Big Ten Football: Ranking the 10 Best Under-the-Radar Players After Week 2
The 2014 college football season is now two weeks old, and we certainly have our list of superstars and playmakers. But the Big Ten is full of top-tier athletes making a difference for their teams, and despite a lack of attention, these under-the-radar players are making big impacts in the Big Ten.
Every great quarterback needs great wide receivers, and every great running back needs great offensive linemen. There are even quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs that are overlooked because of their team's overall lack of success.
These players are some of the best Big Ten players in 2014, so it's a bit strange we haven't heard more about them. We'll remedy that right now.
Unless otherwise noted, quotes or references to quotes were obtained firsthand by the writer.
Bobby Richardson, DL, Indiana
1 of 10
We'll start our list with one of the Big Ten's most unlikely defensive stars from one of the most unlikely of places: Indiana. Bobby Richardson and his Indiana Hoosiers have played just one game so far in 2014, but that hasn't stopped Richardson from sharing the lead in the Big Ten in sacks with three.
Indiana has put together one of the nation's more dynamic offenses, but the same definitely cannot be said about the defense. Indiana has consistently lost football games despite scoring better than 38 points per game last season.
Maybe with more dynamic defenders like Richardson, that perception of abysmally weak defenses in Bloomington, Ind. will begin to change.
Wes Lunt, QB, Illinois
2 of 10
It's probably not surprising when a quarterback from a team as unsuccessful as Illinois has been over the past several seasons doesn't get a whole lot of press coverage. But after two weeks, Lunt has turned in one of the best early performances we've seen from any signal-caller in the Big Ten.
Lunt is averaging 370.5 yards per game, second in the Big Ten, but has also put together a seven-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio thus far.
Illinois has faced FCS Youngstown State and Western Kentucky, so we'll have to see how Lunt handles stronger defenses once the Big Ten portion of the schedule begins on September 27. But in the meantime, Lunt is flying under the radar despite putting up some impressive numbers.
Kemoko Turay, DL, Rutgers
3 of 10
It's far too soon to anoint freshman Rutgers defensive lineman Kemoko Turay a superstar, but his stock is definitely rising early shortly after its IPO.
The New Jersey native currently shares the Big Ten lead in sacks with Indiana's Bobby Richardson, and Rutgers will certainly need more big plays from Turay later this season if the Scarlet Knights hope to make any noise in their first Big Ten season.
And if that happens, Turay won't be under the radar for long.
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Raheem Mostert, RB, Purdue
4 of 10
There's no getting around it: Purdue is awful, just awful. The Boilermakers were able to sneak past Western Michigan, a MAC program that was 1-11 a year ago, only to get trounced by a mediocre-at-best MAC program in Central Michigan in Week 2.
Purdue is 1-13 against its last 14 FBS opponents, and there's little evidence showing the Boilermakers are ready to make any great leaps anytime soon. Still, Purdue isn't completely devoid of talent.
Senior running back Raheem Mostert is one of those talented Boilermakers lost on a team that is often ignored due to its lack of success in the win column.
Mostert already has nearly 200 yards rushing through two weeks, averaging 99.5 yards per game He's averaging nearly 4.9 yards per carry and is the only Purdue rusher appearing among the Big Ten's top-20 ball-carriers.
With his skills, he would get much more attention with a program with better offensive credentials, or at least with better talent surrounding him.
Paul James, RB, Rutgers
5 of 10
We need to add a caveat to this particular selection. Paul James, the junior running back from Rutgers, is flying under the radar in the Big Ten in large part because Rutgers is new to the Big Ten. Folks at Rutgers and around the Scarlet Knights' former conference, the AAC, are familiar with his skills. But in the Big Ten, he's only now starting to garner some attention.
But if you're a Rutgers fan, don't worry: If James keeps up his current pace in 2014, folks all around the Big Ten will begin to take notice.
James is averaging over 100 yards per game (108.0) and has a Big Ten-leading four touchdowns through two weeks. As we edge closer and closer to conference play, don't be surprised if teams around the East Division start scheming their defenses around this currently under-the-radar playmaker.
Jordan Lucas, DB, Penn State
6 of 10
Penn State has certainly been on one heckuva roller coaster over the past several seasons, and junior corner Jordan Lucas has seen it all. His opponents are seeing a lot of balls thrown in his direction swatted down.
Lucas leads the Big Ten is passes defended with four through two weeks, and he's also added nine tackles (including one for loss).
With everything going on in Happy Valley—new, superstar head coach, young phenom quarterback—it's easy to understand why Lucas isn't getting a ton of conference-wide attention. Now, we'll just have to see how long the press is able to stay away.
David Cobb, RB, Minnesota
7 of 10
Minnesota is emerging from a long hibernation. The Gophers had become the proverbial doormat in the Big Ten, but head coach Jerry Kill is slowly changing the culture at Minnesota.
What's dangerous for the rest of the conference is the fact that it's happening very quietly.
One of the quietly dominant players is senior running back David Cobb. After two games in 2014, Cobb leads all Big Ten rushers who have played two games with 145.5 yards per game. He's scored twice and averages 6.8 yards per carry.
Cobb also leads the Big Ten in attempts with 43. He clearly figures to be a major part of Minnesota's 2014 campaign, and we suspect that before November rolls around, many more people will know Coob's reputation.
Geno Lewis, WR, Penn State
8 of 10
We mentioned in the intro that every great quarterback needs great receivers, and Geno Lewis might very well be the next great receiver for Christian Hackenberg at Penn State.
Unfortunately for his notoriety, his name isn't Hackenberg or Franklin. It seems as if conference-wide and national media can't focus on anything other than the amazing quarterback and the coach who looks to be finally taking the program in the right direction.
Still, Lewis has been impressive so far in 2014. Lewis is second in the Big Ten, averaging 135.5 receiving yards per game, and he's averaging better than 19.3 yards per reception. Add in his ability to make defenders miss in the open, and you suddenly have a young sophomore who could become one of the Big Ten's top receivers over the course of his career.
Penn State won't be winning any titles in 2014 (thanks to those lingering NCAA sanctions), but the future is certainly brighter thanks to Hackenberg, Franklin and now Geno Lewis.
Gary Nova, QB, Rutgers
9 of 10
Like Paul James, Gary Nova is relatively unknown to Big Ten fans. Prior to this season, even Rutgers fans who were very familiar with Nova weren't all that sold on him as a starting quarterback. In 2013, Nova completed just 54.5 percent of his passes and threw a whopping 14 interceptions compared to just 18 touchdowns.
Apparently, conference affiliations isn't the only thing changing in Piscataway.
So far in 2014, Nova has thrown six touchdowns (second in the Big Ten) and just one interception. His completion percentage has vastly improved to 67.4 percent, and he leads the conference with 12.2 yards per pass attempt.
With the rest of the conference struggling early in 2014, maybe Nova and Rutgers could surprise by becoming a shining star of the East Division this season.
Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana
10 of 10
There are quite a few people who have clued in to the impact being made by Tevin Coleman at Indiana. After two weeks, Coleman is third in the Big Ten in rushing yards—despite having played just one game.
Coleman leads the Big Ten with 10.7 yards per carry (on 23 carries).
Some might scoff at his numbers, given the fact that they come from a single game against an a really bad FCS program (Indiana State, 1-11 in 2013). But compare his current numbers to last season, and you'll start seeing that his impressive performance already in 2014 isn't that far off of his norm.
In 2013, Coleman averaged 7.3 yards per carry in nine games while scoring 12 touchdowns. Now we just need to sit back and see if his numbers continue to improve in Week 3 against Bowling Green State.
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