Same Old, Same Same Old for UN and NU
Northwestern had one of the most tumultuous off-seasons in modern college football history after they fired Pat Fitzgerald. To add onto this, they went 1-11 last season and 3-9 in 2021 following a stretch with two Big Ten Title Game appearances in three years. Their performance against Rutgers showed that they were a team who has been through the struggle and is continuing to go through that same struggle or an even greater one. Northwestern’s offense failed to get any sort of rhythm, only hitting one explosive play to AJ Henning in the first quarter and often left their defense out to dry. Their offense failed to score a meaningful touchdown.
On the other hand, Nebraska had an offseason full of excitement and possibility with the hiring of Matt Rhule and the addition of many instant-impact transfers. Unfortunately, for the Huskers this was a case of “new cast, same movie”. This movie is all too familiar for Husker nation as they have experienced the most one score losses in the last five seasons. The causes are usually the same as new QB Jeff Sims made a few too many impactful turnovers late in the first half and a game that cost the Huskers a great chance to build momentum. They now face the talk of College Football in their backyard in one of the most anticipated home debuts in recent memory for Colorado Head Coach Deion Sanders.
New Eras Start Off Well For The Contenders of Old
Penn State and Iowa broke in their new starting QBs in Drew Allar and Cade McNamara consistently. Both fanbases will tell you they had QB issues the last few seasons. However, a casual observer would know that these concerns were of varying degrees. Drew Allar delivered a few very nice deep balls and looked in control of the offense going 21-29 for 325 yards. Cade McNamara may not have had as impressive a stat line as Allar but with Iowa’s offensive expectations he managed the game well and varied his targets to the many tight ends and receivers in the Iowa arsenal. Both QBs have yet to be truly tested though that will come very shortly……
The Media Overreacts To The Favorites
Michigan and Ohio State both played teams they were far better than. Though they both won relatively comfortably, certain local and national media picked apart a flaw in each’s victory. For the Wolverines, their inability to establish the run game with the dynamic duo of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards was an easy target. While they were not machine-like or explosive like 2021 or 2022, all signs indicate that this will eventually pick up after all this team is still a Harbaugh team or will be after two weeks. Ohio State has been targeted for Kyle McCord’s lackluster performance against Indiana. While McCord may not have been impressive, three of the four starting quarterbacks Ryan Day has coached as OC and HC from 2017-2022 have all been first round draft picks (Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields, and CJ Stroud). The one exception is JT Barrett who was the winningest QB in Ohio State history and guided the Buckeyes to a Big Ten Title. Whether McCord is the guy or the dual threat backup Devin Brown is, history would tell you Ryan Day is a guy who can develop quarterbacks just fine.
Overreaction: RUTGERS CAN BE A SLEEPER!!!
Rutgers will not win the Big Ten, they will not win the Big Ten East, they may not even finish top three in the division. However, the addition of Big Ten Veteran play caller Kirk Ciarocca has allowed Gavin Wimsatt to take a giant leap in his game. Plagued with interceptions, bad decision making, and overall jitters in 2022, Wimsatt looks a lot more comfortable under center and looks like a starter who has been in the league for years. Though this was against Northwestern, Rutgers can be onto something if they figure out the offensive woes that have tormented them in Greg Schiano’s second stint.
Image from: Maize n Brew
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