Big Ten Football: The 10 Best and Most Exciting Plays of the Season

2010 is behind us as we head towards bowl season.

For some of us, the season didn't go quite as we'd hoped. For others, it was better than most expected, but still a bit disappointing. For others, it was the same old-same old. And for arguably the happiest of all of us, it was a very rosy year.

Either way, it was football season, and that is good enough.

As the Big Ten prepares for its first bowl game on December 28 when Iowa takes on the Big 12's Missouri, this is a chance to look back on the year that was.

Even more specifically, this is a chance to look back on the best plays of the season.

Of course, my viewpoint as to which are the "best" plays is as biased as anybody else. Nevertheless, I tried to choose based on three criteria: The merit of the play apart from any peripheral aspects, the importance of the play within the game in which it took place, and the importance of the play within the context of the entire season.

Also, the availability of editable video played a part.

With that said, enjoy. And all fans of Big Ten teams, keep in mind the following: If every team in the Big Ten wins its bowl, then the Big Ten looks more impressive, which means your team looks more impressive.

Persa To Dunsmore Vs Penn State

Teams Involved: Northwestern Wildcats and Penn State Nittany Lions

Play Description: Looking at third-and-seven from the Penn State nine, NU quarterback Dan Persa passes to the back of the end zone. Waiting there is Wildcat superback Drake Dunsmore who makes one of the catches of the year to put the Cats up 21-0.

Outcome of Game: Penn State won 35-21.

Blah Blah Blah: There isn't much to say here. There was no outside drama or any huge significance to the play. For me, it was a great catch, and a play that stands on its own. 

Junior Hemingway Juke

Teams Involved: Michigan Wolverines and Illinois Illini

Play Description: 45-yard touchdown pass from Denard Robinson to Junior Hemingway.

Outcome of Game: Michigan won in triple overtime, 67-65.

Blah Blah Blah: Funny that in a season dominated by the exploits of Denard Robinson, Junior Hemingway should be the focus of the most notable offensive play of Michigan's season. At least, as far as I was concerned. I'm sure quite a few Wolverine fans would disagree.

Regardless, the Michigan-Illinois game turned out to be a record-setting win for the Wolverines. It was also Michigan's sixth-win of the season. Thus, it clinched Rich Rodriguez's first bowl berth as the Wolverine coach.

Incidentally, for those keeping count, on that one play, Hemingway evaded five tacklers. And Illinois, despite what the scoreboard read on that particular day, did have a solid defense.

Minnesota Interception Return Fumbled at the Goalline

Teams Involved: Minnesota Golden Gophers and Purdue Boilermakers

Play Description: Linebacker Gary Tinsley intercepted Purdue's Rob Henry. He returned the ball 55 yards, only to fumble at the goal line.

Outcome of Game: Purdue won, 28-17.

Blah Blah Blah: Believe it or not, I'm not one for pouring salt in the wound. However, this play kind of encapsulated the Gopher's and erstwhile coach Tim Brewster's season.

Heading into the game, word was that if the Gophers lost, Tim Brewster would be immediately fired.

At 1-5, one could hardly blame the Gopher athletic department. On the other hand, with a brutal schedule, and only two starters returning from the previous year's defense, nobody could have expected that much from Brewster. Of course, if he had beaten FCS South Dakota in the second game of the year, maybe attitudes would have been different.

Regardless, in the above play, Minnesota was down 14-0. If linebacker Gary Tinsley scores a touchdown off his interception, it is a one score game. Nevertheless, he didn't score, Purdue got the ball back at the 20, and proceeded to drive the field and take a 21-0 lead.

Brewster was fired the next day. Too bad for Brew, because next season, the Gophers should have a nice group of returning players.

Heyward Interception Against Miami (FL)

Teams Involved: Ohio State Buckeyes and Miami (FL) Hurricanes

Play Description: 288-pound defensive end Cameron Heyward intercepted a pass by Miami (FL) quarterback Jacory Harris. He ran it back 80 yards, from his own five-yard line to the Hurricane 15.

Outcome of Game: Ohio State won, 36-24.

Blah Blah Blah: This was the first time these two teams had met since 2003, when Ohio State won the national championship by beating Miami (FL) in double-overtime. Of course, that game had not only been thrilling, but it was also extremely controversial.

This one wasn't quite as thrilling or controversial, but heading into the game, Miami (FL) was considered to be resurgent, while the Bucks were vying for another national championship bid.

If the Canes had managed to put the ball in the end zone on the above play, they would have been down by two, with only four minutes gone in the third quarter.

Torrence Pick-Six vs. Penn State

Teams Involved: Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions

Play Description: Trailing 10-14 with five minutes down in the third, Buckeye cornerback Devon Torrence picked off a Matt McGloin pass at the Penn State 34-yard-line, and ran it back the other way for the go-ahead touchdown.

Outcome of Game: OSU won, 38-14.

Blah Blah Blah: Heading into the half, it looked like OSU would be taking their second loss of the Big Ten season. They were down 3-14, and given how Wisconsin and Michigan State were doing, it seemed like one more loss would be enough to knock the Bucks off the Big Ten championship dais for the first time since 2004.

Nevertheless, when they came out in the second-half they were a different team. After a 96-yard, almost-six-minute drive that was capped off by a five-yard "Boom" Herron touchdown run, Torrence added six more points.

That seemed to unleash the floodgates, as OSU wound up scoring an unanswered 35 points in the second half.

Martin Punt Return vs. Wisconsin

Teams Involved: Michigan State Spartans and Wisconsin Badgers

Play Description: Keshawn Martin returns a punt 74 yards for a touchdown.

Outcome of Game: MSU won, 34-24.

Blah Blah Blah: Coming into the game, both teams were 4-0. Wisconsin's record wasn't that much of a surprise, but Michigan State was a bit of a sleeper. However, the Badgers hadn't looked especially impressive in their four wins.

At that point in the game, UW had not looked sharp, but they still had a 10-6 lead, primarily due to two Spartan turnovers in the red zone.

After Martin's punt return, MSU never looked back.

Incidentally, this was the second game in a row that Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio missed after suffering a mild heart attack.

Tyler Sash Lateral

Teams Involved: Iowa Hawkeyes and Michigan State Spartans

Play Description: With 8-0 Michigan State driving, Hawkeye strong safety Tyler Sash intercepted Kirk Cousins at the Iowa 28-yard line. After returning it five yards, he lateraled it to cornerback Micah Hyde, who ran it the distance of the field for the touchdown.

Outcome of Game: Iowa won, 37-6.

Blah Blah Blah: At the time, it looked like Iowa had not only ruined MSU's dream season, but they had turned a corner in their own season, and would have a good shot at finishing with 10 wins and a share in the Big Ten championship.

It didn't work out that way, but taken individually, this was still a great play.

As an aside, I recall reading the Blackheartgoldpants MSU game thread, where a poster brought up a line from the movie Major League. The poster imagined that following the play, one of the coaches on Iowa's notoriously conservative staff would greet Tyler Sash on the sideline with the following words: "Nice play Sash. Don't ever f$%@!&? do it again."

Wisconsin Fake Punt vs. Iowa

Teams Involved: Wisconsin Badgers and Iowa Hawkeyes

Play Description: Wisconsin punter Brad Nortman took a fake punt 17 yards, sustaining the fourth-quarter drive that would yield the winning score for the Badgers.

Outcome of Game: The Badgers won, 31-30.

Blah Blah Blah: It was fourth down with 6:24 remaining in the game. Iowa had a 30-24 lead. Wisconsin had the ball on their own 26-yard-line and needed three yards for the first down.

It is my opinion that there was no way UW coach Bret Bielema was going to punt. It was just a matter of whether he was going to go for the first with a fake or with his offense.

He marched out his punting team, and waited to see what Kirk Ferentz did. If Ferentz had brought out his base defense, Bielema would have called a time out and brought his O back on. Instead, Ferentz brought out his punt coverage team; a coverage team that had been burned earlier in the year on a fake punt.

After the successful fake, the air seemed to drain right out of a defense that had done a fairly good job of shutting down an extremely proficient Wisconsin offense. UW marched right down the field in their typical workmanlike fashion, and Montee Ball ran it in for the score with 1:14 remaining on the clock.

Gilreath Kickoff Return TD vs. OSU

Teams Involved: Wisconsin Badgers and Ohio State Buckeyes

Play Description: On the opening kickoff, David Gilreath returned the ball 97 yards for a touchdown. Wisconsin would never relinquish the lead.

Outcome of Game: Wisconsin won, 31-18.

Blah Blah Blah: In a way, this could be said to be the play that sent the Badgers to the Rose Bowl. Perhaps that is overstating it a bit, but this play certainly set the tone for the game; a game about which the score doesn't do it justice.

Wisconsin pushed a very good Ohio State team all over the field. It's been a long time since another Big Ten team has done that.

The following week UW squeaked by Iowa, and after that, they rolled over everything in their path en route to Pasadena.

MSU Little Giants

Teams Involved: Michigan State Spartans and Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Play Description: A fake field goal in overtime turned into a 28-yard game-winning touchdown pass from holder Aaron Bates to tight end Charlie Gantt.

Outcome of Game: Michigan State won, 34-31.

Blah Blah Blah: The play speaks for itself. If it's a success, the Spartans probably win. If it's a failure, then they definitely lose.

Incidentally, there was also some controversy with the play clock.

Regardless, I tip my hat to Mark Dantonio. The guy has more tricks up his sleeve than one would think possible, and he's never afraid to use any of them.