The Big Ten’s biggest game saw Wisconsin snap Ohio State’s 19-game winning streak in front of the fifth-largest crowd in Camp Randall Stadium history. However, the outcome of the game was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Ohio State linebacker Robert Reynolds and Badger quarterback Jim Sorgi.
In the third quarter, Reynolds appeared to choke Sorgi after the play had ended. As a result, Sorgi left the game and did not return. On Monday, Ohio State announced that it had suspended Reynolds for one game, and Big Ten commissioner James E. Delany agreed with the suspension. The reaction of coaches around the league was fairly uniform. Most implied that the incident was regrettable but not a horrible violation of football ethics.
Michigan State head coach John L. Smith noted, “All of us that have played can go back to instances where you were either the receiver or the [instigator] of something like that,” but said that he thought plays like that occurred less frequently now than they used to.
Lloyd Carr of Michigan added that football is “an emotional game” and that “sometimes kids make mistakes.”
On Friday, Carr’s Michigan Wolverines rallied from a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Minnesota and keep the Little Brown Jug in Ann Arbor for the fifteenth-straight year. Michigan quarterback John Navarre led the improbable comeback, and his 353 yards passing and two touchdowns earned him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors. Carr praised his team’s “determination to keep fighting” and Minnesota’s valiant effort.
In West Lafayette, Ind., Purdue’s first victory over Penn State since 1951 dropped the Nitanny Lions to 0-3 in the Big Ten and caused some in Happy Valley to once again suggest that the game has perhaps passed Joe Paterno by. The other Big Ten coaches were unanimously dismissive of criticism directed at the legendary “Joe Pa,” pointing out that every program has its ups and downs and insisting that he was still in peak coaching form.
Illinois’ Ron Turner also faced heavy criticism in Champaign following the Illini’s lopsided 49-14 defeat at home, but freshman running back E. B. Halsey continued to be a bright spot, racking up 75 yards on the ground against the stout Michigan State defense and moving into fifth place on the Illinois freshman rushing list.
Indiana coach Gerry DiNardo seemed down on his current squad after their overtime loss to fellow cellar dwellers, Northwestern.
“This week is a crucial week for recruiting,” he said.
Indiana is 1-6 overall, 0-3 in the Big Ten, and will face Ohio State when they resume their schedule next week.
Big Ten defenses continued to be superb, especially against the run, with Ohio State and Purdue owning the No. 1 and No. 2 rushing defenses in the nation, and Michigan State and Iowa at No. 7 and No. 11, respectively.
The Big Ten remains wide open with 3 teams — Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin — undefeated in conference play. Pre-season favorites Ohio State and Michigan, as well as a surprising Iowa team, remain in the thick of things with only one conference loss.
Saturday will feature three games between ranked teams. No. 12 Wisconsin will host No. 15 Purdue, and Madison will welcome ESPN College Gameday to town. Wisconsin is looking to avoid a letdown after last week’s big win. Coach Barry Alvarez said his team needs to forget about last week and “get the game out of their system” if they are to defeat a Purdue team that “has no weaknesses.” The No. 18 Michigan State Spartans, still unbeaten in conference play and led by talented quarterback Jeff Smoker, travel to Minnesota to take on the No. 19 Gophers, and No. 9 Ohio State and No. 8 Iowa will fight it out to avoid falling to 1-2 in the Big Ten.
