B1G Rewind: Maryland’s Likely breaks hallowed Kinnick record

'A new gridiron star blazed across the Big Ten horizon here Saturday, a spectacular comet with brilliant touchdown tails which cleared away the shadows of despair which have hovered over Iowa's big stadium for the last six years ...”

- Tait Cummins, Cedar Rapids Gazette, Oct. 8, 1939

On an old, gray sports page 76 years ago, legendary Gazette columnist Tate Cummins brought Nile Kinnick to life for thousands of readers in Eastern Iowa.

Kinnick's prowess in a come-from-behind 32-29 victory against Indiana was evident in a pair of fourth quarter touchdown passes that propelled the Hawkeyes to an epic 1939 season. Kinnick set a Big Ten single-game record with 201 punt return yards that spawned a successful 1939 Heisman Trophy campaign.

'This place is nuts over Kinnick. If they took an All-American vote, he'd start with 20,000 right here,” Cummins wrote.

Before Saturday, former Iowa receiver Kevonte Martin-Manley ranked second in Big Ten history after posting 184 punt return yards in a 2013 game. Afterward Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz acknowledged Kinnick's legacy when asked if he knew Martin-Manley was close to the legend's record.

'With all due respect to Kevonte - I love the guy, he's a great young man - I think it's OK if that one stayed right where it's at,” Ferentz said after that game. 'Not that we would have held him back, but maybe would have thought about it, actually. That's one that needs to stay.”

Well, Kinnick's long-standing Big Ten record fell Saturday afternoon. Maryland cornerback/punt returner Will Likely returned eight punts for 233 yards and a touchdown in the Terrapins' 50-21 victory against Richmond. Likely, who Iowa fans saw pick off a Jake Rudock pass and return it for a touchdown last year, was a first-team all-Big Ten cornerback. He practiced returning punts by plucking tennis balls, and it seemed to pay off against the Spiders.

'1939? That's a long time,” Likely said. 'It's a blessing to be able to break somebody's record that had been standing for that long and hadn't been broken. That's a blessing.”

Likely, a 5-foot-7 junior, returned a punt 67 yards with 10:30 remaining to put the Terrapins ahead 43-14. Maryland forced Richmond to punt on its next possession, and Likely stayed in as punt returner. The Spiders inexplicably kicked it to him again, and he returned the offering 35 yards to break Kinnick's record.

'After the first two or three, I figured I probably wouldn't get any more opportunities and he kept kicking it,” Likely said.

A person cannot overstate the reverence people have in these parts for Kinnick, who tragically died in a World War II training mission. Before every playing of 'The Star-Spangled Banner,” Kinnick's Heisman Trophy acceptance speech echoes inside the stadium that bears his name. In 1962, the Big Ten permanently etched Kinnick's image on the coin officials flip in every league game.

At the new Big Ten office in Rosemont, Ill., a sign hangs with a 1939 quote from the Boston Post's Bill Cunningham. It reads, 'This country's okay as long as it produces Nile Kinnicks. The football part is incidental.”

Likely's performance hardly detracts from Kinnick's legacy. It only enhances it.

CAT SCRATCH FEVER

Northwestern's eyebrow-raising 16-6 win against No. 21 Stanford was filled with defensive superlatives. The Wildcats held Stanford to 240 total yards and just 3-of-15 on third down.

'I thought there was a dominant performance from our defensive line,” Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald said. 'It looked like we controlled the line of scrimmage on every single play defensive line-wise. I thought our offensive line did some positive things, and obviously for us, when you look at our ability to run the ball for 225 yards and hold them to 85, that was a dominant performance on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Perfect? No. But dominant from a standpoint of a team we have the utmost respect for.”

Northwestern freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson was 12-of-24 passing for 105 yards in his first start.

SPOILED DEBUTS

Nebraska and Wisconsin each debuted new coaches on Saturday, and both lost in disappointing fashion. Wisconsin thoroughly was thumped by No. 3 Alabama 35-17 in Arlington, Texas, while BYU husked Nebraska on the game's final play 33-28 in Lincoln.

The No. 20 Badgers rushed for an un-Wisconsinlike 40 yards on 21 attempts, while allowing 238 yards on 37 rushes.

'We couldn't run the football with any consistency,” Wisconsin Coach Paul Chryst said. 'We had a couple runs, but nothing consistent.”

In Mike Riley's first game at Nebraska, BYU receiver Mitch Mathews caught a 42-yard pass from backup quarterback Tanner Mangum as time expired to stun the Cornhuskers. Mathews started from the left side and ran diagonally across the field before catching the ball at the goal line.

'Obviously we need to have someone in front of him rather than behind him at that point,” Riley said. 'We must have been out of position at that point over there. He came all the way from our sideline.”

'From my vantage point, I didn't see him until last second, but as a defense as a whole we all didn't execute on that type of play,” Nebraska safety Nate Gerry said. 'Those are the types of things that we worked on in fall camp, and you don't think it's going to happen until it actually happens, so it was a tough play.”

THUMBS UP

Michigan State held Western Michigan to 18 rushing yards on 23 attempts. ... Iowa held Illinois State QB Tre Roberson, who combined for more than 4,200 yards last year, to 37 total yards. ... Rutgers' defense kept Norfolk State to minus-3 rushing yards on 23 runs. ... Northwestern allowed Stanford to complete just 3 of 15 third-down opportunities. ... Minnesota held No. 2 TCU to its fewest points (23) in two seasons. ... Illinois forced three interceptions. ... Maryland rushed for 345 yards.

THUMBS DOWN

Indiana gave up 659 total yards to FCS Southern Illinois. ... Penn State allowed 10 sacks for 64 yards to Temple. ... Wisconsin rushed for 40 yards on 21 carries. ... Michigan finished with 78 yards rushing on 29 attempts. ... Nebraska had 12 penalties for 90 yards. ... Purdue QB Austin Appleby threw four interceptions, including two pick-6s.

WEEKEND STARS

Wisconsin LB Joe Schobert had 13 tackles, including four for loss and two sacks. ... Maryland CB Will Likely returned eight punts for a Big Ten record 233 yards and a score. ... Indiana WR Ricky Jones caught six passes for 186 yards. ... Michigan CB Jabrill Peppers had eight tackles, including seven solo stops and two TFLs. ... Michigan State LB Riley Bullough had nine tackles, including three sacks. ... Rutgers WR Leonte Carroo caught three passes for 129 yards and three TDs.

NOTEWORTHY

Nebraska wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp caught seven passes for 107 yards and a touchdown. ... Illinois QB Wes Lunt passed for 162 yards and four TDs. ... Iowa RB Jordan Canzeri caught four passes for 90 yards and rushed five times for 28 yards and a score. ... Minnesota CB Eric Murray had eight tackles, a forced fumble and interception. ... Northwestern RB Justin Jackson rushed for 134 yards on 28 carries. ... Penn State DE Carl Nassib had 10 tackles, including 2.5 for loss. ... Purdue RB D.J. Knox rushed for 102 yards and a TD.

POWER RANKINGS

1. Ohio State 0-0 0-0

ESPN's Mark May picked against the Buckeyes in Blacksburg

2. Michigan State 1-0 0-0

Shut it down early in otherwise dominating performance

3. Northwestern 1-0 0-0

Wildcats boast league's most impressive win, good chance at 4-0 start

4. Minnesota 0-1 0-0

Showed it belongs in the nation's top 25

5. Iowa 1-0 0-0

Feels like a new program with infusion of confidence

6A. Wisconsin 0-1 0-0

Got a long way to go in the running game

6B. Nebraska 0-1 0-0

Shocking end, but lost to a good program

8A. Illinois 1-0 0-0

Illini apparently thrive on distractions

8B. Maryland 1-0 0-0

Incredible effort by punt returner in nice opening win

8C. Rutgers 1-0 0-0

Put issues aside Saturday; we'll see about rest of the season

11. Michigan 1-0 0-0

Nothing more difficult to overcome than INTs by veteran QB

12. Purdue 0-1 0-0

Just whiffed on first non-con road win since 2007

13. Indiana 1-0 0-0

Gave up 47 points, 411 passing yards and 4 pass TDs to midlevel FCS team

14. Penn State 0-1 0-0

Offensive line woes evident now, wait until B1G play

STANDINGS

WEST DIVISION

Illinois 1-0 0-0

Iowa 1-0 0-0

Northwestern 1-0 0-0

Nebraska 0-1 0-0

Minnesota 0-1 0-0

Purdue 0-1 0-0

Wisconsin 0-1 0-0

EAST DIVISION

Indiana 1-0 0-0

Maryland 1-0 0-0

Michigan State 1-0 0-0

Rutgers 1-0 0-0

Ohio State 0-0 0-0

Michigan 0-1 0-0

Penn State 0-1 0-0

WEEKEND RESULTS

TCU 23, Minnesota 17 (Thursday)

Utah 24, Michigan 17 (Thursday)

Michigan State 37, Western Michigan 24 (Friday)

Iowa 31, Illinois State 14

Northwestern 16, Stanford 6

BYU 33, Nebraska 28

Indiana 48, Southern Illinois 47

Temple 27, Penn State 10

Alabama 35, Wisconsin 17

Maryland 50, Richmond 21

Rutgers 63, Norfolk State 13

Illinois 52, Kent State 3

Marshall 41, Purdue 31

Ohio State at Virginia Tech (Monday)

NEXT SATURDAY

Iowa at Iowa State, 3:45 p.m. (FOX)

Oregon State at Michigan, 11 a.m. (ABC)

Buffalo at Penn State, 11 a.m. (ESPN2)

Miami (Ohio) at Wisconsin, 11 a.m. (ESPNU)

Indiana State at Purdue, 11 a.m. (ESPNNEWS)

Western Illinois at Illinois, 11 a.m. (BTN)

Bowling Green at Maryland, 11 a.m. (BTN)

Hawaii at Ohio State, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)

Washington State at Rutgers, 2:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Minnesota at Colorado State, 2:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)

Eastern Illinois at Northwestern, 3 p.m. (ESPNNEWS)

Oregon at Michigan State, 7 p.m. (ABC)

South Alabama at Nebraska, 7 p.m. (BTN)

Florida International at Indiana, 7 p.m. (BTN)

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