Oct 29, 2018

Big Ten & SEC Week 9 Recap: ‘Cats keep rolling, ‘Dawgs bounce back

Big Ten

SEC

AP Top 10

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Notre Dame
4. LSU
5. Michigan
6. Georgia
7. Oklahoma
8. Ohio State
9. UCF
10. Washington State

Georgia defeats Florida in Jacksonville

In front of a sellout crowd at Jacksonville’s TIAA Bank Field, Georgia took control of the SEC East with a resounding 36-17 victory over Florida.

Following the team’s first loss of the season, Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm answered critics with an impressive performance, as Fromm threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns on the day. Sophomore tailback D’Andre Swift also ran for a career-high 104 yards in the victory. Overall, Georgia ran for 189 yards to Florida’s 170, marking the 13th straight year the team with the most rushing yards won the Florida-Georgia game.

Georgia’s defense also came to play on Saturday, forcing three turnovers, including a fumble and an interception on the first two Florida possessions. The defensive unit also held a Florida offense to season lows in passing yards (105) and total yards (275).

The Bulldogs head to Lexington, Kentucky next weekend to face off with the Wildcats. While Florida hosts Missouri.

Penn State holds off Iowa

Penn State made two key defensive stops in the fourth quarter as the Nittany Lions defeated Iowa 30-24. Penn State’s last four games have each been decided by six points or less, while the Hawkeyes lost for the first time in 13 games when scoring at least 20 points.

Despite the finishing with a 350-312 edge in total offense, Iowa had difficulty finding the end zone, as the Hawkeyes scored 24 points without the benefit of an offensive touchdown. The Hawkeyes recorded two safeties, kicked two field goals, returned one interception for a touchdown and scored one touchdown via special teams.

The Nittany Lions defense held the Hawkeyes to just 19-for-50 in the passing game, marking the sixth time since 2000 an FBS school has held an opponent to less than 20 completions on 50 attempts. Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley finished 18-of-49 for 205 yards and threw two interceptions.

The teams entered halftime tied at 17, but Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley broke off for a 51-yard TD run in the third quarter — the longest rush allowed by Iowa this season. Iowa had allowed just one rush of 20 or more yards prior to Saturday.

Iowa trailed 27-17 entering the fourth quarter before the defense jumpstarted the rally.  On 2nd-and-9 from the 10, sophomore Geno Stone intercepted a McSorley pass and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown, making the score 27-24.

Penn State responded as K.J. Hamler followed with a 67-yard kickoff return on the Nittany Lions’ next possession, but Iowa’s defense was able to limit the Nittany Lions to a 44-yard field goal to keep the game at 30-24. However Iowa’s offense was never able to close the gap as the Hawkeyes’ last two drives ended with an interception and a failed fourth-down attempt as time expired.

The Hawkeyes hit the road next week to take on Purdue while the Nittany Lions travel to take on Michigan at the Big House.

Northwestern wins fourth straight, upsets Wisconsin

The Northwestern defense forced three fumbles and held Wisconsin to just seven second-half points while senior quarterback Clayton Thorson tied his career high with two rushing touchdowns to propel Northwestern to a 31-17 win over Wisconsin at Ryan Field on Saturday.

Wildcats sophomore running back Isaiah Bowser finished with a career-high 118 rushing yards on a career-high 34 carries, helping Northwestern remain in first place in the Big Ten West thanks to its first 5-1 start in Big Ten play since 2000.

The Wildcats capitalized on a Wisconsin team that was playing without starting quarterback Alex Hornibrook, who was sidelined by a concussion, plus a Badgers defense that was without several injured starters. The Wildcats turned two fumbles by star running back Jonathan Taylor and another by quarterback Jack Coan into 17 points on the way to a fourth straight victory.

Wisconsin returns home next Saturday to host Rutgers while Northwestern will host Notre Dame.

Mississippi State upsets Texas A&M

Mississippi State knocked off back-to-back ranked teams at Davis Wade Stadium for the first time since the 2014 season as the Bulldogs defeated Texas A&M 28-13. Prior to Saturday, MSU’s offense had scored just three touchdowns through four SEC contests before scoring four against the Aggies.

Texas A&M led briefly in the second quarter, when quarter back Kellen Mond hit Quartney Davis from 34 yards out with 14 seconds before halftime for a 10-7 Aggie advantage. However, the Bulldogs answered on the first drive of the second half, when Nick Fitzgerald connected with Osirus Mitchell on a 38-yard pass that gave the Bulldogs the lead for good. Mitchell had six catches for 96 yards on the night.

After taking the lead back , the Bulldog defense took command, holding the Aggies to a lone field goal in the second half. The Bulldogs defense also held the A&M offense to its lowest total yardage of the season (293).

Mississippi State hosts Louisiana Tech at home next week while Texas A&M travels to Auburn.

Vote for the Play of the Week!

Week 9 was filled with memorable plays and moments in the Big Ten and SEC. Here were two of our favorites. Make sure you vote for the best in the poll below

1.) Penn State’s Trace McSorley returns from injury, goes 51 yards for touchdown run

2.) Vanderbilt defensive lineman Louis Vecchio tips the ball to himself while falling down for an interception.

Click here to check out weekly recaps from earlier this season.

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