Twelve Thoughts On: Big Ten Week 1 Action (Part 1)

I'm going to attempt to do this as a weekly column, giving my thoughts on all of the Big Ten action of the weekend. 

Week one is nearly done for the Big Ten.  Two teams are left to play, and I'll catch them up tomorrow since Wisconsin plays such a late game.

A lot took shape this great football weekend!  A few questions were answered and a few more raised.  I've got some thoughts on what happened - twelve of them to be precise.

1) Ohio State 45 - Marshall 7: This really is a new Buckeye approach

Terrelle Pryor had a good day - through the air.  Pryor has always been a very athletic and dangerous quarterback, but generally his weaponry has been most pronounced on the ground.  Against Marshall, he was 17 of 25 for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns.  He only ran for 17 yards. 

Granted, this was Marshall and not, say, Miami (FL), but it's a little new for the Buckeyes, and a welcome sight.  The added experience and confidence from throwing so much can only help Ohio State as the schedule prepares to get much tougher.

2) Penn State 44 - Youngstown State 14: For a bit, this didn't look good

Through the first quarter, Penn State actually trailed Youngstown State 7-3.  Another field goal early in the second quarter didn't boost my confidence in Joe Pa's crew as they continued to trail 7-6.  Finally, the Nittany Lions put up a touchdown in the second quarter to take a 13-7 lead into halftime. 

At that point, I was ready to change my preseason predictions, moving Penn State down to fifth or sixth in the conference.  I was ready to write them off as barely bowl eligible.  I mean, come on...Youngstown State?

Thankfully, the football gods decided to quit playing around with my sanity and Penn State rolled through the second half.  Scoring 28 points in the second half, Penn State eventually cruised to a comfortable 30-point lead, surrendering only one more touchdown in the fourth quarter. 

Still, for a while, I was seriously worried about this Penn State program.

3) Iowa 37 - Eastern Illinois 7: The offensive line still needs work

The Hawkeyes shot out to a 21-0 lead on the back of RB Adam Robinson and a blocked punt returned for a TD by Paki O'Meara (you gotta love a guy named Paki O'Meara).  Iowa surrendered a touchdown in the second quarter, but that was the last time they allowed EIU into the end zone, while their offense continued to use every weapon in its arsenal to flex their muscles.

It wasn't all roses and candy, though.  While the offensive line looked good through the first couple of series, it started to look a little porous as the game wore on.  Stanzi had to scramble a couple of times and Robinson had to make a few moves behind the line of scrimmage to get positive yardage.  It wasn't absolutely horrible, and EIU does have some talented linemen, but they were undersized and over-matched against the Iowa line.  At least, they should have been.  

The Hawks need to get that worked out quickly.  Iowa State is up next and Arizona is on deck.  They're out of time to get things working right.

4) Missouri 23 - Illinois 13: which Illinois should we expect?

I prognosticated that Illinois could potentially end the season as low as 2-10.  I also predicted that this would be a high scoring game with very little defense shown by either team.  During the first half of this game, I was feeling about as dumb as a football "analyst" could get.   

Illinois carried a 3-0 lead into the second quarter behind solid defensive play by both teams.  They extended that to 13-3 by the break.  It looked like I was going to be wrong all the way around.  But then...but then...

The second half saw Missouri look a little more like the Missouri I expected to see, and Illinois looked a little more like the Illinois I expected to see.  The Tigers roared back with 20 unanswered points in the second half to send the Illini packing with an opening day loss. 

So, who are we going to see next week and throughout the Big Ten schedule?  Will it be the Illini that stuffed Mizzou at every turn?  Or will it be the Illini that shot themselves in the foot and allowed Mizzou to walk away from them over the stretch of the game? 

5) Michigan State 38 - Western Michigan 14: The jury's still out on the Spartans

Look, I'd love to say that this was a statement game by the Spartans, but it just wasn't.  Western Michigan isn't the Western Michigan of yesteryear.  They're not the same team that challenged for a MAC title just a few years ago and played Big Ten opponents tough. 

The two teams were deadlocked at 7-7 after the first quarter, but Michigan State exploded in the second with 21 points, to lead 28-7 going into the half.  The second half was a lot tighter though, as both teams scored a TD in the third quarter and MSU put up a field goal in the fourth.  Take away that second quarter, and this would have been an extremely tight match.

Kirk Cousins didn't look that sharp.  He completed 13 of 21 passes for only 186 yards and one score.  On the other hand, RB Le'Veon Bell looked pretty good, putting up 141 yards on only 10 attempts and scored twice.

The potential is definitely there, but evidently MSU needs a little more consistency.  I'm not sure what to make of them as a conference contender yet.  But hey...a win's a win.

6) Minnesota 24 - Middle Tennessee 17: Nice win, but the schedule is still killer...

I'll man up.  I predicted MTSU to win this game by three.  I'd make that same pick again if I had to.  MTSU gave the ball away a couple of times (1 INT and 1 Fumble) that could have been the difference. 

Still, kudos to the Golden Gophers for hanging tough and making some of their own luck for once.  That's definitely something that's been missing from this program, and it's good to see they're a good enough team to do those "extra" things that get you wins.

I'm not exactly ready to jump on their bandwagon though.  They still have USC, Northern Illinois (don't laugh), a trip to Wisconsin, Ohio State and Penn State on back-to-back dates, a trip to Michigan State, and a season-ending match against Iowa.  This schedule is exceptionally tough for a team that ended 2009 at 6-7.

If they had blown the Blue Raiders up by thirty points or something, I might be ready to say this team is on track for a great bowl game.  This was a decent Middle Tennessee team, but not a great one.  Seven points does not a believer make.

I'll come back with the second half of this tomorrow after everyone in the Big Ten has finished playing.  Until then, crack a cold beverage, grab some chips and dip, and enjoy the show.  The 2010 College Football season is finally upon us! 

Until next time, HAPPY BOWL HUNTING!