and talented but inexperienced QB James Vandenberg will take time to develop, but could actually end up being an upgrade at quarterback over Ricky Stanzi.
Returning WR Marvin McNutt had 53 receptions for 861 yards while scoring eight touchdowns. For the passing game to succeed, McNutt must take his game up a notch. Senior tight end Brad Herman also returns along with plucky sidekick junior wide receiver Keenan Davis.
A Kirk Ferentz-coached Iowa usually surprises when they are under the radar, but the attrition casualties from 2010 looks worse than a scene from a Charlie Sheen after party.
2011 SCHEDULE AND PREDICTION
Even with a favorable conference schedule with MSU at home and no Ohio State on the dance card, Iowa probably doesn’t have enough dogs in the fight to make a title run.
With six starters gone off the offense and seven lost on defense, the normally consistent Hawkeyes just have too much turnover to finish any better than the middle of the Legends pack.
Look for the Hawkeyes to finish the conference even at 4-4.
Leaders Division: Indiana Hoosiers
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I grew up 25 minutes from Indiana University's campus, so I know the real story behind the name "Hoosier."
As it actually happened, there were so many bar fights that when a new patron would walk in, he would pick something up from the floor and say, "Whose ear?"
That butchered phrase has now become your modern day "Hoosier."
Hard to believe with such rugged beginnings, a brawl with a current day Hoosier defense is more closely tied to the phrase "Pillow fight."
2010 REVIEW
When you talk about Indiana University football, you need to dwell on the positives. For instance, there were at least five teams playing college football in 2010 that were worse than IU, and one of them actually plays in the Big Ten.
Yes indeed, you can say some pretty heady things when you go 5-7, 1-7 in conference.
You can also say, “There were 18 FBS teams whose scoring defense was more terrible than ours, and another eight that ran the football even worse than we did.”
It’s a good thing there are 120 FBS teams or IU probably couldn’t make such brazen claims.
On the bright side, senior QB Ben Chappell threw for 3,295 yards and 24 TD’s for a 14th ranked passing attack, and the Hoosiers’ scoring offense of 27.2 points a game was better than over half the teams in the country.
Although relatively solid in pass protection, the offensive line didn’t do much for the ground game, as IU had to keep on throwing to keep up the pace thanks to an overly porous defense. To add injury to insult, the ground attack was almost never established early on after star back Darius Willis was lost for the season with a patellar tendon injury. Filling in for Willis, replacement Trea Burgess logged a meager 352 yards.
With a scoring defense that finished 102nd worst in the country, teams had cracked the code to beating Indiana's defense. Offensive coordinators throughout the Big Ten would say in quiet whispers before playing Indiana, "To score on these guys, you have to either run it or throw it."
Once the secret was out, there was nothing IU could do to stop the leak.
COACHING CHANGE
Coach Bill Lynch spent the last four years at Indiana hammering out a 13-4 non-conference record against highly suspect competition, only to be cursed by a 6-26 conference mark and shown the door. To be honest, I think Lynch may have been a miracle worker to scratch out six conference wins with the limited talent he had to work with.
Be that as it may, former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson is now the new football guru at IU. So far in his head coaching career, he is undefeated at Memorial Stadium. He is actually undefeated at every stadium, as he has never been a college head coach. Having taken on the job in Bloomington, that undefeated status is in serious and immediate danger.
Wilson has enjoyed some good success as an offensive coordinator at Miami, Northwestern and Oklahoma, and he brings several familiar faces onto his staff. Co-offensive coordinators Rod Smith and Kevin Johns should be able to make Wilson’s fast-paced, no huddle offense effective.
New defensive coordinators Mike Ekeler and Doug Mallory are young but with some solid experience, and will release the hounds in a far more aggressive defense. Schematically and motivationally, Indiana has brought in a fine staff.
Unfortunately, Bill Lynch also had a fine staff, but getting the talent level needed to compete in the Big Ten is a whole other issue in Bloomington.
2011 PROSPECTS
With Chappell gone, QB Edward Wright-Baker has good skills and can move a little bit, but Dusty Kiel will get every shot to take over the job. Together, they have nine completions for 151 yards, one TD and three interceptions in their combined careers. With Wilson’s fast-paced tempo, whichever quarterback is the quicker decision maker will likely get the top spot going into fall camp.
Running back star Darius Willis is the starter if he gets cleared of his legal troubles, and wide receiver Damarlo Belcher and his 78 receptions for 832 yards and four TD’s thankfully decided to return for his season after the dynamic Tandon Doss opted for the NFL.
Defensively, the best player, top tackler and leader, LB Tyler Replogle, has to be replaced. The current defense will never be a brick wall, but seven starters return to try to at least muster up a primitive lean-to.
Frankly, it's hard to get excited about a group that gave up 155 points over the final three games of the year and had a rough midseason stretch of allowing 34 points or more in four straight games.
Be that as it may, three starters are back on the D-line, including two promising tackles, and the linebacking corps has the potential to develop into a solid unit. Defensive end Darius Johnson is promising, but he has to do more to make this defense at least get noticed.
The defense doesn’t have the strength and talent needed to be great against the run, and it’s not athletic enough to get into the backfield on a regular basis. That has to change as new defensive coordinator Mike Ekeler must find a way to improve a pass rush that finished 103rd in the nation in sacks and 96th in tackles for loss.
The real key going forward will be what kind of recruiters this staff is so that Indiana football isn’t constantly trying to beat bigger stronger, faster, more physical teams with a big bag of bells and whistles every year.
Until Indiana can win a few games and subsequently recruit well enough to attract more than a handful of stud athletes, the defense will be a work-in-progress that cannot dictate a game and will often be little more than a minor distraction for the better offenses.
2011 SCHEDULE AND PREDICTION
IU’s conference schedule has Penn State, Illinois, Northwestern and Purdue at home, while traveling to Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio State and Michigan State.
With a brand new coach, a brand new QB and not enough quality athletes on the defensive side of the ball to slow anybody down, look for Kevin Wilson to lose his undefeated status eight times in a row to round out the conference season 0-8.
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Legends Division: Michigan Wolverines
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The Wolverine is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a stocky and muscular carnivore, more closely resembling a small bear than other mustelids.
It has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times its size. Make no mistake, I have every respect for a Wolverine, be it animal, football player or any combination thereof.
I just thought everyone should know that the family Mustelidae is more commonly known as weasels, which probably explains the Rich Rodriguez hiring as just a bad case of nepotism.
2010 REVIEW
Speaking of the Richster, in 2010, head coach Rich Rodriguez took firm control of the wheel and finally steered the Michigan bandwagon over a cliff, capping a grossly disappointing 7-6 season with a bruising 52-14 beat down by Mississippi State that sent half the fanbase into therapy, and RichRod into the coaching afterworld.
COACHING CHANGE
In steps, new head coach and anointed “Michigan Man” Brady Hoke, more commonly known as “Jim Harbaugh Lite.” Make no mistake, Brady Hoke is no Jim Harbaugh, nor will “Hoke” and “Lite” ever be used in the same sentence ever again.
While he is no Jim Harbaugh, or Les Miles for that matter, he is a tough, defensive-minded coach with a history of saving lost causes. He took Ball State to 12 wins in 2008. I’m not even sure that’s humanly possible.
To help usher in the new Wolverine guard, Hoke brought veteran offensive coordinator Al Borges’ 25 years of experience and 33.7 points a game with him from San Diego State, then bought long-time defensive coordinator Greg Mattison away from the NFL Ravens to replace Michigan’s former cuckoo’s nest of coaches with one of the smartest, most experienced staffs in the country.
I personally have climbed a particularly steep mountain to ask the one true football question of these guys, and have reached total gridiron self-actualization for my efforts. That’s just how good they are.
2011 PROSPECTS
On the field, Michigan returns the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and fastest man outside of the Olympics, QB Denard Robinson, and has everybody back but the left guard and an old pair of cleats from an offense that had the sixth most yards the country. The backfield has weapons, the line is big and experienced, the receivers are talented and Borges is a master mechanic when given the right set of tools.
Mattison will have a more difficult time undoing the unholy mess that Rodriguez & Co. created on the defensive side of the ball. To recount one of the many ways a once-proud defense was reduced to an unholy mess, a quick lesson on defensive fundamentals is needed.
Intent on proving he had a “Schematic Disadvantage,” RichRod implemented a 3-3-5 scheme that helped Michigan plummet to the 108th worst scoring defense in the country. The 2010 Wolverine defense is best described as a mystifying combination of poor planning, poor execution and a hurried pre-snap series of coin flips to decide who goes where.
Playing in the run-heavy Big Ten, evidently RichRod decided to pull a linebacker from the conventional 3-4 scheme and replace him with an extra 165 pound freshman safety with the calculated hope that when the monstrous Big Ten backs broke into the second level, they would be stopped dead in their tracks from all the terrified screaming emanating from the young and undersized Wolverine secondary.
In contrast to the youth and inexperience across the board in 2010, nine defensive starters return for 2011, most of which are fine but temporarily confused athletes. After missing all of 2010, U of M’s best corner, Troy Woolfolk, returns. J.T. Floyd, their other senior corner, returns after missing the second half of 2010 with a bad ankle. Defensive tackle and full-time wrecking ball Mike Martin returns to anchor a solid front seven.
Contrary to popular belief, Michigan’s defense doesn’t lack athletes, it lacks direction.
Mattison’s simpler and more aggressive schemes in the familiar 3-4 will make Michigan’s athletes look better if for no other reason than every few plays, they may actually line up correctly, and also because it’s a practical impossibility to look any worse.
2011 SCHEDULE AND PREDICTION
From a scheduling standpoint, Michigan catches a break with road games at a down Iowa squad, Northwestern, Illinois and MSU, with the two toughest outs Nebraska and Ohio State coming to the Big House.
Michigan has the offense, the athletes and the coaches they need. Look for the defense to put it together as the year goes on as Michigan surprises with a 5-3 conference record.
Legends Division: Michigan State
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I like Michigan State as a school smart enough to be nick-named after some of the most well-trained and disciplined warriors in the history of the world.
I am also completely jealous that, as an ND alumni, I have a twig-like short guy with a high voice and a red beard as my mascot, while Michigan State marches a muscular guy around that wears a dress, is called Sparty and still gets phone numbers without even granting any wishes or shelling out gold.
I also like their football team because it has played some very good football against Notre Dame in recent years, and good football is good football.
2010 REVIEW
The moment you step on campus, you will realize that, contrary to the mean-spirited rumors spread by the Wolverine faithful, Michigan State is not a cow college. In fact, I did not see one single cow in any of the East Lansing bars I went to, and I drank a boatload of beer. Last year, what you did see was lots of happy fans and a very beefy offensive line.
In 2010, Michigan State had every reason to be happy on their way to 11 wins.
Spartan nation returned almost their entire offense and defense, they didn’t play outside of Michigan until the eighth game of the year and they won when they probably shouldn’t have, on 46 yard fake field goals and with 10 and 15 point deficit fourth quarter comebacks.
But even the most devout Sparty diehard knew deep down that 2010 wasn’t all that and a bag of chips. In reality, Sparty’s success was as much of a product of the Almighty Scheduling Gods as it was MSU’s ill-tempered linebackers.
Co-Big Ten champ Ohio State was not on MSU’s dance card in 2010. Of the eleven opponents MSU beat, Wisconsin had two losses, Notre Dame was next with five losses and no other team had less than six.
MSU needed a late rally to beat a Northwestern team on the road by eight that Wisconsin beat at home by 52. MSU beat the Badgers at Spartan Stadium by 10. Doing non-Big Ten math, that means home field advantage in the Big Ten is worth roughly 34 points, completely explaining why MSU lost by 31 on the road to an Iowa team Wisconsin beat on the road by one.
And that Iowa thing—Yes, when the Spartans fell, they fell hard and made a big splat. Both MSU losses were uglier than Sarah Jessica Parker before her eight pounds of morning makeup. 8-5 Iowa ripped MSU 37-6 for Sparty’s only regular season loss, and a 10-3 Alabama team flat out crushed MSU in the Capital One Bowl 49-7 in a contest that wasn’t really that close.
The two back-alley beatings Sparty endured put embarrassing quotation marks around an otherwise “solid” season that has all but silenced the formerly rowdy MSU bar-talk altogether.
2011 PROSPECTS
For 2011, Sparty looks to redeem themselves from the inhumanity. MSU’s 47th ranked scoring offense returns five starters, including quarterback Kirk Cousins’ 20 TD’s and 2,825 yards passing along with a host of very talented receivers and tight ends. Running backs Edwin Baker and La’Veon Bell return with a combined 21 touchdowns and 1,806 yards.
Unfortunately, the Spartans’ offense loses their starting center and both tackles, leaving it pretty much a mystery as to who will block for a very talented backfield.
Defensively, the Spartans 39th ranked scoring defense returns All-Conference DB’s Johnny Adams and Trenton Robinson. Solid defensive tackle Jerel Worthy is also back, along with a good group of defensive linemen. However, for 2010, this same group struggled to get to the quarterback and make plays, finishing 90th in the country in sacks and 91st in the nation in tackles for loss.
To rain on a great toga party, the MSU defense loses six starters, including four of its top five leading tacklers: four year All-American linebacker Greg Jones, four year All-Big Ten linebacker Eric Gordon, All-Big Ten second teamer safety Marcus Hyde and All-Big Ten second teamer and cornerback Chris L. Rucker.
Overall, MSU has a lot of really big shoes to fill in 2011, and no help from the Almighty Scheduling Gods to tie them.
2011 SCHEDULE AND PREDICTION
MSU has games with Wisconsin, Northwestern and Michigan at home, Iowa, Nebraska and Ohio State on the road. The 2011 schedule is nothing close to the soft slate Sparty danced through with a much better team in 2010.
The MSU losses on both sides of the ball have to be felt somewhere in 2011. With a much improved conference and lots of tough road games that Sparty traditionally sucks at, look for Michigan State to struggle to a 4-4 conference mark in 2011.
Legends Division: Minnesota Golden Gophers
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Personally, I say to each their own, but it's got to be hard to strike fear into the hearts of men when your team name is "Golden Gopher."
Minnesota has fielded some very respectable football teams over the years, but until they seriously look into a new team mascot, I think good coaching and sound recruiting may never get them over the top.
I'll admit that I fear rats, large birds and most anything with hairy legs up to and including spiders and Lindsay Lohan, but I have yet to bolt upright with the night sweats from dreaming of shiny burrowing animals.
No matter how good your running game is, rodents just aren't that intimidating, even if they handle high explosives and star in the best golf movie ever.
I will openly admit the Minnesota Gophers are the hardest hitting varmints ever.
2010 REVIEW
While the fearsome Gopher visual may or may not instill fear in the college football world, it certainly doesn't help matters when you go 3-9 and lose to South Dakota as the mighty 4-7 Coyotes put up 41 points and 444 yards on you.
Although the writing was probably already on the wall, the I – AA Coyotes feasting on Gopher meat in TCF Bank Stadium pretty much punched coach Tim Brewster’s ticket to leave town, even though the season was only two weeks old.
Surprisingly enough, Minnesota ended 2010 with a solid 38-34 win at Illinois and then followed that up with another hard fought 27-24 upset win over Iowa. Unfortunately, that pretty much was the extent of what went right in 2010.
Senior Adam Weber passed for 2,679 yards and 20 TD’s, but nothing else clicked for the Gophers in 2010. The rushing offense finished 86th in the country at 135.3 yards a game.
The 2010 Gopher run defense was last in the Big Ten and the pass rush was the worst in America with a nation-low eight sacks. Three of those sacks came when the quarterback had so much time he just got bored and sat down, and one was charged when Ricky Stanzi inadvertently put his hand on coach Kirk Ferentz as they were talking over whether to change the play, during the play.
Surprisingly, the pass defense didn’t give up a ton of yards, but it was an inefficient secondary, ranking 113th in the nation in pass efficiency defense. The scoring defense managed to come in at an awful 98th in the country by handing out 33.0 points per game.
COACHING CHANGE
After riding Brewster out of town on a rail, the dust has settled and the university named Northern Illinois head coach Jerry Kill as next head coach of the Golden Gopher football program. Kill's name wasn't the most publicly named option to follow in Brewster's footsteps, but now that he'll be taking the reins, it's time to figure out who Jerry Kill is.
I can tell you this, his overall record is 127-73, with his last two stints at Southern Illinois (55-32), and Northern Illinois (23-16). I’m guessing that when he found out there is no Central Illinois football team, he opted for another state.
Fortunately, Kill brings his entire staff to help him with the transition to a power running game that used to be the hallmark of past Minnesota teams. Kill favors a QB under center and in the pistol, jet sweeps, motion, pistol play-action fakes, zone-read and mid line option, bubble screens, I-Form and multiple personnel packages. Kill likes his offenses to be multiple and to put pressure on a defense.
Gopher fans are going to like what they see.
2011 PROSPECTS
With Weber gone, MarQueis “O.J.” Gray was one of the nation’s top dual-threat quarterback recruits a few years ago, but after needing a year to get eligible, he wasn’t used much and ended up turning into one of the team’s most dangerous receivers. Now the 6'4", 230 pound junior must show what he can do as a quarterback again.
Unfortunately, Kill will have to build his power running game with only one returning lineman, left guard Chris Bunders. The new starting five should be a bit smaller and a bit more athletic, and it will be a while before things start to jell.
To help the cause, RB DeLeon Eskridge returns with 698 yards and seven touchdowns, as does Duane Bennett and his 529 yards and three touchdowns. WR Da’Jon McKnight is back with 68 career receptions for 1,099 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The defense in 2010 was a horror show, but nine members of the cast return to try again in 2011. Minnesota’s defensive front in 2010 was a flat out disaster, finishing dead last in America in sacks, struggling to make anything happen against the run and doing just about everything possible to make it look like they would rather be on offense.
With all four starters returning up front and a nice young nucleus among the backups to work with, defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys has some experience to work with, but a long way to go in a new system.
2011 SCHEDULE AND PREDICTION
Minnesota opens conference play at Michigan and Purdue, then comes home to Iowa and Nebraska. The Gophers finish out at Michigan State and Northwestern with home bouts against Wisconsin and Illinois.
Actually, I think Kill will eventually prove to be a good coaching move, but he couldn’t have been dealt a worse hand. A new QB, a decimated line, a defense that couldn’t stop a determined puppy and all of their most winnable conference games are on the road.
Kill just doesn’t have the time and talent to put some real teeth in the Gophers for 2011.
Without Indiana on the schedule, Minnesota goes 0-8 in conference play.
Legends Division: Nebraska Cornhuskers
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As the new member of the Big Ten Conference with Twelve Members, Nebraska is a perennial national power with a storied football tradition. They are also called the "Cornhuskers" after decimating an Iowa team from a corn-infested state. That much is widely known.
Probably less widely known, cornhusking was once considered almost a sport. There were once actually cornhusking contests, as farmers "kept score" on the bushels shucked per acre per day.
Most of the crop was harvested in the field and called for extra hired men whose skill sometimes gained them a reputation well beyond their home communities. Evidently, if you got good enough, you could play football for Nebraska.
But as much as I respect Nebraska football and have grown to love their smash mouth style from the old school Tom Osborne days, I have never never warmed up to the nickname "Cornhusker."
I will go so far as to say that it beats many other provincial choices like, "Boll Weevils," "Scarecrows" or "Tree."
While Cornhuskers is unique and steeped in tradition, the all-time awesome nickname is the Nebraska defense's "Blackshirts" that was spawned by getting a deal on practice jerseys.
That name is kick-ass, just like Nebraska football. Welcome to the Big Ten.
2010 REVIEW
Nebraska came into 2010 on a natural high after a 10-4 campaign and a Big 12 North Division title in 2009. They lost to Texas 13-12 in an epic Big 12 Championship game and then pummeled 22nd ranked Arizona 33-0 in the Holiday Bowl.
With 2010 expectations higher than my 61-year-old stoner neighbor Bob, Nebraska whipped through its first five games, winning each game by two touchdowns or more while riding some impressive quarterback play from freshman QB Taylor Martinez.
The buzz kill came at the hands of an average Texas team at Lincoln, 20-13.
Nebraska climbed right back on the party wagon and churned through four more wins before getting upset at Texas A & M 9-6, taking it out its frustrations on Colorado 45-17, then losing to Oklahoma in a well played Big 12 title game 23-20.
The Cornhuskers then stank up the place in losing to Jake Locker and Washington in the Holiday Bowl, 19-7. The loss was especially grating since Nebraska had beaten Washington at Washington 56-21 earlier in the year.
Although ninth in the country in rushing, Nebraska’s overall passing offense was a miserable 113th. Although nothing spectacular, the scoring offense was ranked a respectable 39th when the dust cleared.
Defensively, last year Nebraska was 45th in the nation in sacks, a pathetic 112th in tackles for loss and 63rd against the run. Despite its weak points, the defense was pretty damn tough, finishing ninth in the country in scoring defense.
COACHING CHANGE
The stagnant offense in all four of Nebraska’s losses prompted head coach Bo Pelini to take a good hard look in the mirror and then fire his offensive coordinator, Shawn Watson. Watson’s 25 years of experience has been replaced by Nebraska assistant Tim Beck, with three years as a Kansas wide receivers coach and two as Nebraska’s running backs coach on his resume.
I am sensing a “Yes man” scenario here, but I have never been drunk in a Nebraska bar to confirm my theory.
According to recent reports, the plan is to run a version of the spread and to attack even more, a task which, when asked, a seasoned Watson evidently covered his ears and made loud noises until it went away, and him with it.
2011 PROSPECTS
Although there is no way of knowing if Beck knows what he’s doing, there should be enough offense returning to do whatever it is he does. The offensive line loses three full-time starters and big I-back Roy Helu is gone, but the Huskers return six starters on offense, including RB Rex Burkhead’s 172 carries for 1,195 yards.
As for the O-line, Nebraska and Wisconsin are the two programs in the country that never seems to have trouble replacing a big nasty with something even bigger and nastier.
Athletic quarterback Taylor Martinez had a great first half, hit the rookie wall with a vengeance in the second half and finished the year with 1,631 yards 10 TD’s and seven interceptions to go with his 965 yards rushing. The job is open for business with talented passing option Cody Green hoping to get his shot in a new offensive system.
That passing game was 113th in the nation last year, averaging just 151 yards per game, and the coaching staff is looking to change that immediately. To help shoulder the load, leading receiver Brandon Kinnie returns with his 44 receptions for 494 yards and five TD’s to go with TE Kyler Reed’s 22 receptions for 395 yards and eight TD’s.
You can bet Nebraska will be shaking plenty of bushes to find additional playmakers as spring and fall camp unfolds.
Despite having the ninth best scoring defense in the country, Nebraska was 45th in the nation in sacks, and 112th in tackles for loss. As we all know, Nebraska under Bo Pelini isn’t doing what it’s supposed to unless it’s blowing up offenses by terrorizing opposing backfields.
For 2011, the Huskers return seven starters on defense. Defensive end Pierre Allen is gone, but everyone else on the two-deep defensive line returns and Jared Crick may be the best defensive tackle in America. The secondary has to replace super-corner Prince Amukamara and safety DeJon Gomes.
Restocking the secondary may not be that tough to do. Corner Alfonzo Dennard, while not as big as Amukamura, is an instinctive ball-hawk who some observers thought was a better corner as the season wore down.
Strong safety Courtney Osbourne is back too. Throw in sophomore Ciante Evans, who got considerable playing time last year, along with incoming freshman Charles Jackson and Nebraska's secondary may be as strong in 2011 as it was in 2010, which was pretty damn strong.
For all its issues, Nebraska’s erratic offense put up 30.9 points per game in 2010, which would have been good for fifth in the Big Ten. Their 10th ranked overall defense would have finished second only to Ohio State.
2011 SCHEDULE AND PREDICTION
Nebraska catches OSU at home in Whistlin’ Jimmy Tressel and the Tatt Five’s first game back from suspensions, plays at Wisconsin, and also gets Iowa and Michigan State at home.
Look for the Huskers’ new offense to gel behind another solid defense as Nebraska finishes 6-2 in its inaugural Big Ten conference season.
Legends Division: Northwestern Wildcats
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All you need to know about Northwestern is that they are really smart, as evidenced by their Latin motto "Quaecumque sunt vera," loosely translated as "Whatsoever things are true."
You know your school is really smart when your motto makes almost no sense in two different languages, one of them dead.
Northwestern is in Evanston, Illinois, a city named after Northwestern founder John Evans, and is named after the Northwest Territory, which was a pretty big deal back in 1851, although with time the true import has lost most of its historical and geographical significance.
This issue has manifested itself in many ways, the main one being the chaos spawned every Parents Day Weekend, when thousands of lost families head west out of Chicago, only to find "Northwestern" is actually due north.
As with many things Northwestern, this all makes almost no sense today, although consistent with the school motto.
With outstanding students and one of the highest football graduation rates in the country, Northwestern has plenty to be proud of. If college football's most important numbers were GPA instead of the number of reps at 225 pounds, Northwestern would be in the title game every year.
As it is, they often excel in a very physical conference with players that often have to outsmart instead of outrun, and sometimes they get enough athletes to pound on people while they're at it.
2010 REVIEW
Although the smartest Big Ten team since roughly 1876, the Wildcats are rarely able to outsmart the Big Ten’s 300 pound, 4.9 40 guys, and 2010 was no different.
The Northwestern Wildcats finished the season 7–6 overall, 3–5 and tied for eighth with Michigan in Big Ten play. The Royal Purple was invited to the inaugural Ticket City Bowl, where they were defeated by Texas Tech 38–45.
The 2010 Wildcats were as up and down as a 7-6 record might suggest. They blew a late lead to co-Big Ten champion Michigan State and beat a strong Iowa team. They lost to a bad Purdue team at home. After starting quarterback Dan Persa went down with a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon on the same play he threw the game-winning touchdown pass with 1:22 remaining against Iowa, the season degenerated into hell.
Without their leader, a 7-3 start finished out with three straight losses, as the defense kindly got out of the way, giving up 45, 70 and 45 in losses to Illinois, Wisconsin and Texas Tech, respectively.
Statistically, the Wildcats’ offense was okay, but simply not impressive in any area, ranking 67th in scoring offense backed by 235 yards passing and 156 yards rushing per game. The 26.4 points per game was ninth in the Big Ten. Suffice it to say, the normally prolific Northwestern offense was rather pedestrian in 2010.
The problem last year included a line that was a disaster in pass protection and a slew of running backs that probably shouldn’t have been in the Big Ten. Case in point, my 89-year-old, 175 pound mom snuck into practice on several occasions and used her dazzling array of spin moves to record double-digit sacks each time before Fitzgerald put a quick end to her shenanigans by prohibiting whiskey on the practice field.
As for the ground attack, RB Mike Trumpy had a wrist problem that limited his effectiveness, and nobody else showed they cared that much for running into people. Going into 2010, there was enough quickness and options to expect a decent ground game working behind a supposedly strong offensive front. Instead, the experienced offensive line was dreadful, allowing a Big Ten-worst 40 sacks, and the running game went nowhere unless Dan Persa opted for the tuck and run.
As marginal as Northwestern was at moving the football, it was even worse at stopping opponents, coming in ranked at 77th in the country in scoring defense and 93rd in yards per game. The numbers backed up what the coaches already knew: Teams could move the ball at will on the Wildcats, but they didn’t score every time. Almost every time, but not every time.
Going into 2010, the defensive line had the size and the upside to come up with a good season, and it had its moments, but the pass rush was non-existent and the ends were erased more times than a third grade chalkboard. The run defense became even more of a concern after taking the last three games of November off to catch up on their Organic Chemistry studies.
2011 PROSPECTS
Going into 2011, the offense will be returning nine starters. Leading the returning group is tireless worker QB Dan Persa, along with his 2,581 yards passing, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions to go with his 519 yards and nine rushing TD’s. Most importantly, he will bring the leadership that all but vanished at the end of 2010.
Backup Evan Watkins will have a full offseason of work to take over if Persa doesn’t heal. Offensively, Watkins has the size and the potential to be the next great Wildcat quarterback, but everyone will be waiting to see if Persa’s Achilles is 100 percent or close to it.
At running back, Mike Trumpy had his moments with 530 yards on 116 carries, and could be the featured back if Adonis Smith doesn’t become a more dynamic option. By the time the season starts, true freshmen Jordan Perkins and Nick VanHoose might be the best options.
After camping out under coach Fitz’s porch for three weeks straight to get my shot at a roster spot at running back, my new buddy Pat admitted that he likes my size, my ability to withstand the frigid Chicago winter with nothing but half a bottle of whiskey and a garbage bag and my uncanny ability to take a good beating after a few shots of Wild Turkey.
Notwithstanding my sterling athletic resume, after administering a second beating to make sure I got his teaching points, he also explained that I’m not a realistic option until I get my 40 time down to where the stop watch actually needs a second hand. Disappointed as I was, you have to admire the guy for his honesty.
At receiver, targets Demetrius Fields, Drake Dunsmore, Jeremy Ebert, and Rashad Lawrence bring back a combined 139 catches for 1,503 yards and 15 touchdowns. Up front, four upperclassmen offensive lineman return, but if they don’t show they can do a better job moving people around and keeping the hounds away from Persa, head coach Pat Fitzgerald may bench them and just do it himself.
As he did with me, Fitzgerald has laid down the law for a veteran defense in 2011: Fight for your job and if you’re not bringing the lumber and toughness with every play, expect to watch from the sideline with the rest of the fans.
Despite losing DT Corbin Bryant and linebackers Quentin Davis and Nate Williams, the Wildcats return four solid players to the front seven and three of four defensive backs. With the defensive train wreck at the end of last season fresh in coach Fitzgerald’s mind, there will still be open competition for all the jobs.
If nothing else, expect a much tougher equipment manager in 2011.
To improve the defense, the focus will be mainly on defensive ends Vince Brown and Kevin Watt on the outside to see if they can show more moves and be more disruptive. They’re big defenders with decent skills, but they’ll be pushed by Tyler Scott and Quentin Williams.
If the ends don’t get the job done, then the coaching staff will start using the outside linebackers more in the pass rush when they should be worrying about holding up against the run.
2011 SCHEDULE AND PREDICTION
The schedule in Big Ten play isn’t all that bad, with tough trips to Iowa and Nebraska, but the next toughest game is a winnable home date against Michigan State. Penn State and Michigan also have to come to Evanston.
With a veteran team returning and a relatively soft schedule, look for a Dan Persa-led Northwestern to bounce back with a 5-3 Big 10 season.
Leaders Division: Ohio State Buckeyes
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Historical facts:
In 1891, there was exactly one car in Ohio, and James William Lambert wrecked it, becoming the first automobile accident in world history. The accident occurred in Ohio City, Ohio. I'm assuming he was driving down Ohio street on his way to somewhere in Ohio.
Buckeyes are actually several tree species of the genus Aesculus, "buckeyes" are not edible and serve no useful purpose.
Across the world, with no particular prompting, if you put any four Ohioans together, they will eventually stand in a line to contort their arms and legs in a makeshift human spelling of "OHIO" and take a picture. If they have a baby with them, they will place it on the head of the third person to dot the "i."
In 1955, head coach Wayne Woodrow Hayes used money he received from his weekly television show to make small personal loans to financially-needy players on his team for expenses such as clothing and travel expenses, with the full knowledge of the NCAA. Try that one today.
Oh yeah, the Buckeyes play great football, and they've been doing it forever.
2010 REVIEW
According to many of the Buckeye supporters, Ohio State did what everybody expected them to do in 2010: a 12-1 record, the now annual demolition of Michigan and a dramatic Sugar Bowl win over SEC power Arkansas.
The nation’s 11th ranked scoring offense and fifth ranked scoring defense had a little trouble rolling Illinois and Iowa on the road, but they survived.
For their only loss, a top-ranked OSU got steamrolled by Wisconsin’s cheese-eating horde at Camp Randall Stadium in a bruising display of power football that has become a trademark of the Badger program over the years.
And according to many of the Buckeye detractors, Ohio State did what everybody expected them to do in 2010: They violated NCAA rules. Then head coach Jim Tressel lied about it.
Of course, the noble and ethical NCAA suspended Terrell Pryor, Dan Herron, DeVier Posey, Mike Adams and Solomon Thomas for five games for getting free tattoos and selling off their jerseys and bling. And of course, the only fair thing to do was to defer the suspensions until the 2011 season so the NCAA could nobly and ethically count all the TV revenue and Sugar Bowl money before the suspensions took effect.
When it came to light Jim Tressel knew about the violations and lied to OSU and the NCAA about his knowledge, he nobly and ethically decided he too should be suspended for five games, evidently so he can spend more quality time lecturing Pryor and the other violators about nobility and ethics.
2011 PROSPECTS
So, as it stands, the Buckeyes will be breaking in a new QB, starting wideout, offensive tackle and first string running back for the first five games of 2011, without the all-seeing Red Vest to soothe the savage troops. That would mean the Tatt Five and Jim “Look at me, I’m Nixon!!!” Tressel will not be around for Michigan State’s visit to the Horseshoe on October 1st for the conference opener.
All that leaves a fine mess to sort out as the Buckeyes plan for the 2011 season. Until Pryor is done spending the first five weeks writing “I will not sell my bling” on the locker room chalkboard, will the QB be senior Joe Bauserman as the steady, safe option, or will super-recruit Braxton Miller be handed the keys to a really fast car? It could be the biggest sports talk position battle in all of spring football.
It doesn’t help that during the quarterback transition, the offensive line loses both guards to graduation, and suspended tackle Mike Adams for the first five games.
There are actually more issues than the five game temp service to start the Buckeye season.
The Road to the Roses isn’t all roses after the Tatt Five and the Tarnished Sweater Vest return. There won’t be any non-conference marshmallow warm-up time for Pryor and the boys with a trip to Lincoln, a date at Illinois and the battle against Wisconsin on tap in the first three games following the suspensions.
To complicate complicated matters, the defense loses seven starters, including key linemen Cameron Heyward and Dexter Larimore, linebackers Brian Rolle and Ross Homan and three starting defensive backs. Yes, Ohio State is a football factory with two or three central Ohio barns full of NFL-quality talent, but replacing seven college starters on defense in one year is a problem no matter what the overall talent level.
And despite all the talent, the pass rush is a concern. A 6'2" and 270 pound junior defensive tackle John Simon was a rock against the run and was one of the team’s best players at coming up with plays behind the line. But even with the emergence of Simon and the tremendous talents of Heyward and Larimore up front, the Buckeyes came up with a measly 23 sacks on the season and were a pedestrian 64th in the nation in tackles for loss.
As usual for OSU, the defensive line should have the talent to overcome any deficiencies, with Simon joined by senior DE Nathan Williams, and newcomers DE Adam Bellamy and DT Johnathan Hankins having strong freshmen campaigns.
Three starters in the secondary are gone, including top cover-corner Chimdi Chekwa, and while there isn’t a solid passing game to worry about until October 1st against Michigan State, the new secondary will have to come together quickly around all-star in the making in safety Orhian Johnson.
Despite more raw talent than the last three seasons of America’s Top Model, Ohio State faces a mountain of obstacles in 2011 both off and on the field. The NCAA will definitely be taking a closer look at the OSU recruiting practices that has garnered top five classes since the invention of the football, and there’s no telling what a woman scorned will find, and punish.
The overall impact of Tressel’s and his player’s absence on the team’s continuity is hard to quantify, but it’s not likely to be positive and it could get much worse when they look at what else is in Tressel’s closet.
2011 SCHEDULE AND PREDICTION
On the field, a road game at Nebraska the first week after suspensions, then off to Illinois before Wisconsin rolls in is a tough stretch. Add testers Penn State, MSU and a year end road trip to traditional rival Michigan and a reloaded OSU has a tough path to the top of the dumbass Leaders division.
Still, this is the Ohio State University, not the University of Ohio.
The Buckeyes can simply out-talent most of the Big Ten, so look for them to recover enough after the suspensions to still end up 6-2 in conference play.
Leaders Division: Penn State Nittany Lions
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Just so everyone knows, I need to clarify that Penn State is not just any Lion, it’s a “Nittany” Lion, and is not to be confused with a “Nit” Lion, which would be insulting, or a “Knitting” Lion, which is less insulting, but probably more docile than the Penn State fanbase would care for.
The origins of "Nittany" are a bit obscure, but most likely the term comes from an Algonquian-speaking tribe meaning, "single mountain." Today the description applies to the mountain that separates what is modern-day Penns Valley and Nittany Valley.
In other words, whether Penn State fans want to admit it or not, they are just fancy schmancy mountain lions. In most years, those mountain lions are also some of the best linebackers and defensive ends in the country.
2010 REVIEW
In other notes of historical interest, 2010 was a down year by Penn State standards. Joe Paterno’s young squad was 7-6 and like kids do, showed a maddening inconsistency throughout the year. Decisive road losses at Alabama, Iowa and Ohio State were probably expected, but home losses to Illinois and Michigan State were not.
Losing to Florida in Urban Meyers’ ta ta bowl did nothing to lighten the Nittany Lions’ offseason mood.
The inconsistency started when Rob Bolden became the first true freshman to start the season opening game at quarterback for Penn State since Shorty Miller on September 1, 1910, which by pure coincidence, also happened to be Joe Paterno’s 50th birthday.
Penn State’s 81st ranked scoring offense was mediocre throughout 2010 with a paltry 24.5 points per game and couldn’t find anything that consistently worked. Aside from the youth at quarterback, Penn State’s real struggles last year can almost all be pointed to mediocre line play.
It got so bad that at one point, my mom and four of my five sisters made their way to the top of the O-line depth chart before gender, age and enrollment issues ended their bid to put some solid push into the running game. True story.
The offensive line was solid in pass protection, but it didn’t do nearly enough for the ground game that averaged only 143 yards per game, putting way too much responsibility on young quarterbacks with predictably poor results.
While the scoring defense wasn’t a total disaster, finishing 50th in the nation, it was hardly up to normal Penn State standards. The perennially fierce pass rush finished 101th in the nation in sacks and 75th in tackles for loss. As a result, the defense didn’t help out the struggling offense.
2011 PROSPECTS
Offensively, for 2011, Penn State will lose some key players, including all-time leading rusher Evan Royster and offensive linemen Stefen Wisniewski, Lou Eliades and Doug Klopacz. The good news is there should be some capable players stepping in.
Everyone else of note comes back to the offense, including sophomore Robert Bolden to battle junior Matt McGloin for the starting quarterback job after threatening to transfer.
The development of a true starting quarterback is critical if Penn State expects to make any noise in the Big Ten in 2011. For Penn State to be successful, Robert Bolden has to keep progressing and has to be allowed to live through his mistakes. After Bolden went down with a concussion, Matt McGloin wasn’t actually all that great with 1,548 yards, 14 TD’s and nine interceptions, but he happened to produce against some mediocre defenses and a few people still think he can play.
If McGloin is given the reps at starter, interception issues and all, Bolden’s development might not happen. Ever. With no clear cut choice heading into spring, throw Kevin Newsome in the mix—after being expected to possibly be the man going into last year—and add Paul Jones as a sleeper in the race. The job is wide open, but it has to be shut as soon as possible to maximize the development of whoever gets the starting nod.
To help whoever ends up calling signals, wide receivers Derek Moye, Justin Brown and Devon Smith return with a combined 113 catches for 1,700 yards and 10 TD’s. With 437 yards and a gaudy 5.7 yards per carry, 5’10”, 200 pound, 4.45 40 sophomore Silas Redd already has people thinking about the next time the school's all-time rushing record will be broken.
Eight starters are back from a 44th ranked defense that was good, but not great. The linebacking corps needs some work and the best player, DT Ollie Ogbu, is gone. The defensive line does get three starters back and the secondary should be solid with everyone returning.
2011 SCHEDULE AND PREDICTION
There are only three road games in the first 10 going to Temple, Indiana and Northwestern, but the Nittany Lions have to finish with the conference schedule against Illinois, Nebraska, then at Ohio State and at Wisconsin.
With continuing quarterback issues, an underwhelming offense and sub-par defense by Penn State standards, the Nittany Lions’ tough conference schedule looks to dictate a 4-4 finish.
Leaders Division: Purdue Boilermakers
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I'd just like to say before any discussion of Purdue Boilermaker football, let it be known that I'm all in for any team that’s named after a shot and a beer.
2010 REVIEW
The Purdue Boilermakers are not off to the successful start Danny Hope had hoped for in his first two seasons as the head coach. After a 5-7 first year, last season, Purdue dropped to a record of 4-8 and 2-6 in conference play.
For the most part, many of the answers to Purdue’s problems in 2010 can be found at Wabash Valley Hospital.
Top RB Ralph Bolden was out going into the season after suffering a knee injury, but there was hope he could’ve come back. It didn’t happen. Even so, the passing game was supposed to be productive with Miami transfer QB Robert Marve in and WR Keith Smith back after an All-America caliber 2009.
Smith was lost for the year in Week 2 with a knee injury, and Marve also got hurt and was gone for the year. Also getting hurt was backup quarterback Sean Robinson with an injured hand.
In a desperate move, Hope called me to see if I would come out of retirement as the emergency backup, but I myself was recovering from an unfortunate bar stool incident at the time, so the job went to QB Rob Henry, since he was already on the roster and all.
A bandaged and ragtag crew limped through the year with the 105th scoring offense in the country. To tell you how bad the passing game was, the middling 49th ranked 160.8 yards a game rushing attack beat their own 112th ranked passing attack by a full ten yards per game.
Defensively, a secondary that was repeatedly torched led to the 74th ranked scoring defense in the country. It could have been a lot worse if the pass rush hadn’t gone bat-crazy on opposing offenses.
The Boilermaker defense was solid at getting into the backfield in 2009, finishing 22nd in the nation in sacks and 32nd in tackles for loss, but mostly because the All-America play from end Ryan Kerrigan led to a phenomenal year for the league’s most disruptive defensive front.
Purdue finished first in the Big Ten in sacks and tackles for loss, however, all the havoc didn’t translate into production against the pass as the team started with almost zero experience in the secondary and didn’t learn much from a massive number of mistakes as the season wore on.
2011 PROSPECTS
Looking to 2011, sixteen starters are back on offense and defense and while the talent level might not be top-shelf and there won’t be any run at the Leaders title, this could be one of the Big Ten’s most improved teams.
Yes, there’s experience across the board with seven starters back on offense, but the 105th ranked scoring attack was last in the Big Ten in yards, points and passing, and it has a long way to go to just get rid of the stink from last year.
To try to improve a 112th ranked passing attack, QB Robert Marve comes back from injury with his 512 yards and three touchdowns before going down. His main replacement Rob Henry threw for 996 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for 547 yards and four TD’s while filling in. If Marve can stay healthy, the Purdue offense has nowhere to go but up.
In 2009, RB Ralph Bolden had amassed 935 rushing yards on 200 carries with 20 receptions for 261 yards. After sitting out all of 2010, his return will be more than welcome. The RB crew has already taken a hit as talented but often injured Al-Terek McBurse has decided to leave football prior to spring practice.
On the other side of the ball, only two starters are gone from the 2010 defense, but they’re good ones. Purdue had to say goodbye to LB Jason Werner off the strong side and All-American Ryan Kerrigan, one of the nation’s leading pass rushers.
And yes, the entire secondary returns intact, but considering they often had trouble staying with my grandpa Ron and his motorized shopping cart, that’s not much to get excited about.
The defensive tackles, led by rising star Kawann Short, should be good, but the key to the line will be the emergence of DE Gerald Gooden. He’s going to try to be the No. 1 pass rusher, but the hope will be for Adam Brockman and Robert Maci to show something worth getting excited about.
2011 SCHEDULE AND PREDICTION
Overall, experience and health will make Purdue a vastly improved team over the 2010 model, but unfortunately for the Boilermaker faithful, they have a few light years to go to get to respectability, and their Big Ten schedule doesn’t help them out much.
Although they get perennial conference doormats Minnesota and Indiana, they play home games against Illinois, Iowa and Ohio State with road games at Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Although Purdue might actually steal a win or two, look for them to stay at 2-6 in conference play in 2011
Leaders Divison: Wisconsin Badgers
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It’s good to live in a state where your school mascot is often mistaken for a skunk, it's common for people to wear cheese hats in public and where pubs outnumber churches four to one.
It's even better when if anybody says anything about it, your football team can crush them like an empty beer can.
Welcome to Badger football.
2010 REVIEW
In 2009, Wisconsin went 10-3. In 2010, they did even better.
Despite a 10 point loss to MSU and losing in the last minute to TCU in the Rose Bowl, Wisconsin’s had a pretty solid 11-2 season.
Noteworthy was a 31-18 demolition of No. 1 rated Ohio State in front of the rabid Camp Randall crowd.
Along the way, a bruising Wisconsin offense put up 48 on Michigan, 70 each on Austin Peay and Northwestern and 83 on a helpless Indiana.
Senior quarterback Scott Tolzien was fourth in the nation in efficiency and led the Big Ten, completing 72.9 percent of his passes for 2,459 yards, and 16 TD’s. Wisconsin’s offense passed for almost 200 yards a game and rushed for another 246 on the way to the nation’s fifth ranked scoring offense.
The Badgers defense led by J.J. Watt got the job done with the nation’s 25th best scoring defense. There wasn’t a lot of production behind the line with just 23 sacks while finishing 91st in the nation in tackles for loss, but despite the lack of pressure, with a solid defensive system some average corners rarely got toasted.
COACHING CHANGE
For 2011, with Badger’s defensive coordinator Dan Doeren taking over the Northern Illinois head coaching gig, head coach Bret Bielema made secondary coach Chris Ash his defensive coordinator. With a good nucleus coming back from last year’s solid defense, getting the coaching pecking order in place before spring ball started was vital and, with Bielema’s help, Ash should be able to step up and continue where Doeren left off.
2011 PROSPECTS
Offensively, in 2011 QB Tolzien will be gone, along with All-American tight end Lance Kendricks and All American linemen Gabe Carimi and John Moffitt.
Yes, senior QB Tolzien is gone, but Curt Phillips, coming off a knee injury, could be a more talented player and Jon Budmayr is a strong prospect. Phillips, if he’s back at 100 percent, will add more of a rushing element to the mix and should look like some of the more mobile Badger quarterbacks. Budmayer is a short, solid passer who might not look the part, but is a player.
With tackle Gabe Carimi gone and one-time super-recruit Josh Oglesby trying to overcome knee injury, the Badger line needs a new star at left tackle. Casey Dehn was the understudy last year and he has the prerequisite size and skills to be solid. As an alternative, Ricky Wagner may move over from the right side to the left. It’s Wisconsin and the line will be fine, but it would be a big boost if the right combination starts to come together this spring.
Running behind the three returning lineman and two new starters will be returning the Three Big-Time Amigos in RB’s John Clay, James White and Montee Ball. This group combined for 2,829 yards and a school record 44 touchdowns last season.
A good core of receivers returns in Nick Toon, Jared Abbrederis, Isaac Anderson and Jacob Pedersen. That group combined for 88 receptions, 1,113 yards and six touchdowns.
Defensively, departed linebackers Culmer St. Jean and Blake Sorensen will be missed, but there are several candidates eager to step up. While prototype NFL defensive end J.J. Watt bolted early for the NFL with his 11.5 career sacks and 36.5 tackles for loss, the Badgers still return a solid defensive front.
The run defense was excellent and the line more than held its own throughout the season. Tackles Jordan Kohout and Patrick Butrym are keepers who should be the foundation for the 2011 defense, and senior DE Louis Nzegwu is steady if not spectacular on the outside.
Senior free safety Aaron Henley and senior CB Antonio Fenelus return to the secondary, with junior Shelton Johnson taking over at strong safety and senior Devin Smith manning the other corner in 2011. The secondary should be solid and experienced, though not spectacular.
2011 SCHEDULE AND PREDICTION
Wisconsin’s conference schedule is tough, but not terrible. They open at home against Nebraska, then host Indiana before traveling to MSU and Ohio State. They finish with Purdue, at Minnesota and Illinois, then wrap it up with Penn State at Camp Randall.
Wisconsin returns two thirds of its rushing offense, and the better portion of a very stout defense. If their shiny new quarterback can manage the team and the offensive line can come together quickly enough, Wisconsin has all the necessary parts to go 7-1 in conference play.
Summary
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With the new divisional setup and the addition of the endless cornfields of Nebraska as a sparkling new attraction, the venerable Big Ten will have a new look and feel, steeped in tradition yet wrapped in a saucy new burrito. There are a number of potential new rivalries, like Iowa/Nebraska, with the preservation of many sacred ones, like Michigan/Ohio State.
With the exception of the dumbass division names, the conference did a pretty good job of joining the 21st century.
On the field, the 116th edition of the Big Ten should be loads of fun to watch. Every team in the Big Ten will have some noticeable flaws, some more than others. That being said, with the possible exceptions of the grossly undermanned teams from Minnesota and Indiana, the conference has a lot of quality football teams that have the potential to be a lot better than they look on paper today.
Quality or not, with the not so recent invention of the endless college overtime, one of two teams must lose each game. Based on my previously stated sage analysis abetted by an occasional coin flip, my choice of where to sprinkle these losses ended up as follows:
- Wisconsin 7-1
- Ohio State 6-2
- Illinois 5-3
- Penn State 4-4
- Purdue 2-6
- Indiana 0-8
- Nebraska 6-2
- Michigan 5-3
- Northwestern 5-3
- Iowa 4-4
- Michigan State 4-4
- Minnesota 0-8
In the first ever Big Ten Championship, expect Wisconsin to beat the new kid on the block and defend the honor of the conference against the welcome product from the Big 12.
Also expect some apologetic marketing suit to reluctantly explain to Commissioner Delany what “East” and “West” mean so we can ditch the dumbass Leaders and Legends crap and get back to some great hard-nosed football.
Note that, except for a few key instances, my in-depth analysis excludes almost any talk of incoming recruits. This is not an oversight, as it is my learned theory honed over countless years of binge drinking coupled with heated bar conversations that, however athletic or gifted, any gains from the input of recent high school seniors is almost always offset by rookie mistakes that more experienced but possibly less talented upperclassmen would not make, or would make less often.
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.png?w=600 "2027 NFL Mock Draft 🔮")
