Week 1 Takeaways for the Big 10

It was a strong showing by the Big 10, with only Michigan losing on the Road against Notre Dame, but only losing by a touchdown, and Purdue losing to Northwestern. The biggest news is the Michigan at Notre Dame game. Notre Dame is a talented team, who could be in the playoff talk by the end of the year. Last year no one ruled out Ohio State for a loss to Oklahoma at home. It makes sense to think the same about Michigan's prospects as well. To say they are a playoff team is a long shot, but to disregard them as a team with a ton of potential is illogical. Here are the pros and cons of each week one showing for every Big 10 team, and what to expect moving forward.

Michigan still out performed almost all other big ten teams defensively, against one of only 2 ranked opponents for week 1, across the big ten. Michigan's offensive Identity still remains in question (Image credit to USATSI)

Illinois

Cons: 5 players are indefinitely suspended; three of them are starters. The Illini were expected to roll past Kent State, and they did not exactly get an easy win. It took well into the 3rd quarter for the Offense to figure it out. The Defense allowed 183 rushing yards. While they only gave up one rushing TD, they did not look very good doing it.

Pros:

A win is a win, and overcoming a 17-3 win is more telling than holding on to a win. QB AJ Bush was a dual threat, passing for 190 yards and rushed for 139 yards. The rushing game was impressive with Illinois scoring 4 times on the ground. The redzone was when the defense looked the best.

Moving Forward:

The Illinois will have one more week matchup in week 2 against Western Illinois. they need to use that game to get the offense under control and figure out who can play up front on defense, and get more pressure on the QB. The secondary is not good enough to compete, with other teams in the Big 10 and that means that opposing QBs who have time to throw will devour the Illinois Defense. Looking at the schedule, the Illini cannot give up nearly 200 yards and expect to still only surrender 1 TD. Teams like Wisconsin and Penn State will make you pay for that kind of play.

Indiana

Cons: The Hoosiers gave up 170 yards on the ground.

Pros:

The quarterback play was very exciting, regardless of the one interception. Ramsey threw for 3 TDs, and back up Michael Penix Jr. threw for 1 TD. The defense also caused 3 turnovers. There is a lot to be excited about if you're an Indiana

Moving Forward: There isn't much to say after this win. The score is seems close, but many of those points came later in the game, when subs were being rotated in. Indiana has 2 more weeks of preparatory matches against Virginia and Ball State. They need to use those two weeks to figure out how to shut down opponents rushing game. Especially way later in the season. Teams like Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa will make you pay if you have a weak rushing defense. Overall Indiana looks like a very competitive team, and they were one of my sleeper picks in the preseason--I stand by that prediction.

Iowa

Cons:

The WRs dropped a lot of passes, and that limited the numbers for QB Sterling Stanley. Penalties were one of the more glaring stats as well.

Pros:

Congratulations to Coach Ferentz for eclipsing the school's wins record as a coach. Northern Illinois is expected to be a top contender in the MAC, and was a good test to start the season. For teams who won, Iowa had one of the tougher opponents, and still performed very well. The defense did their job, when the offense was short their starting left and right tackles. This defensive front will give all of their opponents trouble, and could be one of the top units in the country. They Hawkeyes also had over 200 yards on the ground on offense. While Stanley couldn't get the passing game rolling, his footwork looked greatly improved, and the Hawkeyes only gave up 1 sack.

Moving Forward:

8 penalties isn't to obnoxious, but Iowa doesn't have room in their division or the conference as a whole to commit fundamental errors. Iowa will be tested in week 2 against in-state Rival Iowa State. If Iowa can get the passing game going, continue to establish a solid ground game the offense could be one of the best in the Big 10. The defense will just need to keep doing what they are doing.

Maryland

Cons:Maryland came out strong, but blew a 24-7 lead.

Pros:The Terps defense forced 3 turnovers in the last 7 minutes to hold on to the win. Regardless of Durkin's absence the team played phenomenally. There is a lot of talent on this team. Freshman Jeshaun Jones rushed for a TD, threw for a TD and caught a 65-yard TD pass.

Moving Forward: After a tough week 1 opponent, Maryland will face off against a MAC team at Bowling Green, and a great opportunity to try out some different things, and continue to build on the identity they set this past weekend.

Michigan

Cons:Lack of offensive identity continues to be the issue. The line could not pick up blitzes because 5 guys cannot successfully block 6-7 guys. The lack of observation lead to questionable play calling at best. Michigan will need to fix the problems up front, and find a way to get more explosive plays on the ground when the running backs hit the gap. The offense could not build on the opportunities that Notre Dame was handing to the Wolverines. Michigan's defensive front struggled to pressure Wimbush the way they pressured QBs in 2017.

Pros:Maryland was the only other team to play a ranked opponent this week, and Michigan was the only team to do it on the road. A 24-17 loss, down to the wire, isn't the end of the world, and week one is the best time to lose. Even if they drop in the rankings, it might be just the motivation they need. Although short, McCaffrey's game play was promising. The defense, after the early jitters, Michigan's defense still looked stout, and shut down Notre Dame in the second half. Notre Dame is a very good team, and if they win out, week 1's loss could prove very helpful for the end of the year...as long as Michigan can also win out.

Moving Forward:Michigan will be fine. Even with the lack of good play from Patterson, and the rest of the offense, they did not look nearly as bad offensively as they did last season. Tim Drevno might not have been the solution, but he may also not have been the entire problem. If Michigan wants to win out this season the coaches need to recognize what schemes are working and which schemes are not. Harbaugh will need to do a better job of playing off of the positives, and restrain from changing things up too quickly. Patterson can play in the shotgun and did decent at best, until the decision was made to go under center. Before that, he was able to throw the ball down field to connect with a lot of different receivers, and he was able to thread the needle, and make good throws more often than what Michigan QBs delivered in last 2 seasons. The defense will need to eliminate the big plays they gave up, especially when the offense can't capitalize on opportunities. Next week the Wolverines will face off against Western Michigan, and should be able to use that game to fix the offensive lack of production and good decision making. They should play that game with the mentality that they are constantly losing, because after week 3 they will face a reformed Nebraska team, that is a question mark right now, but likely could be a very talented team. Expect the starting QB role to be tested next weekend, as McCaffrey showed he can play under pressure in his short time on the field. The keyword for Michigan in 2018 is "Identity", specifically on the offensive side of the ball.

Michigan State

Cons: The Spartans were not able to keep up with the tempo of Utah State. Lewerke is not the Heisman contender that everyone thought he was in the preseason. The S

Pros: Just because Lewerke isn't in the Heisman talk, doesn't mean that he isn't good. He's just not great. But he can keep the offense together and has shown he can lead in the face of adversity.

Moving Forward: Michigan State will need to find a way to keep up with the tempo of a Pac 12 team in Arizona State. MSU couldn't figure out how to substitute against the Aggies, due to multiple offensive schemes. The test against the Aggies was the right kind of preparatory matchup going into week 2. Lewerke is not the Heisman contender that he was listed as, in the preseason.

Minnesota

Cons:The Gophers had 92 yards in penalties and only forced 1 turnover. New Mexico State starts their season 0-2, and do not appear to be anything but a cupcake team this year, so a win is a win, but it's hard to tell exactly how good Minnesota is until they face a stronger opponent. The Aggies also had 15 dropped passes--not exactly a tough opponent.

Pros:

QB Zach Annexstad went 16-33, for 220 yards and 2 TDs. He didn't get sacked once. One more stat...Annexstad is a walk on Freshman. The offense totaled 522 yards. The surprising stat from a Fleck coached team is that 295 yards of that production came on the ground, with 3 TDs. This is coach Fleck's second season for the Gophers, and it appears that he has things figured out. The Gophers did not just beat their opponent, they annihilated New Mexico State 48-10. NMSU isn't a top tier team, but beating your opponent the way you should is a good sign of things to come. The defense had 4 sacks, 8 TFL, and 9 passes defensed with 1 interception.

Moving Forward:

Assuming that Annexstad can produce numbers like he did in week 1, in the coming weeks, Minnesota might be the nations best kept secrets. Fresno State is up next in week 2. The Bulldogs finished 10-4 last season, and will be a better test to show good the Gophers really are. Minnesota is still favored in that game at home.

Nebraska

Cons: It's tough when a team has such hype going into a game, and it gets cancelled. It will be interesting to see if then still build on the preseason momentum.

Pros: The program has a high level of excitement again with Frost int he fold.

Moving Forward:

There isn't much to say right now, with the cancelled week 1 game. They will need to keep that level of hype and excitement they had going into week 1. The fans are ready, and we can expect Frost to have his team ready as well. The week 2 rivalry against Colorado could be a tough match up.

Northwestern

Cons: The Wildcats have a habit, for years, of playing to the ability of their opponent. It is great when they can walk in against a tough team and compete. But, Purdue gave up so many opportunities that the Wildcats could not capitalize on.

Pros: Jeremy Larkin was very solid; averaging 5.5 ypc, recording 143 yards on the ground with 2 TDs, and 58 yards through the air.

Moving Forward: Northwestern will need to find a way to finish stronger than they did on Saturday. Northwestern needs to get their program to a point where they will dominate an opponent. The good news is they can dominate an opponent. Do not take anything away from Purdue, they are a solid team, and their season is far from lost. I made a prediction in a previous blog post about this week 1 matchup, in the preseason, and I still maintain that this game was the most pivotal one for the West Division. Expect both of these teams to be relevant in the Conference championship talk throughout the season.

Ohio State

Cons:Oregon State was one of the lesser teams last year, and is probably still at a low point. Giving up 30+ points to them is not a good sign for where the defense needs to be.

Pros:Even without Meyer on the sidelines they were very well coached during game time. Dwayne Haskins will be in the Heisman talk because he can beat the defense with his feet and his arm. Haskins was more impressive in the cupcake matchup than JT Barrett.

Moving Forward: Ohio State will need to build on their success, and use the weak 2 matchup versus Rutgers to prepare for a tough week 3 opponent in TCU.

Penn State

Cons:Going down to the wire against App State probably isn't a good sign. Even if they are a good program for teams of their caliber, power 5 teams that have been beaten by them, typically have poor to average showings after their loss to App State. The defense struggled to lock down App State receivers who pecked away at them all night. 9 different players had receptions against Penn State.

Pros:Penn State didn't lose, and McSorley still looked very good. Their relentless pursuit at the end of the game. Miles Sanders is not Saquon Barkley, but he is a good replacement for a position that was loaded and versatile last year.

Moving Forward: Pitt has not forgotten the tough loss they took against the Nittany Lions in 2017. Pitt isn't an "Akron" level team, that coach Franklin seems to think that program is, and if he really thinks that they are a MAC grade team, he could be in for a very depressing evening on Saturday.

Purdue

Cons:

There was no lack of effort, but there were to many fundamental mistakes for the Boilermakers. A fatal personal foul late in the game by DL Lorenzo Neal sealed the fate of the game.

Pros:

Rondale Moore played phenomenally and had one of the best showings in the Big 10 with 313 all purpose yards, 1 Rushing TD and 1 Receiving TD. 125 of those yards came on kick returns. Moore is really something special for a Purdue program that has seen a lot of really good QBs. Now they can add a multi-tool weapon to the fold for the 2018 season. Keep your eye on this guy for some awards at the end of the year. Lastly, competing with Northwestern is still an accomplishment, as they are a talented team and a disruption in the west division.

Moving Forward:

DISCIPLINE, DISCIPLINE, DISCIPLINE...Coach Brohm will need to focus more on his own player's mistakes and stop worrying about the officiating. Purdue is good, but has not proven they are great...yet. Great teams, and great players do not make the kind of mistakes that Purdue made. Mistakes like these will be costly against a growing and improved Eastern Michigan Team that is coming off a huge win. It is still a MAC team and Purdue faces off at home. It should be a win, but Brohm and the Boilermakers are going to minimize lackadaisical mistakes. Week 3 will be an SEC team in Missouri.

Rutgers

Cons:

The Rutgers turned the ball over way too much, but did get away with it against a much weaker Texas State team. Tijaun Mason will likely be done for the season with a leg fracture. Mason was a highly touted freshman prospect coming into the season, and we will likely have to wait until 2019 to see exactly how good this defensive lineman is.

Pros:

For a program who has struggled for years, a win that can be classified as a roll is what they need. Although he turned the ball over multiple times, Freshman Art Sitkowski went 20-29 with 205 yards and TD. His ability to overcome his mistakes and still move forward was highly impressive. To add to that the Scarlet Knights had over 200 yards on the ground. This win marks the largest margin since 2009 when they beat #23 South Florida 31-0.

Moving Forward:

Rutgers played well on all sides of the ball, minus a few turnovers. They will need to minimize those turnovers and keep all the other things that worked. The Knights really needed this win, with a week 2 matchup in Columbus. If they can achieve the impossible in week 2, they will have 2 weeks of easier teams with Kansas in week 3 and MAC foe Buffalo in week 4.