B1G Rewind: Sunday Bloody Sunday

Paul Bunyan's Axe started swinging near the TCF Bank Stadium goal posts Saturday night, and the axe didn't stop falling around the Big Ten until a day later.

Wisconsin claimed the famed traveling trophy with a 31-21 win against rival Minnesota. The cuts kept coming Sunday for the Gophers, who fired offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Matt Limegrover and quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Jim Zebrowski. It was a surprising move for new head coach Tracey Claeys, who worked alongside Limegrover for 16 years at four different spots under former coach Jerry Kill.

Minnesota finished 13th in scoring, 11th in rushing offense and eighth in pass offense this year. The Gophers rushed for only 53 yards and totaled just 276 against the Badgers.

'Matt and Jim are both terrific people and coaches, but I have decided to make a change that will better fit my offensive philosophy, which is to have one coordinator calling the plays,' Claeys said in a statement. 'They have been great representatives for the university and always put our student-athletes first, and I thank them for their contributions to our program and wish them well in the future.'

While those two dismissals were perhaps the most surprising, they weren't alone on the chopping block. Purdue Coach Darrell Hazell fired defensive coordinator Greg Hudson, offensive coordinator John Shoop and defensive tackles coach Rubin Carter on Sunday. The Boilermakers are 6-30 in Hazell's three years and just 2-22 in Big Ten play. Purdue ranked last in rushing defense, 13th in scoring defense, 13th in rushing offense and was in the bottom third in most statistical categories this season.

Shoop, who served as the Chicago Bears offensive coordinator under former Coach Dick Jauron, also coached the quarterbacks. All three coaches served with Hazell all three seasons.

'I appreciate the efforts of each of those guys over the last three years,' Hazell said. 'They are quality men who are well respected by their players and their peers, and I am disappointed that things didn't work out better. But I believe that in order to turn around this program, we need to make some significant changes and move in a different direction at those positions.'

Penn State Coach James Franklin fired offensive coordinator and tight ends coach John Donovan on Sunday. Donovan was Franklin's offensive coordinator at Vanderbilt for three seasons before keeping the same role at Penn State for two. The Nittany Lions were 11th in scoring (23.7 point per game), 12th in rushing and ninth in passing despite an array of gifted skill position players in quarterback Christian Hackenberg, freshman running back Saquon Barkley and wide receivers Chris Godwin and DaeSean Hamilton. Penn State's offensive line gave up a league-high 39 sacks, nine more than next-to-last Purdue.

The least surprising change came at Rutgers when President Robert Barchi fired Coach Kyle Flood and Athletics Director Julie Hermann on Sunday afternoon. Hermann has had numerous public gaffes since taking over in 2013. Flood was suspended for three games earlier this season after meeting with instructors regarding academics. Player arrests coupled with a 4-8 overall record (1-7 in Big Ten play) caused Barchi to makes the changes.

Barchi already hired Patrick Hobbs, Dean Emeritus of the Seton Hall University School of Law, as the athletics director. Hobbs previously served as interim athletics director at Seton Hall.

'Kyle Flood has been a loyal and dedicated member of our community for more than a decade and our head football coach for four seasons, during which his teams won 26 games and played in three bowl games,' Barchi wrote in a letter. 'However, our continued struggles on the field combined with several off the field issues have convinced me that we need new leadership of our football program. I want to thank Kyle for his service to Rutgers and I also wish him and his family well in his next endeavor. Norries Wilson will serve as the Interim Head Coach leading our off-season program until a new head coach is hired.

'Julie came to Rutgers in 2013, at a time when the program was in turmoil, with a vision of where she could take our Athletics Program. I believe, however, at this point, when major changes are being made in our football program, we need a fresh start. Having reached that conclusion this past week, it would not have been fair to Julie, to Rutgers and our student athletes, or to potential football coaching candidates, for her to continue in her role. She is a capable administrator whose dedication and passion for Rutgers never waned and I wish her and her family all the best in the next step in her journey.'

One situation stabilized briefly last week. Illinois, which has an interim university chancellor and athletics director, offered interim football coach Bill Cubit a two-year contract. Cubit finished 5-7 this year after replacing Tim Beckman, who was fired one week before the season opener.

Maryland's situation remains in flux — at least today. Head coach Randy Edsall was fired in October, and Mike Locksley served as interim coach through Saturday's 46-41 win against Rutgers.

NORTHWESTERN MOVES FORWARD

Outside of Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, perhaps no league coach had a better year than Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald. After two years without bowl trips, the Wildcats doubled their win total from 2014 and tied the school record with 10 victories. They're currently ranked 13th in both polls,

Northwestern opened the season strong with a 16-6 home victory against Stanford, and then posted a 19-10 win at Duke. The Wildcats suffered a pair of crushing losses in mid-October — 38-0 at Michigan, 40-10 to Iowa. But Fitzgerald rallied his players to win their last five games.

'We're kind of old school, '95 neck roll, four yards and a cloud of dust,' Fitzgerald said. 'To a lot of people, I think that's boring; I could not care less what they think, I call it winning. That's who we are right now. I'd love to put up the Baylor numbers and I'd love to put up some of the numbers that these other teams are offensively, but they can't shake a stick at our defense. We know who we are and we have to play to who we are.'

SPARTY-HERKY COMPARISON (UPDATED FROM LAST WEEK)

Big Ten East Division Michigan State (11-1, 7-1) is set to face Iowa (12-0, 8-0) in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday in Indianapolis. Although Michigan State will be favored, the numbers suggest there's not much separation for the former Legends Division rivals.

The teams have played four common opponents and the results are somewhat similar. Both teams beat Purdue, Indiana and Maryland. Iowa's margin of victory in those games was 44 points, while Michigan State's was 46. The teams also played Nebraska, which rallied from a 12-point deficit to beat Michigan State 39-38. Iowa stopped Nebraska 28-20 on Friday.

Iowa beat Maryland 31-15, and MSU stopped the Terrapins 24-7. Both teams had interception returns for touchdowns. Iowa led Maryland 21-0 at halftime; Michigan State scored the last 17 points against the Terrapins. Iowa outgained Maryland 293-241, while Maryland outgained Michigan State 289-262.

Michigan State led Purdue 21-0 at halftime. The Hawkeyes led the Boilermakers 20-0 in the second quarter. Purdue outgained Iowa 405-387, while the Spartans outgained the Boilermakers 406-301. Iowa outscored Purdue 20-7 in the final 20 minutes to win 40-20. The Boilermakers rallied to cut Michigan State's lead to 24-21 and had the ball past midfield in the final three minutes before the Spartans thwarted Purdue's upset hopes.

In the early fourth quarter, Iowa led Indiana 21-20 before pulling away 35-27. MSU led the Hoosiers 28-26 early in the fourth quarter before scoring three touchdowns in the final five minutes for a 52-26 win. Iowa outgained Indiana 467-407, while the Spartans held a 540-389 edge in yards.

Michigan State plays in the higher-profile division and owns wins over ranked Michigan (9-3) and Ohio State (11-1), both of which were on the road. Iowa beat ranked Northwestern (10-2) and Wisconsin (9-3) on the road. In non-conference play, Michigan State edged Oregon (9-3) 31-28 at home. Iowa edged Pittsburgh (8-4) 27-24 at home.

Since Mark Dantonio took over at Michigan State in 2007, Iowa leads their series 4-3 and holds a 153-141 scoring edge. Two games went into double-overtime (both Iowa wins) and two others were decided in the final minute (split). Iowa's touchdown pass on the game's final play at Michigan State in 2009 provided the program with an iconic moment of the Kirk Ferentz era. Michigan State's comeback win at Iowa in 2013 propelled the Spartans into a national power.

History suggests a close game if Iowa plays Michigan State at any location. This season's numbers show that as well.

QUOTABLE

'Four hundred yards, man, that's huge to be able to have that type of rushing yardage.' — Maryland interim coach Mike Locksley on the Terrapins rushing for 401 yards on 42 carries in a 46-41 rally from 21 points against Rutgers.

POLL WATCHING

Iowa stayed at No. 3 in the USA Today/Coaches poll but fell to No. 4 by the Associated Press. Michigan State moved up to No. 5 and Ohio State to sixth in both polls. Northwestern was No 13 in both polls, while Michigan fell to No. 19. Wisconsin re-entered both polls at No. 25.

THUMBS UPS

Iowa picked off Nebraska QB Tommy Armstrong Jr. four times. ... Ohio State outrushed Michigan 369-57. ... Indiana gained 659 yards to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2007. ... Maryland gained 401 yards rushing on 42 attempts. ... Northwestern tied its school record with 10 wins in a season. ... Michigan State scored 27 points off Penn State turnovers, including two defensive touchdowns. ... Wisconsin outrushed Minnesota 257-53.

THUMBS DOWNS

Nebraska held Iowa to 0-of-9 on third down, outgained the Hawkeyes by 183 yards, doubled Iowa in first downs and had a 12:12 advantage in time of possession and still lost by eight points. ... Michigan allowed Ohio State to score touchdowns on six consecutive drives, not counting the final series before halftime. ... Purdue allowed Indiana to gain a whopping 7.8 yards per play. ... Rutgers gave up 656 yards despite holding a 36:50-23:10 advantage in time of possession. ... Illinois was outrushed 204-78 in a 10-point loss. ... Penn State had four turnovers, all of which led to Michigan State touchdowns. ... Minnesota lost the Paul Bunyan's Axe rivalry to Wisconsin for the 12th straight year.

WEEKEND STARS

Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 214 yards and two TDs. ... Iowa LB Cole Fisher had a team-high 11 tackles, an interception and a pass breakup in his home-state return. ... Nate Sudfeld completed 18 of 29 passes for 350 yards and four TDs. ... Northwestern LB Anthony Walker had 14 tackles, including 3.5 for loss. ... Michigan State QB Connor Cook passed for 248 yards and three TDs. ... Wisconsin safety Tanner McEvoy had two interceptions and three tackles.

NOTEWORTHY

Michigan LB Joe Bolden led his team with nine tackles. ... Nebraska punter Sam Foltz averaged 44.6 yards on his five punts. ... Purdue WR Danny Anthrop caught nine passes for 86 yards. ... Maryland RB Brandon Ross rushed for 173 yards and three TDs. ... Rutgers WR Leonte Carroo caught seven passes for 183 yards and a TD. ... Illinois RB Josh Ferguson caught seven passes for 100 yards and also rushed for 40. ... Penn State WR Chris Godwin caught 11 passes for 109 yards and two TDs. ... Minnesota punter Peter Mortell averaged 45.6 yards on five punts.

POWER RANKINGS

1. Iowa (1) 12-0 8-0

Big Ten's mutts are all bite, no bark

2. Michigan State (2) 11-1 7-1

OK, Sparty is ready for the Big Ten party

3. Ohio State (4) 11-1 7-1

Nobody wants to face this team in a bowl ... or the playoff

4. Michigan (3) 9-3 6-2

Season really ended with a thud against their southern rival

5. Northwestern (5) 10-2 6-2

Tied school record for wins in a season

6. Wisconsin (6) 9-3 6-2

Finished strong with a rivalry road win

7. Penn State (7) 7-5 4-4

Nittany Lions could use an offensive line for Christmas

8. Indiana (10) 6-6 2-6

Hoosiers gained 2nd bowl berth since 1993 and kept the Bucket

9. Nebraska (8) 5-7 3-5

Recurring issues of penalties and turnovers doomed Huskers

10. Minnesota (9) 5-7 2-7

Gophers haven't won the Axe since George W. Bush's first term as president

11. Illinois (11) 5-7 2-6

Hired a coach full-time who lost 6 of last 7 games, all by at least 9 points

12. Purdue (12) 2-10 1-7

A lot of soul-searching ahead this off-season

13. Maryland (14) 3-9 1-7

Heck of a comeback even if nobody saw it

14. Rutgers (13) 4-8 1-7

A miserable end to a miserable season

STANDINGS

WEST DIVISION

Iowa 12-0 8-0

Northwestern 10-2 6-2

Wisconsin 9-3 6-2

Nebraska 5-7 3-5

Illinois 5-7 2-6

Minnesota 5-7 2-6

Purdue 2-10 1-7

EAST DIVISION

Michigan State 11-1 7-1

Ohio State 11-1 7-1

Michigan 9-3 6-2

Penn State 7-5 4-4

Indiana 6-6 2-6

Rutgers 4-8 1-7

Maryland 3-9 1-7

SATURDAY'S RESULTS

Iowa 28, Nebraska 20 (Friday)

Ohio State 42, Michigan 13

Michigan State 55, Penn State 16

Northwestern 24, Illinois 14

Wisconsin 31, Minnesota 21

Maryland 46, Rutgers 41

Indiana 54, Purdue 36

NEXT SATURDAY

Iowa vs. Michigan State at Indianapolis, 7:17 p.m. (Fox)

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com