Penn State’s White Out loss to Oregon headlined the Big Ten this past weekend, but there was action across the conference as well.
Narrow wins highlighted the slate with five games being decided by seven points or less while six teams were on a bye.
Here’s a recap of what went down in the rest of the Big Ten.
Northwestern earns close win over UCLA
Penn State’s next two opponents met in Evanston, Illinois, last Saturday, and Northwestern managed a 17-14 win over UCLA. The Bruins scored a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to make it a three-point game but couldn’t generate much on their last two possessions.
Both gunslingers had quarterback ratings under 60.0. UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava threw for 180 yards and a touchdown on 19-of-27 passing while Northwestern’s Preston Stone completed 66.7% of his passes for 115 yards and a score.
Iamaleava found a variety of pass catchers as six of his teammates had at least two catches. The Wildcats’ passing game was focused more on wide receiver Griffin Wilde, who hauled in seven throws for 98 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Bruins let up 199 yards on the ground. Northwestern running back Caleb Komolafe had 27 carries for 119 yards, and Joseph Himon II averaged 7.3 yards per rush on eight attempts.
Other one-possession games
Three other Big Ten games were decided by five points or less — Indiana-Iowa, Illinois-USC and Minnesota-Rutgers.
The Hoosiers scored a late touchdown via quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s 49-yard pass to wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, giving them a 20-13 advantage. Indiana forced a stop on defense before taking an intentional safety to run out the clock, winning 20-15.
Mendoza had another productive outing, passing for 233 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The Hoosiers’ defense held Iowa to 3 yards per carry with linebacker Isaiah Jones leading the team with eight tackles.
Illinois kicked a game-winning field goal to take down USC 34-32. The result moved the Fighting Illini to No. 22 in the AP Poll while the Trojans fell out of the rankings.
Both USC quarterback Jayden Maiava and Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer passed for over 300 yards and scored two touchdowns. Their respective offenses were in sync as the Fighting Illini totaled 502 yards of offense while the Trojans had 490.
Rutgers had a chance to tie its game against Minnesota late, but a missed field goal allowed the Golden Gophers to win 31-28. Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey tossed the go-ahead touchdown a few minutes earlier, finding wide receiver Javon Tracy from four yards out.
Scarlet Knights running back Antwan Raymond rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, but the Minnesota defense tallied seven sacks to pick up a home win.
Ohio State defeats Washington
Washington hung around Ohio State for a while, but the Buckeyes had a 10-point fourth quarter to win 24-6.
Quarterback Julian Sayin threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns on 22-of-28 passing. He often found wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who had eight catches for 81 yards and a score.
Ohio State’s defense held the Huskies from producing much on offense. Quarterback Demond Williams Jr. posted a 49.2 rating as he had 173 passing yards while six sacks caused Washington to gain just 61 rushing yards as a team.
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The White Out didn’t go Penn State’s way, as it fell to Oregon 30-24 in double overtime.
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