National Signing Week

Yesterday marked the beginning of basketball’s signing week. Without being a basketball recruiting guru, it appears as if the Big Ten was well represented when it came to five and four-star prospects. Below is a list of all the talents to sign with their respective Big Ten schools so far. For the most part, the conference has signed most of their talents, but early signing goes until November 18. Indiana and Minnesota both have a chance at a pair of five-star prospects, while Michigan State is also in the hunt for another top prospect.

Star rating according to Scout.com. 1-Star ratings typically means Scout has not seen the individual play.

Illinois-

Jereme Richmond/ 6-6 Small Forward/ Waukegan, IL/ 5 Stars
Meyers Leonard/ 6-10 Center/ Robinson, IL/ 4 Stars
Crandall Head/6-3 Shooting Guard/Chicago, IL/ 4 Stars

Indiana-

Victor Oladipo/ 6-4 Shooting Guard/ Hyattsville, MD/ 3 Stars

Iowa-

Cody Larson/ 6-9 Power Forward/ Sioux Falls, SD/ 4 Stars
Ben Brust/ 6-2 Shooting Guard/ Mundelein, IL/ 3 Stars
Roy Marble/ 6-5 Shooting Guard/ Lathrup Village, MI/ 2 Stars
Zach McCabe/ 6-5 Forward/ Sioux City, IA/ 2 Stars

Michigan-

Evan Smotrycz/ 6-9 Power Forward/ New Hampton, NH/ 4 Stars
Tim Hardaway/ 6-4 Shooting Guard/ Miami, FL/ 3 Stars

Michigan State-

Adreian Payne/ 6-10 Center/ Dayton, OH/ 5 Stars
Keith Appling/ 6-1 Shooting Guard/ Detroit, MI/ 4 Stars
Alex Gauna/ 6-9 Power Forward/ Eaton Rapids, MI/ 4 Stars
Russell Byrd/ 6-7 Shooting Guard/ Fort Wayne, IN/ 4 Stars

Minnesota-

Elliott Eliason/ 6-9 Center/ Chadron, NE/ 3 Stars
Austin Hollins/ 6-3 Shooting Guard/ Germantown, TN/ 3 Stars

Northwestern-

Jershon Cobb/ 6-4 Shooting Guard/ Decatur, GA/ 3 Stars

Ohio State-

Jared Sullinger/ 6-8 Center/ Columbus, OH/ 5 Stars
DeShaun Thomas/ 6-6 Power Forward/ Fort Wayne, IN/ 5 Stars
Jordan Sibert/ 6-5 Shooting Guard/ Cincinnati, OH/ 4 Stars
Aaron Craft/ 6-1 Point Guard/ Findlay, OH/ 4 Stars
Lenzelle Smith/ 6-3 Point Guard/ Zion, IL/ 3 Stars
JD Weatherspoon/ 6-7 Power Forward/ Columbus, OH/ 3 Stars

Penn State-

Taran Buie/ 6-0 Shooting Guard/ Albany, NY/ 3 Stars

Purdue-

Terone Johnson/ 6-2 Point Guard/ Indianapolis, IN/ 4 Stars
Travis Carroll/ 6-9 Center/ Danville, IN/ 3 Stars
Anthony Johnson/ 6-3 Shooting Guard/ Chicago, IL/ 3 Stars
Donnie Hale/ 6-7 Power Forward/ New Albany, IN/ 3 Stars

Wisconsin-

Evan Anderson/ 6-11 Center/ Eau Claire, WI/ 4 Stars
Josh Gasser/ 6-4 Point Guard/ Port Washington, WI/ 3 Stars
Duje Dukan/ 6-8 Shooting Guard/ Deerfield, IL/ 1 Star

Week 11 Power Rankings

A little movement this week. Penn State not really penalized for their loss solely because of the gap between the top three against all else.

1. Ohio State- Huge win against Penn State

2. Iowa- Perfect season came to an end, but a win vs. Ohio State will likely give them Rose Bowl birth

3. Penn State- Smoked at home, but still have very outside chance at Rose Bowl

4. Wisconsin- Edged out nagging Indiana

5. Michigan State- Defense played incredibly well against in-state rival Western

6. Northwestern- Hardly a “stunning” win at Kinnick, but make it three in a row at Iowa City

7. Purdue- Escaped a sinking Michigan

8. Illinois- May be too soon to say, but have looked really good the last two weeks

9. Minnesota- Defense continues to struggle

10. Indiana- Lost their third conference game by less than three points

11. Michigan- What is going on?

Weekly Best and Worst- Week 10

Biggest surprise:

The way Ohio State played on the road was the biggest surprise of the week. As stated yesterday, the sheer demolition on both sides of the ball against a senior-laiden and favored squad should go miles in people’s thoughts towards the Buckeyes poll position.

Just beating them was one thing, but holding the Lions to 201 total yards is another.

Best offensive performance:

This best offensive performance goes to an explosive member of the Badger backfield, but not the one most people think. True freshman Montee Ball was given a vast majority of the carries after John Clay got hurt. And he delivered, rushing the ball 27 times for 115 yards and two scores.

Wisconsin has tried to integrate Ball into the offense more, but with the way Clay and backup Zach Brown have been running, they have had a tough time giving him his share.

Best defensive performance:

Though Michigan State did take on a poor Western Michigan squad, holding the highly-regarded Tim Hiller to just 111 yards and one score is a huge accomplishment. The Spartans only allowed 211 yards, 80 of which came on a third-quarter touchdown run.

Biggest disappointment

This has to be given to Michigan as the Wolverines continue to flounder. Their season doesn’t get any easier with Wisconsin at Ohio State rounding out their schedule.

Week 10- Notes to note

Ohio State is the conference’s new best squad

Not only did the Buckeyes win last Saturday, but they destroyed Penn State, at Penn State. And in doing so, regained their early-season claim as the league’s best.

Nobody on offense had stunning numbers, but Jim Tressel went back to playing more “Tressel-ball.” Running backs Brandon Saine and Daniel Herron rushed a combined 36 times, good for 126 yards on the ground. Terrelle Pryor wasn’t fantastic, but passed for two touchdowns and added a third on a gutsy run.

But it was the other side of the ball that really made the difference.

The Buckeyes held Penn State to just 201 yards and nine first downs. The Nittany Lions were 4-of-16 on third down.

This week’s game against Iowa will probably be the deciding factor on who will finish Number 1 on the power ranks, and more importantly, who is going to the Rose Bowl.

Is Rich Rodriguez back on the hot seat?

What is going on in Ann Arbor right now? Things have gone from bad to worse and is it fair to say now things are out of control?

In their last four conference games, the defense has failed to hold their opponents to under 30 points. At least the offense was good for 36 points this week.

The last two losses have really put the pressure on head coach Rodriguez, but maybe more-so, new defensive coordinator Greg Robinson. Granted, Robinson, the former Syracuse coach, has inherited a subpar defense.

The defense does have a first-round pick on the D-line in Brandon Graham, as well as a future high-round draft pick in corner Donovan Warren. But there is also a lot of youth on that side of the ball, so errors are going to happen.

The loss makes things very difficult in the road back to a bowl game for the Wolverines as they will need to win in Wisconsin or against Ohio State for any hope.

After loss, Iowa shouldn’t call this a lost season

Iowa was a great story while it lasted. The overachieving Hawkeyes were narrowly escaping questionable teams while outside of the Penn State game over a month ago, had yet to play a team deemed “a real test.”

So we shouldn’t be that surprised to see a gritty Northwestern team come into Iowa City and upend the league’s only unbeaten.

But let’s not forget, this team and their fans shouldn’t give up now. Three months ago, anyone realistically thinking that Iowa would be in the driver seat to earn a right to Pasadena this late in the season would have been dubbed partially delusional.

But it’s real, and the Hawks are just two games away from that being a reality.

Game Previews- Week 10

Game of the Week:

No. 16 Ohio State at No. 11 Penn State

This has to be the most anticipated game of the year in the Big Ten for various reasons. First, it pits two BCS teams from last year together. Secondly, last year’s 13-6 game was a defensive struggle as Penn State slipped away in the waning seconds. Not to mention a possible Rose Bowl birth is on the line, with the loser all but eliminated from chances of smelling the roses.

Both teams are very similar in the sense that they each have dynamic quarterbacks and good defenses. The Lions have had a lot of success using tailback Evan Royster as their primary rusher, while Ohio State has seemed to have given quarterback free rein over his scrambling desires.

This should shape up to be a slightly higher-scoring version of last year’s affair.

Prediction: Penn State gets the edge not only because they’re slightly better, but because they’re in Happy Valley also.

Northwestern at No. 4 Iowa

I’ve just got a hunch that this is going to be one wild game. Though Iowa has vastly improved over the last few years, Northwestern has won three of the last four, including the last two at Kinnick.

It has been well documented throughout the site that Iowa doesn’t blow teams out, if we’ve learned there’s one team in the Big Ten that needs to be put away early, it’s the Wildcats, who overcame a 25-point deficit a month ago to top Indiana. The same Indiana team that gave the Hawkeyes fits.

Iowa’s defense has been good, but will surely be tested by senior Wildcat quarterback Mike Kafka, who leads the Big Ten in passing.

Prediction: My reputation will be riding on this game, as Ricky Stanzi and the offense won’t score enough points to shut the door on the Cats. Northwestern wins in wild game, ending Iowa’s perfection.

No. 21 Wisconsin at Indiana

The Badgers have very quietly snuck into the top 25 behind, despite dropping two of their last three. But a blowout win against Purdue was just what they needed, especially since the defense held the Boilers scoreless.

But enter Indiana, arguably the most unfortunate team in the conference. With an exception of two games, the Hoosiers have had the chance to win all their games, but instead sit at 4-5 with one conference win coming against the Illini.

Wisconsin back John Clay has torched nearly everybody he has played, and is coming off of a 123-yard, three=touchdown game.

Prediction: Wisconsin rolls, and it won’t be a fortunate win either. Just too much for IU to stop.

Western Michigan at Michigan State

Prediction: Even though many Bronco players will be excited to take on an in-state foe, MSU is coming off of two tough losses and will be seeking revenge on somebody.

Purdue at Michigan

MIchigan has really struggled lately and it will be interesting to see what is done differently, if anything, against Purdue. Last week proved even an average D can stop the Boilers. And since the offense hasn’t shown a whole lot of life lately, that’s what it may take for the Wolverines to succeed.

Purdue could use this win to make it three-of-four, but their defense has to do a better job against the run than they did last week.

Prediction: I don’t know how pretty it will be, but Michigan gets it done.

Illinois at Minnesota

A week ago these were two schools that could have been left for dead. But after stellar offensive displays from both teams, this game could be very entertaining. Both Juice Williams and Adam Weber had the game of their season last week. And with both defenses being below average, this could make for a high-scoring game.

Prediction: Whatever Vegas puts it at, take the over. Minnesota by a score or two.

Suhey’s return

By: Eli Kaberon

Eli Kaberon was in attendance for the Northwestern-Penn State game this weekend. There, he had a chance to talk to Nittany Lions’ back Joe Suhey on his return to Chicago’s Near-North suburbs. Weekend previews will be up tomorrow. Thanks and enjoy.

With Penn State and Northwestern deadlocked at 13 in the fourth quarter of their October 31 game, Nittany Lions tailback Brandon Beachum exploded through a hole created by his blockers, sprinted into the end zone and gave his team a lead they’d never relinquish. It was the sophomore Beachum’s first rush of the game, yet many watching on television and in the Ryan Field bleachers couldn’t help but think they’d seen a run like that before. But it wasn’t the man holding the ball that looked familiar; it was the player in front of him.

Lion fullback Joe Suhey is the son of former Bears fullback Matt Suhey and a key element to the Penn State attack. Suhey did the dirty work that allowed Beachum’s all-white uniform to stay clean as he scored the touchdown. It’s something the back has been doing since his prep career at Loyola and a role he has expanded on since he went to State College, Pa. to play for Hall-of-Fame coach Joe Paterno.

“I’m just trying to do whatever they ask me to do,” said Suhey, a redshirt sophomore. “Blocking, catching the ball out of the backfield, even a little bit of running.”

While a Rambler, Suhey played wide receiver, a position that earned him a spot on the All-Catholic League team in 2006 as well as team MVP. He also played basketball on a squad that featured a couple of other players who know about following in a famous dad’s footsteps, Jeffery and Marcus Jordan. It is the strength gained from the gridiron and the athleticism honed on the hardwood that put him in a position to earn a scholarship from college football’s all-time winningest coach.

“In high school, you don’t see many 6-foot-3, 210 pound running backs,” said Loyola football coach John Holecek. “He has amazing athleticism for someone his size, the way he is able to contort his body to make plays. Joe also has a great set of hands for someone that big.”

Penn State assistant coach Jay Paterno – himself the son of a legend – understood when the school recruited Suhey that the fullback would have a legacy to live up to. Not only did Matt Suhey lead-block for Walter Payton, he’s also a Penn State great in his own right, running for more than 2,800 yards between 1976-79, good for ninth on the school’s all-time rushing yards list. Joe’s grandfather, Steve Suhey, was an All-American guard at Penn State in the 1940’s. Even his great-grandfather, Bob Higgins, is an important part of Nittany Lion history, as he was the school’s second-ever All-American player and head coach from 1930-48.

“The thing about Joe is, he’s a very effective receiver and his blocking has gotten better every week. He went in there, got up on the linebacker and that was the key block of that touchdown run,” Jay Paterno said. “We had him in camp for two years, so we knew that we had a guy that could develop into something special.”

Penn State used the block by Suhey, and the resulting touchdown by Beachum, to go on and beat Northwestern 34-13. It was the type of physical game the Big Ten is known for and the type of game where having a good fullback comes in handy. In fact, the game kind of reminded Suhey of his high school days.

“The [Chicago] Catholic League is a great league, I’m real thankful I went to Loyola,” said Suhey. “It’s a really tough league, real physical, kind of like the Big Ten. I remember my senior year we had a classic game against Mount Carmel that we ended up losing, but it’s those types of games that prepare you for these Big Ten battles.”

Week 10 power rankings

A gap between the top three teams and the bottom eight has never looked bigger. However, the space between the fourth and the 11th team couldn’t be tighter. There is an argument for any of those schools to be ranked Number Five- or 11. Of course, when last week’s five through nine seeds lost, so it doesn’t make the rankings easy to produce.

1. Iowa- Remain unbeaten, though have a knack for liking to keep things closer than need-be.

2. Penn State- Pulled away from NU after half. Starting to look more and more like a premiere team in the nation.

3. Ohio State- Basically idle last week. Blew by New Mexico State.

4. Wisconsin- Won a very overlooked Purdue squad. Did so in convincing fashion.

5. Minnesota- Huge surprise performance from Adam Weber. Will win if he plays well.

6. Michigan State- Tough loss, but offense was very balanced and looked good.

7. Purdue- Get shut out after all my talking about how prolific the O is.

8. Indiana- Another heartbreaker.

9. Northwestern- Did what they could versus PSU. Just outplayed.

10. Illinois- It’s only one win, but they played better than we’ve seen them play this year.

11. Michigan- Can no longer rely on the offense to bail them out. 11th might be a little harsh, especially considering their start, but against conference teams lately have looked just downright bad.

Weekly best and worst- Week 9

Biggest surprise:

The outcome of the Michigan-Illinois matchup. Illinois’ offense looked really good while Michigan’s offense sputtered. The Illini rushed for 377 yards with two tailbacks reaching over 125 yard mark and Juice Williams scrambling for 97 more.

Best offensive performance:

I have been dogging the Minnesota O all year, but Adam Weber entirely delivered Saturday in their big win over Michigan State. The quarterback passed for five touchdowns and over 400 yards. Let’s see if he can do it again against Illinois.

Best defensive performance:

Wisconsin isn’t known for their D, but blanking a steady Purdue offense is a huge accomplishment. Keeping anyone to 141 total yards is a feat, but that Boiler O is huge.

Biggest disappointment:

Typically this is handed out to a team that just didn’t perform well or was outplayed, but for Indiana, their inability to close out another game has to be taking its toll. They have 2.5 quarters of great football, and seem to forget about how to play the rest of the game. Letting Iowa come back and win despite turning the ball over six times just shows real problems with something.

Week 9- Notes to note

Iowa will not blow anybody out.

Some teams have these potent offenses that are going to score touchdown after touchdown and blow out their opponents. While “experts” may look at score totals and be surprised Iowa is ranked No. 4, the approach they take towards winning football games should not affect how good they are based on polls, so long as they win.

It becomes obvious when quarterback Ricky Stanzi throws four interceptions in the third quarter alone that the Hawkeyes are a defense-first team.

And there are some squads we look at, regardless of the lethality , who just don’t run up the offensive totals. For Iowa, it’s a combination of play calling and personnel. But people who believe any one-loss team should leapfrog an unbeaten Iowa in the national rankings are severely undermining how much harder it is to play when you’re undefeated.

Illinois isn’t as bad as everybody expected.

I knew Illinois wasn’t going to finish without a conference win, but I expected Rich Rodriguez to have his guys a lot better prepared than they were in the beat down.

Juice Williams played excellent, error-free football for arguably the first time this season. He only had to throw the ball 11 times and he completed eight of those passes.

The running game looked fantastic also, as sophomores Mikel LeShoure and Jason Ford each rushed for at least 125 yards and a score, giving a sense of hope for life after Williams.

While this very easily could have been a one-week thing, Illinois wraps up the regular season at Minnesota and then hosting Northwestern. Two wins there could easily spin a rough first half into a solid three-game streak heading into their non-cons with Cincinnati and Fresno State.

The Minnesota offense can survive without Eric Decker.

This was a case of Adam Weber catching fire, and not looking back. The junior passed for 416 yards and five touchdowns. What made that even more impressive was that the running game was virtually invisible, as they rushed 39 times for 89 yards.

Both of tailbacks Duane Bennett’s catches went for scores, as he racked up 121 receiving yards.

Weber will get a chance to repeat this performance next week, as the Gophers take on a weaker Illini D.

Game previews- Week 9

Game of the week

Purdue at Wisconsin

Purdue heads to Camp Randall where they will be hoping to surprise a team that has had two weeks to prepare. The Boilers have won two straight, with an offense that has been moving on all cylinders.

Three Boilermakers rushed for 60 yards or more and a touchdown last week and quarterback Joey Elliott passed for 281 yards and two scores against Ohio State the week before.

The improving defense will have their hands full however, as Wisconsin comes in with an average of 184 yards rushing, good for second in the conference and a quarterback with the ability to tear apart defenses.

While this doesn’t look like the most intriguing game of the year, the Badgers come in having been outplayed and outscored in their last two games (31-13 loss to Ohio State, 20-10 loss to Iowa) and will be seeking revenge on somebody.

Prediction: Purdue’s little streak will come to an end because of the amount of time Wisconsin has had to prepare. Bucky takes this one in a high-scoring affair.

Indiana at No. 4 Iowa

Iowa took the ball with minimal time left and rallied late to top MSU last week and Indiana might be trying to put themselves in a similar position that State was in, but with a different outcome.

After all, the Hoosiers were in a similar position last Saturday, when Northwestern hit a game-winning field goal to finish a 25-point comeback.

While the ball has been bouncing all the right ways for Iowa, the exact opposite could be said for their opponent, who has lost two of their four losses by three points or less.

These two teams have each scored 189 points this year. The difference comes in the defense. While Iowa has only allowed 189 points, Indiana has given up almost 100 points more.

Prediction: Look for that trend to continue, as the only way the Hoosiers win this game is if the D can hold Ricky Stanzi and the Hawk’s offense to less than 14 points-something that can happen, but won’t.

New Mexico State at No. 17 Ohio State

Prediction: New Mexico State is having a difficult year. While Ohio State hasn’t been perfect, they may look the part Saturday.

Michigan at Illinois

Coming into this season, many were really looking forward to this matchup. Illinois was going to be one of the top teams in the conference. Michigan was a big question mark, but the thought that maybe Rich Rodriguez could possibly turn the team around in one season was lingering.

Well, Rich Rod has done a decent job though not as spectacular of late, but probably a little better than some expected. Ron Zook’s squad on the other hand looks absolutely nothing like the 2008 Rose Bowl team.

Both coaches could really use this win.

Tate Forcier looks like he has been figured out and the offense has sunk lately, with an exception of their blowout win against non-con Deleware State.

Juice Williams on the other hand seems to have found a little groove of late, with two solid performances back-to-back.

Prediction: Illinois’ first conference win is going to have to wait another week, especially considering the Wolverines can fall back on a solid run game if the quarterback play isn’t up to par.

No. 12 Penn State at Northwestern

Both of these teams play with a lot of heart and a lot of discipline. The matchup that is going to be incredibly interesting will be the Mike Kafka and WR corp. versus the gritty Lions D. Kafka, though a little erratic at times, loves finding Andrew Brewer and Zeke Markshausen and has passed for 2,067 yards, good for 11th in the nation.

But the Penn State defense only allowed 250 yards against Michigan, 138 yards against Minnesota and 206 yards against Eastern Illinois, and those were just their last three games.

Prediction: This could be an interesting showdown, but the Lions ultimately prevail behind that stellar defense.

Michigan State at Minnesota

The Gophers have been the worst team in the league the past two weeks. They were held scoreless in that time frame until late in the fourth quarter when Ohio State had their bench in.

Meanwhile, Michigan State comes into the matchup with a motivational loss behind them, and could be playing with a chip on their shoulders. The defense hasn’t been all that great this year, but without Eric Decker, the Minnesota offense is non-existent.

Blair White could be the difference for MSU, as he has been superb all year.

Prediction: MSU should have their way, but it is in Minnesota and that could make things a little closer.