This week’s slate of Big Ten football games featured a clash between two titans and multiple blowout victories.
Maryland football was one of those teams to be blown out, falling to Northwestern, 37-10, at home on Friday night.
The Terps welcome USC to College Park next weekend before heading north to take on Minnesota on Oct. 26.
Here are a few notable games and performances from this past weekend of Big Ten football.
Statement victory: No. 3 Oregon 32, No. 2 Ohio State 31
A battle between the top teams in the conference, then-No. 2 Ohio State vs. then-No. 3 Oregon was as entertaining as advertised. Seven lead changes later, the game came down to the final drive.
After Oregon was stuffed at the Ohio State 1-yard line and forced to kick a field goal, quarterback Will Howard and the Buckeyes’ offense took over with 1:47 remaining in search of a game-winning score.
Facing a third-and-20 with 5 seconds left at Oregon’s 38-yard line, Howard scramble for too long, picking up 12 yard and sliding to the turf just as time expired, relinquishing Ohio State’s chance at a game-winning field goal in Eugene, Oregon.
Ducks wide receiver Evan Stewart was the standout player from this game, hauling in seven passes for 149 yards and a touchdown.
Oregon is now ranked No. 2 in the country, while Ohio State slid to No. 4.
Surprise result: Northwestern 37, Maryland 10
Not only did Maryland lose a home game in which it was favored by 10.5 points, according to SportsLine, the Terps were completely dismantled.
Falling to a swift 17-0 deficit, Maryland played catch-up for the rest of the game, but were simply out-paced. Down, 17-10, the Terps looked to even the score in the beginning of the fourth quarter, but a blindside strip-sack on Billy Edwards Jr. led to an easy scoop-and-score for the Wildcats, virtually sealing the game.
Maryland entered the game leading all power conference teams with a +11 turnover margin, but lost Friday’s turnover battle, 4-0.
Head coach Michael Locksley also took over offensive play-calling duties for the first time this season. The Terps posted their worst offensive output since their 30-0 loss to Penn State in 2022.
Now, Maryland is 0-3 in conference play since 2015 and have lost every game following a bye week under Locksley.
Performance of the week: Wisconsin RB Tawee Walker
There were multiple standout performances this week, including Penn State tight end Tyler Warren’s 17 catch, 224-yard day, but Wisconsin dominated a solid Rutgers team, 42-7, on the back of Tawee Walker.
The senior, who transferred from Oklahoma in the offseason, posted career-highs in carries (24), rushing yards (198) and rushing touchdowns (3), on 8.2 yards per carry. He also caught a pass for 3 yards.
He officially put the game on ice early in the fourth quarter, breaking loose for a 55-yard touchdown to push Wisconsin’s lead to 28 on the road.
The Badgers will travel to Northwestern next week.
