There were just three games on the Big Ten schedule involving ranked teams in Week 5, with the highlight being the ranked matchup between Ohio State and Iowa.te and Indiana continued to prove why they are the best of the Big Ten with their road victories this weekend, and USC managed to rebound for a win at home after a tough loss last week against Oregon.
Here is a quick rundown of what happened in the Big Ten this weekend and the updated conference standings following the results of Week 5.
No. 5 Ohio State 31, No. 14 Iowa 14
Ohio State was well aware of how dangerous a place Kinnick Stadium can be to play for a highly-ranked team, but the Buckeyes made sure there would be no real drama this time around. And who else but wide receiver Jeremiah Smith to help overpower the Hawkeyes?
The Big Ten's top wide receiver caught 11 passes for 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Julian Sayin passed for 324 yards with 3 touchdown passes (Devin McCuin caught the other).
The Ohio State defense keyed in on stopping Iowa's ground game, with Kamari Moulton limited to 27 yards on 11 carries. Iowa only rushed for 39 yards as a team, with quarterback Hank Brown taken down for a net loss of 14 yards in the game. Brown fumbled on the second play of the game and Ohio State recovered it on the Iowa 14-yard line, setting up a quick and easy touchdown as the game got started. An interception thrown by Brown late in the third quarter set up another Ohio State touchdown drive to firmly put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter.
No. 6 Indiana 47, Rutgers 15
A week after a close call at home against Northwestern (a result that doesn't seem quite as shocking this week), Indiana more comfortable victory on the road this week against Rutgers. Josh Hoover completed 20 of 27 passes for 251 yards and 4 touchdowns and Turbo Richard rushed for 204 yards on 13 carries to help power Indiana to a blowout win against the Scarlet Knights. Indiana outgained Rutgers 593-254 in a game that included just one 5-yard penalty (by Rutgers).
Indiana will be on the road again next week for the start of a pivotal stretch of games with a road trip to Nebraska and a home game against Ohio State up next.
No. 18 USC 25, Washington 21
Ironically, USC's defense came to the rescue for the Trojans on Saturday night against Washington. Jahkeem Stewart returned a fumble 48 yards for a touchdown to give USC a lead in the third quarter to help USC overcome a double-digit deficit at home. Washington built a 21-10 lead early in the third quarter with a Demond Williams touchdown pass to Decker DeGraaf from 42 yards Jayden Maiava led the Trojans on a 13-play drive for an answer, and then the defense made a much-needed play to regain control of the game.
USC forced Washington to go three-and-out on their next two offensive series but Washington had a 15-play drive spanning 77 yards down to the USC 18-yard line in the final minute of the game. Needing a touchdown, Washington was forced to go for it on fourth down from the USC 18-yard line after a sack on third down. Williams' fourth-down pass fell short as it was broken up by the Trojans for a turnover on downs, and USC could run the clock out from there.
In scores of other games...
- Northwestern 34, Penn State 13 - Northwestern opened its brand new Ryan Field with a dominant win over Penn State, thanks to a strong game from a rushing attack that piled up over 400 yards on the ground against the Nittany Lions.
- Minnesota 20, Michigan 14 - Minnesota's second-half comeback keeps the Little Brown Jug in the possession of the Gophers for the first time since 2014. Michigan's offense has failed to score at least 20 points in four of the five games played this season.
- Wisconsin 31, Michigan State 3 - Colton Joseph passed for 3 touchdowns and rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown to lead Wisconsin to a blowout victory at home against Michigan State.
- Nebraska 48, Maryland 23 - Nebraska's QB also had a big day with 3 passing touchdowns and a game-high 108 rushing yards as the Cornhuskers. Nebraska's 81-yard pick-six by Dwayne McDougle III late in the first half helped ensure Nebraska would keep Maryland at an arm's length.
- Purdue 24, Illinois 17 - Purdue snapped its 19-game Big Ten losing streak with a road win at Illinois. Purdue also lays claim to the Cannon Trophy as a result.
Updated Big Ten football standings
Looking ahead to Week 6
All times are Eastern. All games are scheduled for Saturday, October 10, unless noted otherwise. Home teams are listed first.
- Washington vs. Iowa (Friday, Oct. 9) - 9:00 p.m., FOX or FS1
- Nebraska vs. Indiana - 12:00 p.m., FOX
- Northwestern vs. Ball State - 12:30 p.m., Big Ten Network
- Oregon vs. UCLA - 3:30 p.m., CBS
- Michigan State vs. Illinois - 3:30 p.m., FS1
- Ohio State vs. Maryland - 4:15 p.m., Big Ten Network
- Penn State vs. USC - 7:30 p.m., NBC
- Purdue vs. Minnesota - 8:00 p.m., Big Ten Network
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Big Ten Week 5 recap: Final scores, updated standings, what's next?
