Ohio State Buckeyes

Big Ten Skill Position Rankings and Key Matchups for Week 9

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

A look at Big Ten skill position players and their rankings.

With Penn State’s stunning upset over Ohio State, the Big Ten East Division race just became a lot more interesting.

Down 21-7 heading into the fourth quarter, the Nittany Lions capitalized on the Buckeyes two special teams’ mistakes to earn their first signature win under coach James Franklin.

Ohio State can still achieve its goals by winning out, but it needs Penn State to lose another game.  Finding an offensive identity would help too.

For the second week in a row, the Buckeyes’ offense lacked consistency and failed to stretch the field.  It is also becoming highly predictable.

On their 14 offensive series, the Buckeyes first play was a run on 12.  On their 31 first down plays, they ran 21 times.  Every defensive coordinator not named Brian VanGorder has this offense figured out.

There are multiple reasons for the erratic play.  The Slobs breaking down, J.T. Barrett not checking out of bad plays, receivers running bad routes and not playing with tempo which Barrett excels.  Regardless, the unit needs to start executing.

Before getting to the rest of the Big Ten, I want to give a shout out to Oklahoma and Texas Tech who managed to rack up 1708 yards and 125 points of offense.  Well played Sooners and Red Raiders.   Is it that hard to recruit players that can tackle?

Back to the Big Ten.

Michigan continued to roll over the inept teams in the Big Ten beating Illinois 41-8 at home.  The Wolverines finally leave Ann Arbor to travel 65 miles West for its annual rivalry game against the Spartans.

Given the current state of the Spartan’s program, I think it safe to say the Wolverines are going to inflict serious payback on “Little Brother.”

Wisconsin rebounded with an ugly 17-6 win over Iowa knocking the Hawkeyes out of the Big Ten West race, though anyone who has watched them this year knows they were already out of it.

Nebraska remained undefeated beating Purdue 27-14 at home.  It was an ugly win again for the Cornhuskers who have looked sloppy against some of the Big Ten’s worst teams over the last three weeks.

We’ll find out if Nebraska is Iowa 2015 Part II over the next two weeks as it travels to Wisconsin and Ohio State.

Northwestern won its third consecutive game beating Indiana 24-14.  It probably won’t make it to four as the Wildcats travel to face an angry Ohio State team this week.

Something tells me Franklin won’t be on Coach Pat Fitzgerald’s Christmas card list this year.

Each week, I’ll provide a ranking of the Big Ten’s quarterbacks and running backs and preview the best games featuring the conference’s top players.

The formula for ranking each player is a mystery, mostly based on watching the games and saying this player is good and this one is not so good.  Here we go:

Quarterbacks:

A changing of the guard at the top this week as Wilton Speight edges out Barrett.  Both have efficiency ratings at 150.8 so the race is close.  Quarterback play in the Big 10 this week was up and down again.  Here’s how they rank:

Stud of the Week:

Even though Trace McSorley did not look spectacular in the win over Ohio State, he still earns the award this week for his 154 yards and one touchdown performance.  He managed to extend drives with his legs and hit a few critical passes.  He also protected the ball against a hawkish Buckeyes’ secondary.

Open the Competition Again:

I was tempted to pick Barrett since he failed to put the dagger in when he had his chances.  He should not let a collapse happen like that.  I’ll give him a slight pass as the offensive line did not help much, especially on the right side, but he needs to elevate his play considerably if the Buckeyes want to stay in the hunt

This week’s dud goes to Richard Lagow again for his zero touchdowns and two interceptions against Northwestern.  The Hoosiers’ promising season is over and they need to win three out of their last five to become bowl eligible.

Rodney Dangerfield Award:

Nebraska is off to its best start since 2001 and Tommy Armstrong, Jr. is a big reason why the Cornhuskers are relevant in the Big Ten.  Against Purdue, he passed for 252 yards with one touchdown and one interception while setting the school record with his 13th game with 300 yards or more of total offense.

He has a chance to cement his name in Nebraska history if he manages to win the next two games.

Running Backs:

As the weather turns colder, the Big Ten’s workhorses are starting to heat up.  Justin Jackson leads the conference in rushing with 792 yards, but Rodney Smith, Mike Weber and Saquon Barkley are gaining ground.  Here’s how all of the backs rank through week eight:

Stud of the Week:

For the second straight week, Corey Clement delivered a big-time performance.  He rushed for 134 yards and one touchdown in the win over Iowa.  He did have a costly fumble trying to extend the ball into the end zone late in the second quarter, but his grind it out runs moved the chains and got Wisconsin back on track for winning the West.

Open the Competition Again:

Technically, this belongs to Purdue and Indiana.  Both teams can’t run.  They might break the record for most pass attempts in a game on November 26.

The award this week goes to Markell Jones who managed to squeak out 36 yards against Nebraska.  The Boilermakers will continue to own the basement as long as their running game remains this putrid.

Rodney Dangerfield Award:

Think Maryland’s 28-17 win over Michigan State was unimportant?  The Terps’ season was on the brink of collapsing after losing two-straight to Penn State and Minnesota dropping them to 4-2 with games against Ohio State, Michigan and Nebraska remaining.

Beating the Spartans almost ensures bowl eligibility for the Terps which is a huge accomplishment considering where they were at the end of last season.

Ty Johnson and Lorenzo Harrison combined for 220 yards rushing and one touchdown.  No one outside of College Park knows either of these players, but this duo is helping rebuild Maryland into a winning team.

Big Ten Team of the Week:

Penn State.   Scoring 17 unanswered points to defeat the Buckeyes was huge.  Now the only question is will the Nittany Lions sustain this momentum?   Purdue’s up next so the answer is yes.

The Week Ahead:

No. 11 Wisconsin’s win over Iowa set up a monster clash against No. 7 Nebraska this week in Camp Randall in what figures to be the game that decides the West division.

Outside of the game against Oregon in week two, the Cornhuskers have not been seriously tested.  The best defense they’ve faced all season is Northwestern and they only scored 24 points in that game.  There is a good chance that their offense will struggle to find any rhythm.

Nebraska’s defense ranks No. 13 in the FBS allowing 17.7 points-per-game so they’ll keep this a low scoring game even if the offense is not producing.

The Badgers will win 17-10 with a late drive in the fourth quarter.

More from Scarlet and Game

Northwestern visits No. 6 Ohio State for the first time since 2007.  The Wildcats resurgence over the last few weeks behind the play of Clayton Thorsen and Justin Jackson have them smelling upset.  The Buckeyes need to get the train back on the tracks to keep pace with Michigan.

It is gut check time for the Buckeyes.  Will they get beyond the loss and come out with a renewed sense of purpose?  If the last two years are any indication, the offense will roll this week.  Buckeyes win 38-17.

No one gave Penn State a chance to beat the Buckeyes.  Can Michigan State pull a similar shocker in East Lansing?  Not likely.

The Spartans have lost five straight and have shown no signs of life. The No. 2 Wolverines are playing better than any team except Alabama. They smell blood and it will take an epic breakdown for Michigan State to win.

Michigan wins 41-13.

This article originally appeared on

share

Get more from Ohio State Buckeyes Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Ohio State Buckeyes