Around the Big Ten

[Jeff Buchanan]

Iowa trailing by one with 2:58 left and about to receive the KO.

I think Coker is pushing 200 yards. Vandenberg has been spotty but has hit McNutt and both his TEs for big plays.

[*JD*]

Gophers beat the Hawkeyes. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing for us.

[WM Wolverine]

Hawkeyes didn't look like a good team, so thats good. More confident about next week, didn't think Iowa was very good and they haven't done anything this season (did they beat NW pre-Persa returning?) to lead me to believe otherwise...

They are probably at the Purdue level in talent, young and not that talented. They 'might' win 6 games and don't have Wisky or Ohio on their schedule.

[WM Wolverine]

PSU is 8-1 (5-0 in B10) but here are there wins:

*Indiana State
*Temple
*Eastern Michigan
*Indiana
*Iowa
*Purdue
*Northwestern
*Illinois

But what they have left:

*Nebraska
*Ohio State
*Wisconsin

I guess they deserve credit for winning the games they've played but so far they've barely played a Big East type schedule.

[Pasadena Blue]

the PSU schedule is interesting .... aside from 'Bama, it looks like they have a steadily increasing degree of difficulty from one week to next. That's a pretty good way to develop your team.

[hodgkal]

...or get your balloon burst at the end of the season.

[Rocky Bleier]

I'd rather be playing Iowa after they beat up a weak Minnesota team. Now they'll be more determined after losing to a weak Minnesota team.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I'm not sold on Iowa. I watched most of the game. Ferentz and his OC, Ken O'Keefe, are two of the most conservative play callers in the nation running a traditional power I offense. Vandenberg to McNutt is there single offensive deep threat but Vandenberg is inconsistent. He threw 2 picks against PSU. Coker is a good RB but he was held to 74 yards by PSU .... had a big day against the Gophers. No surprise there but Iowa couldn't score in the red zone.

O'Keefe phones down a lot of throws to their TEs and RBs (horrors remembered in M's last visit to Iowa). There were a lot of drops against the Gophers on these plays (????).

Iowa has a system, its been in place for a decade, they bring people up in it, so players are experienced and execute well. Michigan has to out-play Iowa to win this; Iowa won't hand it to Michigan on their field.

I got by my fear of an imminent failure to improve against Purdue out of the way. M played really well. Surprisingly well in all phases of the game. This game, on the road against an average and beatable Iowa team is a further test to see if Hoke can be like Bo who always, ALWAYS had his teams playing good football in November.

[Rocky Bleier]

It will be tough if Barnum and Lewan are both out of the lineup.

[WM Wolverine]

and possibly Kovacs who has been a great clean-up man at free safety.

[Jamie H]

I'd rather be playing Iowa after they beat up a weak Minnesota team. Now they'll be more determined after losing to a weak Minnesota team.

Or they may be demoralized from losing to one of the worst teams in the country and realizing they now have pretty much no shot at the division title. Hard to say.

[lineygoblue]

Unfortunately, I think they will look at this as an opportunity to ruin things for us.

[Jamie H]

Maybe. We are already on the outside looking in though since MSU has the tiebreaker with us, so I don't see what they would ruin.

[Hannibal]

Former Penn State defensive coordinator has been indicted on 40 felony charges of sex crimes against minors. The alleged offenses date back to 1996.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/11/former_penn_state_coach_jerry.html

[whodean]

MSZu falls behind Minny, 7-0, the TD featured horrendous "tackling" by the Spittoons