Week 3 B1G Thread

RetroVK

RetroVK

This claim is disputed
Is it time for a week 3 B1G Thread?

"Absolutely"

Let's take a look at the matchups for this week and I will add a few thoughts on what I saw from the B1G in week 2. I will add the opening or close to opening spreads when the lines are out.

Early Saturday
Ohio State at Indiana
Pittsburgh at Penn State
Maryland at Temple
Eastern Michigan at Temple

Afternoon Saturday
UNLV at Northwestern
Georgia Southern at Minnesota
Arizona State at Michigan State (How low can they make this total?)
Iowa at Iowa State

UTL
TCU at Purdue (good luck capping that one)
Northern Illinois at Nebraska

Let's have a discussion
 
Cinci at Ohio State - Not much to say about this game, it was a can of whoopass. I thought Cinci realized early they were outmatched, and the SDSU victory over UCLA certainly makes one wonder if Cinci was overvalued heading into that game. OSU with a 31 13 fd edge a 508 to 273 yardage advantage. I would consider this a bounceback performance by the TOSU defense. They gave up the 46 yarder to Pierce but otherwise did a good job eliminating any big plays. I watched ball state move it up and down the field on Indiana week 1, so I would expect TOSU to have another good offensive showing in that one.

Michigan at Army - Game started with Mich QB being sloppy with the ball again. Just some takeaways through two weeks with regard to Michigan: 1. While they are a little faster than last year, where is the pace we were all expecting? They certainly are not nearly as quick as we were led to believe. 2. They just cannot be a next level team with their current offensive line play. 3. Patterson has to learn to value the football. At Ole Miss they ran a high risk/high reward offense and so being that gunslinger type of player worked well but his pocket awareness is either bad or his ball security is. Either way, it needs to be fixed. Were it not for a faked punt success, Michigan would have scored 7 in regulation, at home, against a service academy. Army had the game wrapped up but a bad error by the Army coach to call a pass on third and goal led to a turnover instead of a chip shot (and likely game winning) FG. His player didn't help him out with his decision but when you pass 5 times in a game that goes to overtime, you have to know your player isn't in those positions often enough to make great decisions. Defense held the Army rush attack to 3.3 yards per carry and that is really impressive. As of now, it just looks like the Michigan of last year to me. When the offense matches up well with an opponent they can house them because the defense is there .. but if not, the defense has to play perfect all game. They have a BYE to prepare for Taylor and Wisconsin. Wisconsin poses a different problem with their apparent ability to pass down the field now, which makes cheating to take away Taylor harder. Very interesting match up with Wisconsin not having faced a good rush defense yet. Certainly Wisconsin playing the better ball right now and at home. I circled this game in offseason as one I wanted to attend but I am in Orlando and then Texas inbetween and that is just too much travel for me.

Penn State - Want a good laugh .. look at the box score of that game.

Back later with more but HUNT, BAR and Co. feel free to add to thread
 
Maryland at Temple
Eastern Michigan at Temple
Click to expand...

Tough double header for the Owls. :)

I don't think it was a bad call for Army to pass on that INT play, we don't know what the read or route was supposed to be and maybe the QB just paniced when it didn't materialize as designed. They are usually really good a picking and choosing when to pass. Was it their first possession of the 3rd qrt? I agree any pts there by Army felt like that was curtains for Michigan, but you can't just play safe for a FG still at that point.

Tough tough loss for Army. Michigan really looked piss poor with their play, lack of execution, formations, play calling...hell everything. I have long wanted Michigan to be good and matter again and have long been a defender of Harbaugh, but the ship has sailed. They suck and they need to go back to camp and work on this new offense - I can't think of an early season bye being more needed than theirs right now. They aren't running with pace because it would probably look even worse if they did. The new system from OL to QB has not been comprehended by the players yet. And just think, they've played MTSU D and Army D.
 
Rutgers had 125 yards and 5 first downs at Iowa. They only averaged 245 ypg in those final 5 B1G games of 2018 when they covered all 5, but really, their ATS success was because those spreads were higher than the number they got at Iowa allowing them to cover while not really doing much to earn it and because they faced a couple struggling Os in that span as well. Rutgers showed that their O is just as bad as at any point it has been under Ash. QB Carter got concussed in the 1st H, DNP 2nd H and was just 5-15-21-0-1. Sitkowski was 4-11-19-0-1. Ouch.
 
Arizona State is starting a tFr C and a rFr somewhere else on their OL. Both Kent and Sacramento State caused them problems.
 
Some excerpts from the Illinois - UConn game courtesy of OrangeandBlueNews:

POOR BEGINNINGS. TWICE.

Slow starts have been a staple of the Lovie Smith era. Illinois was sleep walking in the first quarter and fell behind UConn 13-0 before getting bouncing back with 24 unanswered points. The Illini appeared on their way to the predicted blowout, but against came out of the locker room in lackluster fashion after the halftime break.

RUNNING GAME STALLS

The Illinois offense just isn't the same without Reggie Corbin, who is the perfect fit for zone heavy scheme. Even with Jakari Norwood breaking loose for a 53-yard run, the Illini averaged just 4.2 yards per carry. That's shocking, considering they were one of the top rushing teams in the Big Ten a year ago, and four starters returned on the offensive line. Corbin is great at finding the cutback lane and turning on the juice. Dre Brown, Ra'Von Bonner, and Norwood all struggled with their vision. Redshirt freshman Kenyon Sims may be a better option.
WIDE RECEIVER PHYSICALITY

Josh Imatorbhbeh and Ricky Smalling may not be the kind of track star wide receivers who run away from defenders, but they are both physical specimens with the strength to win battles for the football in a crowd. Imatorbhebhe, the big transfer from USC, is a red zone weapons who knows how to position his body and use his strength to create space and make plays. Smalling has improved immensely as a route runner, and has shown none of the issues with his hands that plagued him as a sophomore a year ago. Imatorbhbehe and Smalling combined for nine catchs for 96 yards. Imatorbhebhe had two touchdowns, including one of the highlights of the game on a jump ball in the back of the end zone.

RUSH DEFENSE DID IT'S JOB, BUT...

UConnn didn't pound Mensah up the middle, instead leaning heavily on true freshman quarterback Jack Zergiotis (21-31, 275 yards, 2 interceptions). Illinois stuffed Mensah and the UConn running game, yielding just 0.3 yards per carry. Tackling was an issue at times, but the stats don't lie. Still, it's the pass defense and the Cover-2 scheme that worries me. Zergiotis was much too effective in his first ever start, and there was space for the UConn wide receivers, particularly in the middle of the field and the deep outside. The coverage calls by Lovie Smith seemed to be predictable and easy to read, and the corners gave a lot of cushion. With two physical guys in Quan Martin and Nate Hobbs, you would think we would see more press coverage and less soft zone. What happens when Illinois faces Big Ten quarterbacks like Nate Stanley, Shea Patterson, and Elijah Sindelar? They get Nebraksa and Adrian Peters in week 3.

NOTABLE

Illinois had 12.0 TFLs for the second straight game. It is the first time since at least 2000 that Illinois had 24+ TFLs in the first two games of the season. Illinois also recorded 5 sacks.

Junior James McCourt's 53-yard field goal to end the first half tied for the longest field goal on the road in Illinois history (Mike Bass at Syracuse 9/18/1982; Dave Finzer at Purdue 10/15/1977).

Junior DL Oluwole Betiku, Jr. had 3.5 sacks, tied for the fifth-most sacks in a game in Illinois history. Betiku is the first Illini with 3.0+ sacks in a game since Whitney Mercilus (3.0) at Indiana 10/8/2011. He has 5.0 sacks already in 2019, more than or equal to Illinois' season leader in nine of the last 20 seasons.

illinois.rivals.com

OrangeandBlueNews - Rapid reaction: Illini top UConn 31-23

Illinois got out to a slow start but hung on to top UConn 31-24 on Saturday.
illinois.rivals.com illinois.rivals.com
Click to expand...
 
I was pretty mad at NIU Saturday. To their credit they showed up ready to play and Utah did not. NIU played well in the first half, and their D was solid all day. After scoring 17 pts and gaining over 220 yards in the 1st H, NIU only ran a total of 2 plays in Utah territory in the 2nd H and obviously was shutout. I didn't think a focused and ready Utah would struggle with them, but they did. I wouldn't think a focused and ready Nebraska would struggle with them either, but we saw the USA-NU game and who knows how Huskers bounce back after blowing the CU game.
 
Penn State - Buffalo excerpt:

Bad

Offensive line’s sub-par play: Sure, Penn State’s defensive line didn’t dominate either — but the offensive line was atrocious.


The Nittany Lions ran just 46 plays, and the OL allowed seven tackles for loss. Against Buffalo. Against a team that lost four of its top-six tacklers from last season and essentially returned two defensive starters. That is not a harbinger of good things to come for PSU.


Sean Clifford was sacked three times, and the running game was nonexistent. Take away Clifford’s 58-yard scramble, and this offense generated less than 1 yard per carry. Against Buffalo!


“I don’t think we were finishing blocks,” James Franklin said. And, judging from the stats, it didn’t look like Penn State was starting blocks on some plays, either. This OL has a long way to go this season.


Again.


Third-down struggles: There are some definite unwanted trends in Happy Valley. Sub-par offensive line play is one of those; third-down struggles is another.


After going 1-for-9 on third downs against Idaho, Penn State responded ... by going 2-of-9 against Buffalo. (The Bulls were 10-of-23.) Let’s put that into perspective: After two weeks, the Nittany Lions are currently ranked No. 128 out of 130 teams in their third-down conversion rate.


Rutgers is converting 32.1 percent of its third downs. Penn State? Try 17.6 percent. Only Georgia Southern (16 percent) and New Mexico (6.7 percent) are worse. Also, one of Penn State’s third-down conversions Saturday came on a 1-yard run by Ricky Slade.


The issues here are numerous. Some of the play-calls or routes were odd — Clifford twice completed passes short of the sticks — and the offensive line wasn’t generating enough push on earlier downs, making third-and-long an all-too-familiar situation.


Read more here: https://www.centredaily.com/sports/...-football/article234795622.html#storylink=cpy
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Penn State - Want a good laugh .. look at the box score of that game.
Click to expand...

Buffalo 22-14 FD, 184-78 RY, 429-357 TY, 10-of-23 3rd down to PSU's 2-of-9 3rd down - Buffalo lost 13-45

Bulls led 10-7 HT. PSU had a 28y TD pass after a fumble recovery deep in UB territory, a 36y pick-six, 1p 23y TD drive following poor punt and penalty, a 58y QB run scored next play, after partial punt blk a 28y TD pass on 4th-and-2 near end of 3rd qrt and a 56y TD pass with 3:03 left in the game (ofcourse Franklin had the starters in already up 38-13 with 3min left in the game and they throw deep).
 
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RetroVK said:
Is it time for a week 3 B1G Thread?

"Absolutely"

Let's take a look at the matchups for this week and I will add a few thoughts on what I saw from the B1G in week 2. I will add the opening or close to opening spreads when the lines are out.

Early Saturday
Ohio State at Indiana
Pittsburgh at Penn State
Maryland at Temple
Eastern Michigan at Temple

Afternoon Saturday
UNLV at Northwestern
Georgia Southern at Minnesota
Arizona State at Michigan State (How low can they make this total?)
Iowa at Iowa State

UTL
TCU at Purdue (good luck capping that one)
Northern Illinois at Nebraska

Let's have a discussion
Click to expand...


You're the best bro. Thank you.
 
I echo VK sentiments on Michigan...have a hard time protecting the ball..unusual really..bad coaching and still not a dominant oline AGAIN. I do think Charbonnet will be a great back..he had the most carries by a Michigan RB, 33, since Mike Hart in 97. Pretty crazy considering how much Michigan runs the ball the last 20 years. Not a playoff team at this point and the game in Madison will be the true test. I expect Wisconsin to be more physical and win the line of scrimmage. Two weeks from now..both a bye.

Bucks looked fantastic...Bearcats are no joke...great D down the c-bus. Dobbins got going as well.

Wisconsin dominated again...inferior opponents but still they are blasting them this year..the last few years they seemed to struggle with these kinds of teams early.

Nebraska..I dunno what to say...just fell apart...just can't lose that kind of lead..plain and simple.

Michigan State...WMU was able to throw on them in the FH but MSU but missed a fg and had a pick in the RZ..but this is what MSU does...offense really got it going..they looked great.

All I really saw yesterday.

Thanks again VK.
 
I wasn't paying a ton of attention to the MSU game but I swear I saw them playing with some pace in the first quarter .... I could be wrong cause I was watching other games .. but that is what it looked like.
 
RetroVK said:
I wasn't paying a ton of attention to the MSU game but I swear I saw them playing with some pace in the first quarter .... I could be wrong cause I was watching other games .. but that is what it looked like.
Click to expand...


They were definitely faster.
 
OSU looking like a Final Four team. Harbaugh has become too predictable. When he coached the Niners, the Rams were horrible but would beat them. Rams players talked years later about how predictable the Niners plays were based on formations and personal.
Look at when Army stuffed a 4th down attempt by Michigan. Every single defender knew what was coming. Harbaugh has gone stale.
Week 2 of Nebraska and my assessment is the same as last week. They suck and they haven't played anyone good yet. Wait until they go against a team with talent in the trenches and have weapons on offense. Didn't see any other Big 10 games.
 
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The Army interception was a killer but they lost the game two plays prior to that. Had a 2nd and goal at the 1, Michigan on its heels, ready to run the FB dive into the end zone and go up 14. They get an un-Army like false start, pushes them back to the 6 and ultimately leads to the pick.
 
Really interested in thoughts on iowa-ISU. I have not seen heard or read anything on iowa st
 
I don't know enough about MOH to reasonably answer that question.


Can say confidently the iowa isu total is too high regardless of game outcome.
 
Anyone with the deep knowledge of TCU? Hard to take away much from their game against Pine Bluff and then a bye week. Patterson played a ton of guys on defense and split the QB's about down the middle.

His MO seems to be attempt to take away the opponents strength so it will be interesting to see what type of coverage they throw at RoMo. Vandy seemed to leave their corners out on an island and took away Purdue's non existent run game which didn't seem like the best approach...

Obviously Sindelar or no Sindelar makes this game tough to cap but hopefully know more about that tomorrow. If not Sindelar it will be RS Freshman Plummer whom Brohm targeted early as his guy from AZ before most of the PAC 12 started offering him. He's talented and can do everything necessary in this offense but at night against a Gary Patterson defense wouldn't be the time I'd want him to debut obviously.
 
"I am not happy to report that yesterday in practice Markus Bailey sustained a knee injury and will be out the remainder of the season," Brohm said. "The next couple of weeks he’ll have surgery. We want to support him in every way we can as he gets fully healed which I know will happen. He has been a tremendous player for us, worked extremely hard this offseason to overcome a hip surgery that he got healed that made him miss spring ball and was getting ready to have a outstanding year. He played extremely well the first two games.
"It was a non-contact injury. It was really a lighter practice in helmets only. It’s unfortunate but we’ll have to move forward and the next guy up will have to be ready to go. We have some guys at the linebacker position with some experience. And I expect them to play well."
The 6-1, 240-pound Bailey—who has made 40 career starts—was regarded as one of the top linebackers in the Big Ten. The co-captain and outside linebacker considered turning pro after last year but opted to return for a fifth season after undergoing hip surgery in the offseason that caused him to miss spring drills. The Columbus, Ohio, native is No. 2 on the team in tackles this season with 14. He leads the team with two TFLs and has a sack.
Who will take Bailey's spot?
"For sure, Cornel Jones is the next guy up. Him and Ben Holt will be the two inside backers.Jaylan Alexander has experience for us. Kieren Douglas is a guy who hasn't played a lot for us at linebacker but went through all sreing we think can be a pretty player as well."
 
I was already worried about this game enough....I had to hit TCU -1.5 for a chunk and hope i'm wrong
 
probably too much Purdue crap for ya but i'll share the other notable stuff i got if you don't know anything about the possible QB saturday....

One of the most noteworthy recent times Purdue had to turn to a backup quarterback to make his first start because of injury to a starter was back on November 1, 2008, when Justin Siller started for injured Curtis Painter and delivered a memorable 48-42 win over Michigan.
The 6-5, 215-pound Plummer had offers from the likes of Oregon State, Arizona, Colorado State, Boise State, Hawaii and Cincinnati coming out of Gilbert (Arizona) High as a three-star rivals recruit. He has a brother, Will Plummer, who is a Class of 2020 commit with Arizona. Jack Plummer has shown a command of Brohm’s offense. And he arguably is the best athlete Purdue has under center.
“We're very confident in Jack," said Brohm. “He's had good weeks of practice. He's improved. He's got some moxie to him, some athleticism. I think he's gaining confidence because he's practiced well, and he has to always be ready to go. We tell him that all the time.”
How much of Purdue’s offense is Brohm comfortable with Plummer running?
“I think he can run it all,” said Brohm. “That's kind of one of his strengths. He's very smart, very cerebral. If anything, he's got some David Blough in him. He overthinks things a little bit, but that's not a bad quality, and he works hard at it. I think he has a very bright future here.”
Plummer arrived in West Lafayette as part of Purdue’s 2018 recruiting class. He redshirted last year and impressed. Even back in August, Brohm professed confidence in Plummer. And Plummer believes in himself, too.
“I think I know the offense well,” Plummer said in August during camp. “It feels good to get more reps, you start to get into a rhythm. I am getting better at completing the deep balls, the go routes. I think I can move around a lilt bit and extend plays. I think what I’m getting really good at is knowing what the defense is. I have been here a while and I can start to see trends of what the defense is gonna do. I am starting to pick up what the defense is gonna do before the snap.
“Yes, I feel confident to play. I came here to play, I want to play, that is the dream, that is the goal. I am excited to go in.”
Plummer may get his chance this Saturday. In case you are wondering: Plummer’s backup would be sophomore Aidan O’Connell, a walk-on.
 
I continue to struggle when betting on B1G games but last week was a little better.
Won on Purdue and Colorado ( Nebraska )
Lost on Illini, Cincinnati ( tOSU ), and Fresno (Minnesota)

Used Illini, Michigan (whew) , and Sparty in winning ML parlays

This week using Sparty again in ML parlay with Charlotte
Playing on TCU ( Purdue) and No Illinois (Nebraska)

Good Luck to all.
 
bull said:
I continue to struggle when betting on B1G games but last week was a little better.
Won on Purdue and Colorado ( Nebraska )
Lost on Illini, Cincinnati ( tOSU ), and Fresno (Minnesota)

Used Illini, Michigan (whew) , and Sparty in winning ML parlays

This week using Sparty again in ML parlay with Charlotte
Playing on TCU ( Purdue) and No Illinois (Nebraska)

Good Luck to all.
Click to expand...


GL bull!
 
Illinois -7...is this fools gold? they hav

Penn St...I think they can name their score. Can Pitt put up 3 TD to stay within the number?

Maryland...the line stinks. They scored some major points in the last 2 games, yet it's only a TD.

Northwestern....they have MSU on deck. UNLV lost at home to Arky St, but they need a win or keep it competitive.
 
I didn't want to spam the board with a useless thread but does anyone remember the name/site with a dude's power rankings and +/-? It was popular like 10 years ago and was basic black/white... almost looked like a note file. Reminds me of Kenpom a little but was for CFB and the site was even more basic.
 
Inspekdah said:
I didn't want to spam the board with a useless thread but does anyone remember the name/site with a dude's power rankings and +/-? It was popular like 10 years ago and was basic black/white... almost looked like a note file. Reminds me of Kenpom a little but was for CFB and the site was even more basic.
Click to expand...

Feel like it started with an L...
 
Here's the latest on Sindelar's status for Purdue...

Purdue’s chances for victory on Saturday night at home vs. TCU may hinge on whether quarterback Elijah Sindelar can play.
The fifth-year senior suffered a “slight concussion,” according to Jeff Brohm, in last week's home win vs. Vanderbilt. And, the Purdue coach seems optimistic he may play vs. the Horned Frogs (1-0) when the game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET in Ross-Ade Stadium.
“He is still in concussion protocol,” said Brohm after Thursday’s practice. “We are gonna let it play out. It will be a game-time decision.”
A reporter told Brohm that media saw Sindelar practice yesterday. And that raised the question: Can you be in concussion protocol and still practice?
“I don’t know the exact rule, so I don’t want to misstate anything,” said Brohm. “I know whatever the doctors say, we’ll have to go with. I just do what they tell me on that.”
 
Penn St...I think they can name their score. Can Pitt put up 3 TD to stay within the number?
Click to expand...

I think that Pitt's D gives them a chance. The thing I worry about from a Pitt perspective is their OL having some pass protection busts and Pickett's decisions (and one issue can lead to the other). There was an INT that Ohio dropped at like the 5 going in last week. Pickett throws those balls. When the field compresses Pickett's questionable decisions could spell disaster for drives in the Red Zone vs Penn State. I like Whipple at Pitt and like Pitt's WRs, they need some better TEs though, Pitt has never really used them in the passing game. I doubt Pickett is the right trigger man for the system but he is capable of having an over-his-head good game occasionally. Pitt's DL is down two of their best players (Weaver and Camp), but they are still playing pretty well. Pitt D should make a game of it early, but Pitt's O is going to have to be lights out which is hard to count on.
 
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