Unbeaten Hoosiers roll on
For Ty Fryfogle and No. 10 Indiana, each game brings something new to be excited about.
Fryfogle had 11 catches for 200 yards — surpassing career highs he’d set just a week earlier — and the Hoosiers handled Michigan State 24- 0 on Saturday in East Lansing. Indiana remained unbeaten, turning what looked like a potential trap game into an easy win.
Now the Hoosiers can look ahead to a showdown next weekend at No. 3 Ohio State.
“It doesn’t matter what everybody says about us,” said Fryfogle, who had seven catches for 142 yards against Michigan last weekend. “We’re going to keep doing us and keep executing each and every week, getting better every week. That’s what’s exciting about this team. We’re getting better each and every week.”
Michael Penix Jr. threw for 320 yards and hit Fryfogle for two touchdown passes.
Penix also threw two interceptions in the first half, but that didn’t matter much. The Spartans ( 1- 3) were just as sloppy — to the point where quarterback Rocky Lombardi was pulled in the second quarter down 17- 0 and replaced by Naperville Central grad Payton Thorne.
Fryfogle did most of his damage in the first two quarters, when all the game’s scoring occurred. Michigan State was shut out at home for the first time since a 31- 0 loss to Michigan in 1985. Indiana has won its first four Big Ten games for the first time since 1987.
Thorne broke free for a 38- yard run on his first play, but that drive stalled. He went 10- for- 20 for 110 yards with an interception.
“It was nice to get in there and get some real action and be able to move the ball around a little bit,” said Thorne, a redshirt freshman. “I wish I would have played a little bit better today, obviously, but it was nice to get out there and get some snaps.”
“We thought it was some decision- making early in the game,” Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said. “Payton was the next man up, and so we gave him an opportunity. It was as simple as that. We’ll look at the film and we’ll evaluate it more and see what we need to do moving forward.”
Wisconsin 49, Michigan 11
Nakia Watson and Mason Stokke each scored two touchdowns in the first half, helping No. 13 Wisconsin build a big lead in a rout of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The Badgers ( 2- 0) returned to competition after canceling two games of their all- Big Ten schedule due to a COVID- 19 breakout within the program.
The Wolverines ( 1- 3) fell behind 28- 0 at halftime, their largest deficit at home since the Big House opened in 1927, and are off to their worst start since 1967.
The Badgers finished with 341 yards rushing and five scores on the ground, while Graham Mertz was 12- for- 22 passing for 127 yards with two touchdowns. Wide receiver Kendric Pryor, a Homewood- Flossmoor grad who had two catches for 27 yards, left the game with an upper- body injury.
Nebraska 30, Penn State 23
Host Nebraska ( 1- 2) turned back two Penn State drives in the final four minutes and held on to win the battle of winless teams.
Luke McCaffrey, the little brother of NFL star Christian McCaffrey, made his first start at quarterback in place of Adrian Martinez and had a hand in two touchdowns in the first half. A Top 10 team to start the season, the Lions ( 0- 4) are off to their worst start since Joe Paterno’s 2001 team also opened with four straight losses.