Buckeyes start with a statement
Ohio State helped usher the Big Ten into the regular season with a 52-17 victory against Nebraska, which hung around for much of the first half but proved unable to slow down quarterback Justin Fields and the Buckeyes offense.
Already one of three teams receiving first-place votes in this week’s Amway Coaches Poll, the Buckeyes showed little signs of the sluggishness that has hobbled even the nation’s best teams after a unique offseason.
Fields completed 20 of his 21 attempts for 276 yards and had a team-high 54 rushing yards with three combined touchdowns as OSU racked up nearly 500 yards of offense.
Stressed early by Nebraska’s tempo – the Cornhuskers have improved depth and overall talent up front, which bodes well for the offense in Scott Frost’s third season – the Buckeyes’ performance from late in the second quarter through the final whistle painted the picture of a team capable of running the table and reaching the College Football Playoff. And Penn State?
The Big Ten’s second playoff contender lost 36-35 in overtime to Indiana, dealing a tough blow to the Nittany Lions’ playoff hopes. Ahead 28-20 with over a minute left in the fourth quarter, Penn State allowed the Hoosiers to score and convert the two-point conversion to force overtime. Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. completed the two-point try in the bottom of the extra frame for one of the best wins in program history.
The loss removes much of the luster from next weekend’s prime-time matchup with the Buckeyes. It also seems to remove much of the intrigue: Ohio State will be the significant favorite on the road.
Finally, the loss opens up room for Michigan, Minnesota or Wisconsin to stake claim for second place in the conference, which dictates where teams fall in the postseason pecking order. But only second place seems up for debate after one week – Ohio State might be too good to unseat from atop the Big Ten.
Here are the rest of Saturday’s winners and losers:
Winners
Oklahoma State: Quietly one of the few remaining unbeaten teams in the Bowl Subdivision heading into the weekend, Oklahoma State bolstered its credibility and took a step toward claiming the top spot in the Big 12 with a 24-21 victory against Iowa State.
Michigan: For Michigan, the best development to come out of a 49-24 win at Minnesota was the play of first-year starting quarterback Joe Milton, who provided an immediate spark for an offense that has produced less-than-optimal results for much of Jim Harbaugh’s tenure.
Rutgers: It feels like the late 2000s again at Rutgers, which snapped a 21game Big Ten losing streak in beating Michigan State 38-27 to kick off the Greg Schiano reunion in grand style.
North Carolina: UNC rebounded from last week’s ugly loss to Florida State with a 48-21 victory against rival N.C. State. After a strong start, the Wolfpack struggled with turnovers and in getting
stops against the Tar Heels’ balanced offense: 252 yards passing, 326 yards rushing.
Notre Dame: The situation seemed ripe for an upset: Notre Dame had looked listless and underwhelming in last week’s win against Louisville while Pittsburgh had lost three games in a row, the first two by a single point. Instead of salvaging their season, the Panthers were blown out by the Fighting Irish, who took a 28-3 halftime lead and cruised to a 45-3 victory.
Clemson: Speaking of the top-ranked Tigers, Clemson sleepwalked through a good portion of a 47-21 victory against Syracuse, which pulled within six points in the third quarter, before waking up to pull away and notch a pair of firsts: the first time winning its first six games of the year by 18 or more points and the first time opening a season by scoring 37 or more points in six straight games.
Indiana: Even had Penix not dove and caught just the barest whisper of the left pylon to secure the 36-35 victory, Indiana would’ve landed in this category just for having the guts to go for the win instead of safely kicking the extra point to force a second overtime.
LSU: On the ropes after losing two of three to open the season, LSU rebounded to beat South Carolina 52-24 behind an offense led by freshman quarterback TJ Finley.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats whipped SMU 42-13 in the biggest game of the season in the Group of Five. The win makes Cincinnati the unquestioned leader in the American, if that wasn’t settled already, and gives it the inside track to claiming the access-bowl bid to the New Year’s Six given to the best team from outside the Power Five leagues.
Losers
Tennessee: The losing streak against Alabama sits at 5,117 days and counting after the Crimson Tide’s 48-17 victory, the latest blowout in a series that was once competitive – seriously, Tennessee used to beat Alabama – but is now an annual reminder of how far the Volunteers lag behind the best teams in the SEC.
Alabama: The bad news: Alabama will be without wide receiver Jaylen Waddle for the rest of the season after he broke his ankle on the opening kickoff, Nick Saban said at halftime. Losing Waddle, a projected first-round draft pick, removes the most important piece from Alabama’s three-headed receiver corps and weakens the return game.
Michigan State: The Spartans lost to Rutgers. Along the way, coach Mel Tucker’s debut included seven turnovers, the program’s most in a game since 1981.
Kentucky: As seen in a 20-10 loss to Missouri, the inability to do anything on offense will end up keeping Kentucky outside the top three of the SEC East. The Wildcats completed 4 of 13 pass attempts for just 47 yards to go with 98 yards rushing on 23 carries as Missouri ran almost three times as many plays and had possession for more than 43 minutes.
Minnesota: The Wolverines’ convincing win was also a flop by Minnesota, which broke through in 2019 under P.J. Fleck but is headed for a season more in line with program history – middle of the pack in the Big Ten.