College Football: Power Ranking The Big Ten Defenses After Week One

Defense is a relative thing, where stats don't always tell the whole picture.

For example, if a defense let's up 102 yards rushing to Wisconsin, then that defense has performed pretty well. On the other hand, if a defense let's up 102 yards rushing to FCS Murray State, that defense has not had an impressive game.

Furthermore, the defensive style of a team dictates the statistics, and, to some degree, the defense's performance..

For instance, Iowa plays the infamous bend-don't-break defense. They rarely blitz, almost always play two safeties deep, allow the underneath stuff, and are looking for teams to get impatient, and try their luck long. Statistically, this often leads to quarterbacks with a high completion percentage, yet also a low yards per attempt.

Meanwhile, Northwestern is blitz happy. They show a lot of different looks and will send pass rushers from every possible position. This leads to a fair amount of sacks, but it is also much more vulnerable to the big play than Iowa.

The following slide show ranks the Big Ten defenses, from last-to-first, after one week of play. It starts by noting who the team in question played, as that is imperative to assessing how the defense in question performed.

It then notes the hard facts, and my own terribly ill-advised opinion, as to what those hard facts mean.

As I am a firm believer in the maxim, "Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships," I also believe that this might be the most important power ranking in football. That is especially true in the hard-nosed Big Ten.

In closing, remember the teams at the top of the list. As long as they stay at the top of this list, they'll probably be the ones competing for a BCS bid in November.

The Indiana Hoosiers

Who'd they play: FCS Towson Tigers out of the Colonial Athletic Association.

Last season, Towson had a 2-9 record, and was dead last in the CAA's Southern Division. Even more notably, they had a putrid offense, finishing last in that category too.

Of course, it is possible that last year was an aberration, but if you look further into Towson's past, you will notice that they've won exactly three league games in the last three years. Moreover, in that time their offense has never been better than fourth-worst in the league.

Finally, they ranked last in this season's CAA preseason poll.

What was the final tally: 51-17 win. Seven defensive points. 392 total yards allowed: 227 on the ground, 165 through the air. Zero sacks, three interceptions. Towson went 4-16 on third down conversions, and 2-5 on fourth down conversions. Indiana let up 16 first downs.

Red Zone Defense: 2-2. Inside the 20, Indiana allowed a touchdown and a field goal.

Thoughts: Not all that good.

First of all, 14 of Towson's 17 points were let up by Indiana's starters. Secondly, Towson actually outgained the Hoosiers, 391-354. It is true that Indiana played its backups for much of the second half.

Nevertheless, Towson gained 228 of their yards in the first half alone.

Chris Hart, Towson's dual-threat quarterback, gained 165 yards through the air, and 123 yards on the ground. Again, that's Towson's dual-threat quarterback. Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, Northwestern, and Penn State also have dual-threat quarterbacks.

Along with no sacks, Indiana's defense let up two plays of over 30 yards. This included a 42-yard scamper by Hart in a fourth down situation. In other words, Indiana had at least two defensive breakdowns.

On the bright side, Indiana did record three interceptions. Two of them were by converted receivers, and one of them went for a pick-six. Also, the Hoosiers did record five three-and-outs, plus the three drives that ended in picks.

Coming into the season, I thought Indiana would have the worst defense in the league, and against Towson, they definitely looked like a bottom-of-the-pack unit.

Next week's opponent: No game.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers

Who'd they play: The Sun Belt Conference's Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. The game was in Tennessee.

Last season, the Blue Raiders went 10-3, with the second highest scoring offense in the Sun Belt. This season, they project to be equally as good, as they will probably vie with Troy for the conference championship.

They have an extremely good and exciting quarterback in senior Dwight Dasher. However, he was suspended against Minnesota. In effect, they started inexperienced junior college transfer, Logan Kilgore.

They also have solid running backs, and experience on the o-line.

What was the final tally: 24-17 win. 318 total yards allowed: 146 on the ground, 172 through the air. One sack, one interception. Middle Tennessee was 1-8 on third downs, and they gained 12 first downs.  

Red zone defense: 2-2. Inside the 20, Minnesota allowed one touchdown and one field goal.

Thoughts: It would have been a considerably more impressive win if Dasher had played. Something to consider is that Dasher was suspended only one week ago. In effect, he got all the No. 1 reps at fall camp. Kilgore didn't step in there until the beginning of this week. That's only three-four practices as the No. 1 guy.

Kilgore's final numbers were: 13-18, 172 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one sack.

On top of that, the Blue Raiders averaged 6.6 yards per carry.

All things considered, you would think Middle Tennessee would have put more points on the board, but what is notable is that the Minnesota offense held the ball for over 45 minutes. The Blue Raiders only had nine drives, the longest of which was eight plays. MTSU only ran 40 plays from scrimmage. The Gophers' offense more than doubled that.

Essentially, the Gophers' best defensive weapon was a strong offensive rushing game.

Needless to say, it was a very impressive outing by the Minnesota offense, but it helped cover up a less-than-stellar game by the defense.

In short, in about 15 minutes, an extremely well-rested defense let up 17 points to a fairly good offense playing without its leader and best offensive playmaker.

My guess is that if Dasher had been in there, the end result, at least as far as points scored, would have been different.

Next week's opponent: University of South Dakota (FCS)

The Northwestern Wildcats

Who'd they play: The Vanderbilt Commodores out of the SEC. The game was in Tennessee.

Last season, Vandy went 2-10. They had the worst offense in the SEC, averaging 16.3 points per game. With only five offensive starters coming back, Vanderbilt doesn't project to be much better this season.

They do have two talented backs in sophomores Warren Norman and Zac Stacy. Also, their quarterback, Larry Smith, is a threat to tuck it and run. However, they will be playing behind an an offensive line with five new starters.

The Commodores want to spread the field, and maintain a balanced offense using short passes and a multi-faceted running game. In fact, it's similar to what Northwestern tries to do.

What was the final tally: 23-21 win. 432 yards allowed: 192 yards rushing, 240 yards passing. One sack, one interception, three forced fumbles. The Commodores went 4-13 on fourth down and 1-1 on fourth down. NU let up 22 first downs.

In the red zone, the Northwestern defense went 2-2, allowing a touchdown and a field goal.

Thoughts: Well, the Wildcats won. Moreover, you can say what you want, but for the most part, they stopped Vanderbilt when they had to.

Vanderbilt had three drives stall inside NU territory. On top of that, seemingly always-lucky Northwestern found themselves the beneficiaries of one missed extra point, one missed field goal, and two failed two-point conversions.

And then, there was an awful, awful, awful call that led to the Wildcats being able to run out the clock. Of course, that call had nothing to do with Northwestern's defense, but it did help cover up a rather lousy game on the part of that defense.

In the end, is Vanderbilt so surprisingly good that they could put up 432 yards on anybody? Probably not.

Those 432 yards probably say more about Northwestern than they do about the Commodores.

Next Week's Opponent: Illinois State (FCS)

The Purdue Boilermakers

Who'd they play: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish who are, as ever, independent.

It is hard to predict how effective the Irish will be, as they have a new coach with a decidedly new scheme. However, they do return three offensive linemen, their tailback, and a talented group of wide receivers, including one of the best receivers in the nation, Michael Floyd.

Nevertheless, head coach Brian Kelly's focus is on his inexperienced sophomore quarterback, Dayne Crist.

The objective of Kelly's offense is to pass first, pass often, and spread the ball around. He also likes to have a mobile quarterback, but he can work around that.

Last season at Cincinnati, his offense averaged just a hair under 40 points per game. Moreover, while he was coach—he didn't coach the bowl game—his team was never held to less than 24 points.

What was the final tally: 12-23 loss. Two defensive points. 358 yards allowed: 153 rushing, 205 passing. Two sacks, three forced fumbles, one recovered fumble. Notre Dame went 6-12 on third down, and had 20 first downs.  

In the red zone, Notre Dame went 3-4, with 2 field goals and one touchdown. Purdue's one stop came on a recovered fumble at their own 17 yard line.

Thoughts: The defense didn't perform badly. They just didn't do enough to make up for a struggling offense.

It is hard to know exactly how good Notre Dame's offense is, but one has to assume they are at least respectable. And holding a respectable offense to 23 points isn't bad.

This game, as much as anything else, was about Purdue's defense not taking advantage of gift wrapped opportunities. Notre Dame fumbled the ball three times, and Purdue only got one of those.

Moreover, the one fumble recovery probably saved Purdue from the Irish pulling away early.

However, I felt that the Boilers would be somewhat unlucky this season, following a season that saw a number of bounces go their way.

Still, it's early in the year, but this much is certain: Defensive end Ryan Kerrigan is an absolute terror, but he's going to need more help from his teammates.

Next Week's Opponent: Western Illinois (FCS)

The Illinois Illini

Who'd they play: The Missouri Tigers out of the Big XII.

Last season, they went 8-5. They had the fifth highest scoring offense in their conference.

They are a high-octane offense that opens up the field with a spread passing attack, and then takes advantage of the spread out defense with a strong rushing game.

This year, they return nine offensive starters including their quarterback, tailback, and four offensive linemen. In effect, they should be good.

The focus of the offense is junior quarterback, Blaine Gabbert.

It is also notable that last season, only four teams held the Tigers to less than 20 points: Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Navy. In other words, the only four quality defenses they played. Those four teams also won those games.

What was the final tally: 13-23 loss. 379 yards allowed: 98 rushing and 271 through the air. One sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Mizzou went 9-18 on third down. Illinois allowed 23 first downs.

The Tigers converted five of six red zone opportunities, with two touchdowns and three field goals. Their one miss came on a missed field goal from the Illini 19.

Thoughts: For a while, I thought Illinois was going to pull the upset off, and if they had done it, it would have been because of their defense.

Moreover, the loss was more on the offense than the defense, as the offense turned the ball over four times.

Ultimately, the only major fault of the Illinois defense was not staunching a couple of key Missouri second-half drives. In particular, the Tigers had a number of third-and-longs that the Illini had to stop.

If the game were played on paper, one would have to assume that Mizzou will have a very good offense this year. With that in mind, holding the Tigers to 23 points and 379 yards is no small feat.

However, it is a team game, and if the team is on the back of the defense, then the defense has to run with that burden.

Next Week's Opponent: Southern Illinois (FCS)

The Michigan State Spartans

Who'd they play: The Western Michigan Broncos out of the Mid American Conference.

Last season, the Broncos went 5-7, and had the seventh-best scoring offense in the MAC. They are a pass-first team that will rely on a new quarterback in sophomore Alex Carder.

They return a large portion of their line. Nevertheless, the running game is an afterthought with this team. Furthermore, the passing game relies on short dink and dunks, thus taking pressure off the line.

WMU has a talented group of receivers, but in the end, this offense will sink or swim based on how their young quarterback performs.

What was the final tally: 38-14 win. 323 yards allowed: 85 on the ground, 238 through the air. One sack, one interception, two forced fumbles, two fumbles recovered. WMU went 8-23 on third downs and 2-4 on fourth downs. The Spartans let up 16 first downs.

The Michigan State red zone defense was 2-4. They let up two touchdowns, picked one off at their own 19, and stopped WMU on fourth down at their own seven.

Thoughts: Overall, MSU did what they had to do. It is not surprising that they stuffed the Bronco rushing game, as WMU doesn't have much of a rushing attack, and the Spartans have a good rush defense.

They also minimized the WMU passing attack, as Carder only completed 55 percent of his passes. It is somewhat concerning that his two primary receivers had more than 10 yards per catch, with Blake Hammond averaging 15.3.

Also, after a sack on the second play of the game, MSU failed to get to the quarterback again.

The biggest concern of this defense is the secondary, and they played a decent game.

In the end, this wasn't an overly impressive win, but it didn't have to be. I don't think we will find out what Michigan State really has until their week three meeting against Notre Dame.

Next week's opponent: Florida Atlantic at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.

The Wisconsin Badgers

Who'd they play: The UNLV Rebels out of the Mountain West Conference. The game was in Las Vegas.  

Last season, UNLV went 5-7 and had the fifth best offense in the MWC, scoring just under 25 points per game.

They return the majority of their offensive starters, but it is difficult to say how effective they will be, as new coach Bobby Hauck will try to install a new system in Las Vegas.

Due to that, it is also difficult to say exactly what UNLV will try to accomplish offensively. They were formerly a pass-first team that liked to work out of a lot of shotgun and pistol formations.

However, Hauck, who came from FCS Montana, has historically worked with more traditional sets. 

What as the final tally: 41-21 win. Seven defensive points. 217 yards allowed: 112 yards rushing, 105 through the air. Four sacks, with two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. UNLV had a 4-14 third down conversion rating. The Badgers let up 10 first downs.

Red zone defense: 2-2. Wisconsin let up two touchdowns.

Also, seven of the Rebels points came off a pick-six, and seven more came after a fumble return that left UNLV at the Wisconsin 16. The Rebels only really drove for one of their three touchdowns.

Thoughts: This was one of four games that I watched this weekend (I did fall asleep before this one ended). I don't want to take anything away from the Badgers, but the Rebels were probably the worst offense I saw.

Their first quarterback—they switched before the fourth quarter—looked absolutely lost, and their offensive line resembled a sieve.

Therefore, the question that remains is just how much did the Wisconsin defense have to do with that?

My guess is they had something to do with it. I don't think the line was as good as they appeared against the Rebels, but linebacker Chris Borland is outstanding, and the secondary was also solid.

Overall, Wisconsin went on the road, in almost 100 degree heat, and did a nice job against a not-so-good team.

Nevertheless, as I've previously mentioned, due to an easy out-of-conference schedule, I don't think we'll know what the Badgers are really made of until their Big Ten opener against Michigan State.

Next Week's Opponent: San Jose State

The Penn State Nittany Lions

Who'd they play: FCS Youngstown State Penguins out of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Last season, the Penguins went 6-5. They had the fourth-worst offense in the conference.

YSU was where Jim Tressel coached from 1986-2000, at which point he took over Ohio State. They have a history of being a very competitive FCS team, though they haven't made any great waves for about four years.

They have a new head coach this season, so it is difficult to say what kind of offense the Penguins have.

What was the final tally: 44-14 win. 264 yards allowed: 75 rushing, 189 through the air. Penn State registered one sack and one forced fumble. Youngstown State converted 2-12 on third down and 2-3 on fourth down. PSU allowed 14 first downs.

The Penn State red zone defense was 1-1. They allowed one touchdown from their own seven-yard line.

Thoughts: Youngstown State freshman quarterback Kurt Hess completed 21 of 25 passes for 189 yards, with two touchdowns. There are elements of those numbers that are somewhat concerning for Penn State, but the yardage is not really one of them.

80 of those 189 yards came on one play. That is one blown play by Penn State, but the outside of that, the defense basically kept everything in front of them.

What is concerning is that the Lions registered one sack and no interceptions against a freshman FCS quarterback in Beaver Stadium. Moreover, the one sack was registered by PSU linebacker Nate Stupar. The defensive line didn't get to the quarterback once.

If the defense's goal is indeed to keep everything in front of them—i.e. the bend-don't-break defense—then it begins up front with a disruptive four man rush. If the bend-don't-break doesn't have that, it has a quarterback playing pitch-and-catch with his receivers.

In the end, the Penn State defense did what it had to do. Moreover, they rotated a lot of different players into the game, so there is plenty of depth. However, is there enough up front to get the job done against higher quality opponents?

We will assuredly find out next week.

Next Week's Opponent: At Alabama

The Michigan Wolverines

Who'd they play: The University of Connecticut Huskies out of the Big East. 

Last season, the Huskies were 8-5. They were third in their conference in scoring offense, and averaged over 32 points per game.

The focus of their offense is a power rushing attack. In 2009, they had two players run for over 1,000 yards. In 2008, their tailback Donald Brown, ran for over 2,000 yards.

This season, the offense returns nine players, including their quarterback, tailback, and four offensive linemen.

They project to be a one of the three primary front runners for the Big East championship, and are a potential top 25 team. Moreover, they will have a very potent offense.

What was the final tally: 30-10 win. 343 total yards allowed: 138 yards rushing, 205 yards passing. Zero sacks, zero interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. UConn went 4-15 on third down and 3-6 on fourth down. The Wolverines let up 16 first downs.

Red Zone Defense: 2-3. Inside the 20, Michigan allowed one field goal and one touchdown. They also recovered a Husky fumble at their own seven-yard-line.

Thoughts: Michigan did let up a few yards. Also, Michigan's defense got a little lucky, with the UConn fumble at the seven-yard line, and a number of unforced dropped passed by the Husky receivers.

Of course, Michigan made their own share of luck, and some people (wink, wink) predicted that in 2010, the tide would turn for UM in the "luck" department.

On top of that, the Wolverines matched up fairly well against Connecticut. As has been well documented, UM's troubles lie in their secondary, and the Huskies are decidedly not a pass-first team.

Nevertheless, these three facts are true: Michigan held a team that averaged 172 yards rushing per game in 2009, to less than 150.

More importantly, they played the best and most well-established offense of any Big Ten opponent this week. And they held them to only 10 points.

I think next week's game against the pass-first Notre Dame offense will be a truer test for the Wolverines' defense. Nevertheless, for right now, they deserve full props for a job well done.

Next week's opponent: Notre Dame

The Iowa Hawkeyes

Who'd they play: FCS Eastern Illinois Panthers out of the Ohio Valley Conference.

Last season Eastern Illinois went 8-4, and had the fourth ranked scoring offense in the OVC.

This year, they return a number of starters, but they will be replacing their quarterback. Also, two linemen will be out, as well as their halfback, Mon Williams, a transfer from Florida. In effect, they might be a little sloppy.

EIU tries to spread the field with a short passing game. Last season, they had five receivers with more than 20 receptions, but none with more than 40.

What was the final tally: 37-7 win. Two defensive points and six points off a blocked punt. 157 yards allowed: 65 yards rushing, 92 yards passing. Two sacks, zero turnovers. The Panthers went 3-13 on third down, and 1-1 on fourth down. Iowa let up six first downs.

Red zone defense: 1-1. EIU scored one touchdown from the 11 yard line.

It should be noted that 36 of Eastern Illinois' rushing yards came from a fake punt. Moreover, 37 of their passing yards came on the play right after the fake punt. Those two plays aside, EIU gained 84 yards. They gained exactly 121 yards against the defense.

Thoughts: Iowa was against an extremely over-matched opponent. In that situation, they did almost everything they were supposed to do, outside of a two play lapse by true sophomore cornerback, Micah Hyde. That lapse led to EIU's only points, as well as over 1/4 of their yards gained.

The defensive line obliterated the Panthers' rushing attack, and never really let the EIU quarterback have any time to make any plays.

The linebackers weren't great, but they were adequate and were covered up by the line. Also, outside of the one play, the secondary never really got tested.

Furthermore, the Hawkeyes played without three of their projected starters: Defensive end Broderick Binns, who was suspended, middle linebacker Jeff Tarpinian, who had a broken hand, and cornerback Shaun Prater, who had a sore hamstring.

Binns will definitely be back next week, Prater is probable, and Tarpinian is still iffy.

Next week, and especially the week after against Arizona, will tell us a lot more about this Hawkeye defense.

Next Week's Opponent: Iowa State

The Ohio State Buckeyes

Who'd they play: The Marshall Thundering Herd out of Conference USA.

Last season, Marshall went 7-6. They had the ninth-ranked scoring offense in their conference. This year, they project to do about the same to slightly better.

Though they return a fair amount on the offensive side of the ball, including their quarterback, it must be noted that the Herd have a new coach this season. And with a new coach comes new coordinators and new schemes and often, some confusion, especially early in the year.

Furthermore, most of the returning experience is at the skill positions. The offensive line is somewhat green, and has been hit hard with injuries.

What was the final tally: 45-7 win. Seven defensive points. 199 total yards allowed: 44 yards rushing, 155 yards passing. One sack, one interception, four forced fumbles with two fumbles recovered. Marshall was 4-14 on third down, and OSU allowed 11 first downs.

Red zone defense: 0-1. Ohio State recovered an offensive fumble at their own seven-yard-line.

Also, Marshall's seven points came off a blocked field goal return. The defense pitched a shut out.

Thoughts: Basically, Ohio State did what they were supposed to do. A top 20 defense is supposed to crush a team like Marshall, and that's what they did.

The run defense was particularly impenetrable, allowing only 2.1 yards per carry. Given Ohio State's front seven, that is hardly surprising.

The pass defense could have been a little more stout. After all, Marshall's quarterback, Brian Anderson did complete over 60 percent of his passes. Also, OSU only had one sack against the Herd's fairly inexperienced line. Moreover, that was registered on a blitz by "star" and backup safety Tyler Moeller.

However, in the end that is nitpicking a bit. Jim Tressel's defense is not overly aggressive. As long as the secondary kept everything in front of them, they did their job as far as the coach was concerned. However, as the season goes on, they will be expected to do more.

On top of that, starting tackle Nathan Williams was out with a knee injury. If he had been in, the pass rush might have been more formidable.

Finally, one has to hand it to the Buckeyes' depth. Remember, the backups also didn't allow any points.

Next week's opponent: University of Miami (Fl.)