B1G Rewind: Coaches as 'The Walking Dead'

These days, the Big Ten can't win for winning.

The league put two of its blue bloods on a major stage in State College, Pa., on Saturday. With a traditional "Whiteout" backdrop, Penn State and Michigan slugged it out for four quarters and four overtimes before the Nittany Lions prevailed 43-40.

The game featured plenty of offense. Both quarterbacks threw for three touchdowns in regulation. The game boasted defense, with the teams combining for 18 tackles for loss. It had big plays, like Penn State wide receiver Allen Robinson's 36-yard catch inside of a minute that led to the game-tying touchdown. It also had drama with both place-kickers missing field goals in overtime.

It was, perhaps, the league's most exciting game this season.

"Both teams hung in there, both teams fought hard and thankfully Penn State came out on the winning end," Penn State Coach Bill O'Brien said. "It just says a lot about our kids, a very resilient bunch of kids that care about each other and really love playing for Penn State. They love this place, they know it means a lot to them and their lives and they just keep fighting hard for this place."

But the game also earned national scorn because of how the overtimes developed. Michigan kicker Brendan Gibbons missed a 52-yard field-goal attempt at the end of regulation. Penn State's Sam Ficken missed a 40-yard attempt to lead off overtime, and Michigan went ultra-conservative. The Wolverines ran the ball twice and on third down, quarterback Devin Gardner rolled out between the hash marks to center the ball for a kick. But Gibbons' attempt was blocked, sending the game to a second overtime.

The teams traded field goals on their next possession. On the first play of the third overtime, Robinson fumbled to give Michigan another crack at a win. Three plays later, Michigan's 33-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left.

In the fourth OT, Gibbons finally connected to give the Wolverines a three-point lead. Penn State then got aggressive. It had a chance to tie it up on fourth-and-1 from the 16, but O'Brien elected to go for the first down. Running back Bill Belton ran for three yards and four plays later, Belton blasted in from two yards out to clinch the win.

"I thought at that point and time, it was the fourth overtime and I felt like it was time for someone to win the game," O'Brien said. "We could sit here and keep trading field goals back and forth, but eventually it was time for someone to win the game and I had the opportunity to do it. I would probably say that if Brady (Hoke) was in that same situation, he would've tried to do it. I felt like it was time to go for the win."

But nationally, the game invited snark. Twitter was sent ablaze with media types mocking the Big Ten.

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) October 13, 2013

Michigan-Penn State is at the point where Mom used to yell "you kids cut that out and get in bed NOW!!!"October 13, 2013

Michigan-Penn State is at the point where Mom used to yell "you kids cut that out and get in bed NOW!!!"

— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt)

So even when the Big Ten is playing exciting, relevant football, it draws negative attention to itself.

Wisconsin turned out the week's most impressive performance with a 35-6 pounding of Northwestern. Two Badgers running backs crossed 100 yards again, and the defense held the Wildcats to 44 yards rushing. Northwestern punted 11 times and its quarterbacks combined to complete just 17 of 39 passes.

"Defense was awesome all day long," Wisconsin Coach Gary Andersen said. "I thought they swarmed to the ball. I thought they communicated. They tackled well. Pursuing the quarterback was obviously very, very good all day long. So that was good. I think offensively we did what we had to do."

While Michigan and Northwestern stumbled, Nebraska and Michigan State quietly have established themselves as Legends Division favorites. The Cornhuskers pounded Purdue 44-7 while holding the Boilermakers to just 32 rushing yards. The Spartans popped Indiana 42-28. Both teams are 2-0 in league play and have favorable cross-divisional opponents with neither playing Ohio State or Wisconsin. They square off Nov. 16 at Lincoln.

"I just feel like the more you do, the more confident you become," Michigan State Coach Mark Dantonio said. "Confidence breeds success. I've said that all along. If you're not being successful, you're going to start having some self doubt. But if you are successful, confidence is going to grow."

STARS OF THE WEEK

Michigan State RB Jeremy Lankford rushed for 109 yards and three TDs. ... Penn State defensive end C.J. Olaniyan had eight tackles, including 2.5 sacks, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. ... Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory had only two tackles, but both were sacks accumulating 28 yards of negative yardage and he recovered a fumble.

NOTEWORTHY

Michigan receiver Devin Funchess hauled in four passes for 112 yards and two scores. ... Indiana WR Cody Latimer caught seven passes for 58 yards and a TD. ... Purdue safety Anthony Brown had nine tackles and forced a fumble. ... Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon rushed for 172 yards at a 7.8 yard-per-carry average. ... Northwestern linebacker Damien Proby had 11 tackles, including two for loss, and a forced fumble.

POWER RANKINGS

What if the Big Ten coaches were "Walking Dead" characters? Let's consider ...

1. Ohio State (1) 6-0 2-0

• Urban Meyer as The Governor: A feared, intimidating presence who holds immense power

2. Wisconsin (2) 4-2 2-1

• Gary Andersen as Glenn Rhee: Courageous, unconventional and universally respected

3A. Michigan State (5A) 5-1 2-0

• Mark Dantonio as Carl Grimes: Unpredictable and daring; capable of anything, both good and bad

3B. Nebraska (5B) 5-1 2-0

• Bo Pelini as Merle Dixon: A loose cannon, at times politically incorrect but tough as nails and shows a surprising soft side

5. Michigan (4) 5-1 1-1

• Brady Hoke as Tyreese: Doesn't know his own strength

6. Northwestern (3) 4-2 0-2

• Pat Fitzgerald as Rick Grimes: Gung-ho, exudes leadership, at times goes too far while making a point

7. Iowa (7) 4-2 1-1

• Kirk Ferentz as Herschel Greene: A wise sage who dispenses sound advice but can be conservative to a fault

8. Indiana (8) 3-3 1-1

• Kevin Wilson as Shane Walsh: Cutthroat, aggressive and abrasive; no gray area

9. Penn State (9) 4-2 1-1

• Bill O'Brien as Darryl Dixon: Tough exterior with a soft side; willing to do whatever necessary to stick up for his group

10. Illinois (10) 3-2 0-1

• Tim Beckman as Axel: Can't tell if he's one of the group or just a short-timer

11. Minnesota (11) 4-2 0-2

• Jerry Kill as Dale Horvath: Provides a moral compass while trying to fix everything in a mixed-up world

12. Purdue (12) 1-5 0-2

• Darrell Hazell as Milton: Studious and deliberate with untapped potential

STANDINGS

LEGENDS

• Nebraska 5-1 2-0
• Michigan State 5-1 2-0
• Iowa 4-2 1-1
• Michigan 5-1 1-1
• Northwestern 4-2 0-2
• Minnesota 4-2 0-2

LEADERS

• Ohio State 6-0 2-0
• Wisconsin 4-2 2-1
• Penn State 4-2 1-1
• Indiana 3-3 1-1
• Illinois 3-2 0-1
• Purdue 1-5 0-2

SATURDAY'S RESULTS

• Penn State 43, Michigan 40 (4OT)
• Wisconsin 35, Northwestern 6
• Nebraska 44, Purdue 7
• Michigan State 42, Indiana 28

UP NEXT

• Minnesota at Northwestern, 11 a.m. (ESPN2)
• Purdue at Michigan State, 11 a.m. (BTN)
• Iowa at Ohio State, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)
• Indiana at Michigan, 2:30 p.m. (BTN)
• Wisconsin at Illinois, 7 p.m. (BTN)
• Idle: Penn State, Nebraska