ESPN Big Ten Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

The Iowa-Ohio State clash next Saturday in Columbus will be the closest thing we'll see to a Big Ten championship game.

The winner will not only earn a share of the league title but gain the Big Ten's automatic berth to a BCS bowl, almost certainly the Rose Bowl. If Iowa wins, the Hawkeyes will have beaten Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin, the only teams that can tie them for first place in the league. So Iowa will hold all the tiebreakers. The same goes for Ohio State. If the Buckeyes win, they will have beaten Iowa, Penn State and Wisconsin. Even if the Buckeyes lose to Michigan on Nov. 21, they will win the tiebreaker at 6-2 in league play.

Thanks to Big Ten assistant commissioner for communications Scott Chipman for passing along this note.

Posted by ESPN.com’s David Albright

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- If it’s November it must be time for the Ohio State and its BCS worthiness discussions (read: diatribes) to begin.

That’s right, the Buckeyes -- aka America’s in perpetuity BCS guest -- is now piloting the Big Ten’s BCS automatic bid with two games to play. And all that stands between the currently 8-2 Buckeyes and a trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl is next week’s home game vs. conference co-leader Iowa (likely without QB Ricky Stanzi) and the regular-season finale at reeling Michigan on Nov. 21.

“November is for contenders, that’s what we always say,” Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel after his team’s 24-7 domination over Penn State at Beaver Stadium on Saturday. “But it’s kind of hard to get too ecstatic because the Hawkeyes are coming to town and they’re going to be in a nasty mood.

“But this is a gratifying win because we’re becoming a better team.”

And more importantly, sophomore Terrelle Pryor took a step toward developing into a better quarterback -- if Saturday was any indication.

Against a Penn State defense that came in ranked nationally in total defense (6th), rushing defense (5th) and pass defense (12th), Pryor directed an Ohio State offense to 353 total yards, three touchdowns and zero turnovers.

For the game Pryor was 8 of 17 for 125 passing yards with two touchdowns, and he rushed five times for 50 yards with one TD and never took a sack.

Still, he wasn’t completely satisfied with the performance.

“Throwing the ball was a little poor,” Pryor said. “It seems like we had some communication issues. But we ran the ball very well. And no turnovers.”

Ohio State led 10-7 at the half but Pryor’s numbers were sub-pedestrian, going just 3-for-9 for 33 passing yards. On the ground he had three carries for 42 yards and a touchdown.

But the second half was a different story, particularly through the air.

Pryor went 5-for-8 for 92 passing yards and two TDs. The big play came on a 62-yard TD strike to wide receiver DeVier Posey with 1:47 left in the third quarter.

It was the first play of a drive and it caught Penn State off-guard. On the eight previous drives Ohio State started off with a running play. So the Nittany Lions must have been thinking run.

“We were in a coverage where the corner just got a little careless,” Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. “Pryor is a good football player and I thought he played well."

Pryor followed up the long touchdown pass with another score when he led Ohio State on a 10-play, 47-yard drive that culminated with a 6-yard pass play to RB Brandon Saine. The drive chewed up 5:23 on the clock to start the fourth quarter.

“This was my first time to lead the team and take the offense down the field and score some touchdowns against another big team and a ranked team,” Pryor said.

It was also a good performance in a hostile environment.

Saturday was the 300th game in Beaver Stadium history and the 110,033 in attendance marked the fourth largest crowd in Happy Valley history. And the vast majority of fans were hoping the Jeannette, Pa., native had a rough afternoon playing back in his home state for the first time since high school.

“It was big to come back home,” Pryor said. “I haven’t been back to Pennsylvania in a long time and just to play in front of all the people who came to see me play was big. It felt good.”

And it must feel good for Bucknuts nation to know it’s back in the BCS mix -- even if the rest of America is collectively groaning.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Purdue-Michigan isn't considered a major rivalry, but there's some bad blood brewing between head coaches Rich Rodriguez and Danny Hope.

After today's Purdue victory at Michigan Stadium, Hope reportedly introduced Rodriguez to Boilers offensive lineman Zach Reckman and said, "Thanks Coach, we appreciate what you did." The Big Ten suspended Reckman for a game in September after he delivered a late hit to a Northern Illinois player after Purdue lost to the Huskies.

"I was a little disappointed that after the game their coach seemed to bring the lineman over like I was the reason that his lineman got suspended for that one game," Rodriguez told reporters in Ann Arbor. "I don’t know where that came from. I talked to him on the phone and told him that wasn’t me that -- this is way back when. I didn’t have anything to do with that young man getting suspended for that one game."

Rodriguez had previously he would be alert the Big Ten of any conduct issues after the league suspended Michigan linebacker Jonas Mouton for punching Notre Dame's Eric Olsen. The Michigan coach made a reference to seeing a conduct issue on Sept. 19, presumably Reckman's late hit.

"As a coach you say, 'OK, the precedent will be set,' and that's why I saw we’ll look at every act," Rodriguez said in late September. "And, in fact, it's funny you say that, I saw a Big Ten game, in the locker room as we were leaving, highlights, and it was the end of the game and a guy jumped on someone on the last play of the game and did a little of this right here. Now is that a non-football act? It probably is, so that may be turned in and see what happens."

I'm not sure where this is going to go. Unlike the SEC, the Big Ten rarely has coaches publicly sniping at one another.

Ohio State defensive tackle Doug Worthington discusses the Buckeyes' approach to stopping Penn State's offense following OSU's 24-7 win on Saturday.

The Buckeyes' sophomore QB discusses his performance and his team's 24-7 victory at Penn State on Saturday.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

After a wild day in the Big Ten, the Ohio State Buckeyes have the inside track toward the Rose Bowl.

Think about that for a second. Everyone had written off Ohio State after its loss to Purdue on Oct. 17, a game where sophomore Terrelle Pryor was at his absolute worst. But the Buckeyes have rebounded in a major way, showing why they're still the team to beat in this league.

Ohio State's dominant 24-7 win against Penn State combined with Iowa's loss to Northwestern has changed the scope of the league title race. The Buckeyes host Iowa next week in what can be called a pseudo Big Ten championship game, as the winner will sit alone atop the conference with one game remaining.

And with Ohio State surging and Iowa losing starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi to an ankle injury, the Buckeyes are in the driver's seat to win their fifth consecutive league title and reach the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1997. Unbelievable. Never doubt Jim Tressel in November.

Pryor had a big day on a very big stage, tossing two touchdown passes, including a 62-yarder to DeVier Posey late in the third quarter. He added a rushing touchdown and managed the offense extremely well against the nation's top scoring defense. Speaking of defense, Ohio State's was fabulous once again. The Buckeyes showed why they're the league's most dominating unit, shutting down the Penn State run game and making Daryll Clark's day absolute hell.

Special teams proved to be a huge factor. Penn State had struggled in the third phase all season, while Ohio State excels and showed why today.

This is a crushing blow for Penn State, which entered the season with national title aspirations. The Lions had two chances this season to show they're an elite team, and they squandered both of them, falling to both Iowa and Ohio State at Beaver Stadium. Penn State won't be going to a BCS bowl this season, which qualifies as a major disappointment given the number of star players on this team. It's a very tough loss for Clark, who had been playing at a very high level the last few weeks.

Posted by ESPN.com’s David Albright

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Ohio State dominated the line of scrimmage and the second half, cruising to a 24-7 win over Penn State at Beaver Stadium.

After a tight first half, Ohio State outscored the Nittany Lions 14-0 in the second half of a game that provided Buckeyes’ quarterback Terrelle Pryor the signature win he had been seeking.

The victory for Ohio State (8-2, 5-1 in Big Ten) sets up next weekend’s game against Iowa (9-1, 5-1) in Columbus which could be for the Big Ten title and the conference’s automatic BCS bid.

Posted by ESPN.com’s David Albright

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Fire up the RV, this one is over.

Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor found Brandon Saine on a 6-yard touchdown pass play to give the Buckeyes a commanding 24-7 lead over Penn State with 9:37 left to play.

It was Pryor’s second touchdown pass of the second half. He is now 8 of 17 for 125 yards passing with those two scores. He’s also carried the ball four times for 54 yards in leading the Ohio State attack.

The Buckeyes now have 156 yards in the second half, including 92 through the air by Pryor.

Posted by ESPN.com’s David Albright

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- It was the longest pass play against Penn State this season.

And the 62-yard strike from Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor to DeVier Posey on the first play of the third drive of the second half gave the Buckeyes a 17-7 lead late in the third quarter.

Right now Ohio State owns the line of scrimmage and if something doesn’t change quickly in the final 15 minutes of play then most in the fourth largest crowd (110,033) in Beaver Stadium history are going to go home unhappy.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

What a wild day so far in the Big Ten. You know what happened in Iowa City.

Here's what went down elsewhere in the league.

Purdue 38, Michigan 36: The Boilermakers won in Ann Arbor for the first time since 1966, ending yet another streak of Michigan dominance. Senior quarterback Joey Elliott had a monster game against a bad Michigan defense, leading Purdue back from a 24-10 halftime deficit. Sophomore running back Ralph Bolden piled up 98 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and the Smiths (Keith and Cortez) both came up big at wide receiver. Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez is in big trouble as the Wolverines are in danger of missing a bowl for the second straight season. Michigan will need an upset against Wisconsin or Ohio State to get bowl eligible. Wolverines running back Brandon Minor and wideout Roy Roundtree both had huge games, but it wasn't enough.

Illinois 35, Minnesota 32: Despite the loss of senior quarterback Juice Williams to a left ankle injury, Illinois found a way to notch its second consecutive win and keep its slim bowl hopes alive. Cornerback Terry Hawthorne provided a spark with a pick-six, and Illinois surged out to a 28-7 lead before Minnesota's offense woke up late. The Gophers have been a mystery this season on both sides of the ball, and their lack of consistency cost them dearly. Quarterback Adam Weber endured a rough afternoon, while Illinois wideout Arrelious Benn caught his first touchdown pass since Oct. 18, 2008 against Indiana.

Wisconsin 31, Indiana 28: This time, Indiana made the fourth-quarter surge, but it still wasn't enough as Wisconsin held on. Wisconsin's depth at running back proved to be the difference, as freshman Montee Ball stepped in for John Clay (concussion) and racked up 115 rush yards and two touchdowns. Clay was dominant before his injury (134 rush yards, TD). Credit Indiana junior quarterback Ben Chappell for a very impressive performance. He has proven this season why the coaches put so much faith in him. Chappell completed 25 of 35 passes for 323 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, but Indiana's defense couldn't stop the run at all. The Hoosiers just can't get over the hump this season.

Michigan State 49, Western Michigan 14: Michigan State really needed this after a mistake-ridden loss to Minnesota. The Spartans took control from the get-go and never looked back, as Kirk Cousins shredded Western Michigan's defense for 353 yards and two touchdowns. The most encouraging development was sophomore running back Ashton Leggett, who exploded for 110 rush yards and four touchdowns in relief of the injured Larry Caper (concussion). Michigan State needs to win one of its last two games (at Purdue, vs. Penn State) to get bowl eligible.

Derrell Johnson-Koulianos talks about how the Hawkeyes are coping with the loss.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Derrell Johnson-Koulianos had forgotten what it felt like to have someone other than Ricky Stanzi calling signals at the line of scrimmage.

	AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
	Ricky Stanzi's injured ankle may keep him out of the rest of Iowa's regular-season games.

Johnson-Koulianos also had forgotten what it felt like to lose.

Unfortunately for the Iowa wide receiver, he experienced both sentiments Saturday against Northwestern. And he won't forget either feeling any time soon.

The fourth-ranked Hawkeyes lost their quest for perfection Saturday, unable to summon enough magic without Stanzi as they fell 17-10 to Northwestern at Kinnick Stadium.

"That was always in the back of my mind, something I really wanted for everybody," Johnson-Koulianos said of going undefeated. "It's never been done here. We had the opportunity to do something prestigious.

"Now that dream, in a blink of an eye, is gone."

Iowa lost its undefeated season, its quarterback and possibly the inside track to the Rose Bowl on Saturday. The Hawkeyes saw their 13-game win streak, the second-longest in the nation, snapped before a stunned crowd of 70,585, thousands of whom remained in their seats long after the game ended.

The margin for error had always been slim at Iowa, both on the field and the depth chart. Until Saturday, the Hawkeyes had overcome every challenge, from losing running backs Jewel Hampton and Adam Robinson, to playing several games without left tackle Bryan Bulaga and tight end Tony Moeaki, to facing eight deficits in nine weeks.

But the loss of Stanzi to a right ankle sprain in the second quarter proved too big of an obstacle.

"There's no doubt that we're a different team when Rick Stanzi's in there," Johnson-Koulianos said. "We had a gift in Ricky, and there's going to be a huge drop-off [behind him]. His ability to make plays in critical situations, we knew that. We hadn't experienced life without him so far. We didn't know what to expect, and it resulted in a loss."

Life without Stanzi likely will continue for Iowa, as head coach Kirk Ferentz said the quarterback likely will miss Iowa's final two regular-season games. Iowa will put its faith in redshirt freshman quarterback James Vandenberg, who saw his first meaningful action of the season Saturday.

Vandenberg's first pass attempt in a Big Ten game was intercepted by Northwestern's Quentin Davie, leading to the go-ahead touchdown. Vandenberg finished the game just 9-for-27 passing for 82 yards.

"Relief pitcher who hasn't been in the majors long enough," Ferentz said of Vandenberg's arrival. "That's his first time out there, basically. It's a tough circumstance."

Most top 5 teams boast enough lopsided wins to get the backup on the field, but Iowa's season-long edge-of-the-cliff dance kept Vandenberg on the bench for all but one game. Vandenberg felt prepared Saturday and knew he'd be going in as soon as Stanzi went down, but the game brought different challenges.

"It's definitely faster, and the stakes are a lot more painful," he said.

Iowa didn't condense the playbook for Vandenberg, and the offense nearly pulled off several big plays. But Northwestern's defense buckled down, particularly in the fourth quarter, when Iowa never crossed midfield.

"They were giving me great time and the receivers were working really hard, but I made some mistakes that I shouldn't make," Vandenberg said.

He'll have a week to correct those mistakes before facing a top 10 defense next week in Columbus, a place where Iowa hasn't won since 1991. The young quarterback will need help from a Hawkeyes defense that held Northwestern to 10 points Saturday. He'll also need help from a running game that produced only 65 yards Saturday.

Iowa's top goal is off the table, but a Big Ten title remains within reach, and linebacker Pat Angerer tried to keep things in perspective.

"It hurts, but we've got two games left," Angerer said. "Worse things could happen. We're not at war. We live in a good country, we're going to school for free, we're living the American dream. We lost a football game. It's pretty small when you think of the big picture."

And if there's any team that can respond from a setback like this one, it's Iowa.

"This is another challenge we have," safety Joe Conklin said. "We've been down in games and come back, but you know what? This is our first loss. We've got our first taste of defeat. And no one in that locker room likes it."

Posted by ESPN.com’s David Albright

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- A few quick thoughts at halftime in Happy Valley as Ohio State leads Penn State 10-7.

Stat of the half: 4.9. That’s how many yards per passing attempt the two teams have combined for so far. With both defenses in the top 10 nationally in total defense a low-output affair was expected by many. And there has only been 280 total yards through the first 30 minutes so it’s likely to be tight the rest of the way. This could clearly come down to the special teams units, both of which played a role in the first half.

Best player in the half: You could make an argument for Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark, who scored the Nittany Lions only touchdown, or for Ohio State punt returner Ray Small, who set up the Buckeyes’ only touchdown. Also, any number of players on either defense has delivered as expected so far. But I would go with the unconventional choice of Ohio State backup kicker Devin Barclay. He’s the difference in the game as his 37-yard field goal gave the Buckeyes the 10-7 lead. But more importantly he may have convinced coach Jim Tressel that he’s up to the task if this game comes down to a late field goal try.

What Ohio State needs to do: Find a passing attack -- even a little one. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor was just 3 of 9 for 33 yards in the first half. By the end of the second quarter it was clear that Penn State didn’t respect the Buckeyes’ passing game and it made even tougher for Boom Herron (13 carries, 51 yards) to find anywhere to run. If Pryor can’t loosen up the Nittany Lions defense a bit the yards are going to be hard to come by in the final two quarters. Ohio State also needs to cut down on the penalties (6 for 46 yards).

What Penn State needs to do: Find a running game. Just like Ohio State’s dearth of passing, the Nittany Lions haven’t found a consistent way to move the ball on the ground (18 carries, 44 yards). That’s not a huge surprise as the Buckeyes came into the game with the nation’s sixth best rushing defense (86.4 yards per game). If that continues then the pressure on Clark to create something through the air is going to continue to mount.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Northwestern waited patiently for Corey Wootton to get back to normal and start playing like an All-America candidate.

Weeks and months passed, and the senior defensive end still looked like a shell of his former self, as he recovered from offseason ACL surgery. After recording 10 sacks last season, Wootton had only one through the first nine games.

But this week, head coach Pat Fitzgerald sensed that Wootton's time would be coming. Fitzgerald's rationale was simple.

"This was the first week he practiced on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday," the coach said.

You can bet Wootton's teammates took notice.

"At practice, we were all yelling, 'Corey's back! Corey's back!" linebacker Quentin Davie said. "He definitely came back today."

Wootton made the biggest play of Northwestern's season -- and unfortunately a play that altered Iowa's season -- when he sacked Hawkeyes quarterback Ricky Stanzi in the end zone early in the second quarter. The senior jarred the ball loose from Stanzi and teammate Marshall Thomas recovered for a touchdown.

Northwestern went on to upset the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes 17-10 and notch its first win against a top 10 opponent since 2004.

Iowa led 10-0 at the time and had completely dominated until Wootton's play.

"It feels great to be able to contribute," Wootton said. "Last year, I had a little more production. ... I'm just starting to feel a little more comfortable out there. I'm still getting over the mental aspect [of the injury]. This is going to take time, but the more I practice and the more things I do to get ready for the games is going to help me."

Stanzi sprained his right ankle on the play, left the game and didn't return, as Northwestern held Iowa to no points and only 127 total yards the rest of the way.

"[Wootton] made a play down there," Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. "Cost us a touchdown and a quarterback, unfortunately."

Northwestern isn't going to feel too sorry for Iowa. The Wildcats have been decimated by injuries this season, especially on the defensive line as Wootton and defensive tackles Corbin Bryant and Adam Hahn all came off of surgery.

"The expectations we have for him are the ones he sets for himself, and they're very high," Fitzgerald said of Wootton. "I couldn't be more proud of him. He has stayed the course, he's battled, he's persevered. It's not been great for anybody on our team, but he found a way to get the job done today, and it's a credit to him."

Posted by ESPN.com’s David Albright

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark tied the game at 7-7 early in the second quarter with a 1-yard touchdown on a 4th and goal play.

The score was Clark’s 21st career rushing TD which established a new school record for quarterbacks.

Ohio State then retook the lead at 10-7 after a 10-play, 61-yard drive resulted in a 37-yard field goal by Devin Barclay. Jim Tressel had Barclay lined up to try a 42-yard field goal but Penn State was flagged for being offside and that made the try -- which would have been good from close to 50 yards -- five yards shorter.