B1G Rewind: Nebraska stays strong in West Division race

Nebraska's Big Ten match-ups with Northwestern previously have produced highlight-reel moments, from a Wildcat upset in 2011 and a double-digit fourth-quarter comeback by Nebraska in 2012 to the Cornhuskers' Hail Mary touchdown pass on the game's final play last year.

For a half Saturday night, Nebraska and Northwestern appeared to fit a similar blueprint. The Cornhuskers led by four points but the Wildcats held a 39-yard advantage. But it was a different game that scrambled off the grid in the second half.

After halftime, Nebraska outgained Northwestern 244-28 and most of those yards were from their All-American candidate, running back Ameer Abdullah. The Cornhuskers (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) shucked past the Wildcats 38-17 in Evanston to stay within one game of Minnesota (6-1, 3-0) for the Big Ten West Division lead.

'The blood pressure was lower,' Abdullah said, comparing the relative ease of this win with the previous wild finishes against Northwestern. 'You know, I wasn't scared I'd have a heart attack. So I'm just happy to get a solid win, get us back on the winning foot, and we're going to prepare for Rutgers next week.'

Like the rest of his team, Abdullah was subdued in the first half, rushing for just 39 yards on nine rushes. In the second half, Abdullah ran for 107 yards, including 78 in the fourth quarter. He scored four touchdowns with three coming after halftime.

Abdullah now has 1,024 rushing yards and is the first player in Nebraska history with three 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He has 4,001 career rushing yards, second-most in Nebraska history. Only 1984 Heisman winner Mike Rozier (4,780) has more career rushing yards than Abdullah.

Nebraska rushed just 16 times for 79 yards in the second half. But the Cornhuskers stuck with the running game in the second half, rushing an additional 28 times for 155.

'You just keep pounding it,' Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini said. 'You just keep running the football and you know he doesn't need a lot of room. What I was happy with and what I give the offense credit for, is we didn't go away from the run. We stuck with it and kept looking for different ways and different structures and motions and showed Northwestern a lot. We eventually found some things that we really liked and that we were able to take advantage of.'

The West Division race remains wide open with four teams holding one or fewer Big Ten losses. Minnesota (6-1, 3-0) boasts a one-game lead on both Nebraska and Iowa (5-2, 2-1). All three teams have yet to play one another. Wisconsin (4-2, 1-1 Big Ten) hardly is out of the race, either, and faces all three consecutively to close out the regular season.

Northwestern (3-4, 2-2) faces a tougher situation. Not only do the Wildcats have two losses, but both have come to Minnesota and Nebraska. The Wildcats lose a potential division tiebreaker to either squad.

'Anytime you get into conference play, especially into the heart of it in October and November, one play here or there can be a big momentum swing and you just don't know when that's going to happen,' Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald said. 'I think that's been the difference in the last two weeks; we had opportunities we missed last week and then in the second half (Saturday).'

MINNESOTA KEEPS ROLLING

Minnesota trailed Purdue (3-4, 1-3) by 11 points at halftime but rallied to a 39-38 win to stay unbeaten in league play and become bowl eligible for the second consecutive year. Gophers kicker Ryan Santoso drilled a 52-yard field goal with 4:59 left in the game that ultimately won the game.

'It was a wild game,' Minnesota Coach Jerry Kill said. 'Tons of adversity and tons of different kind of situations. We came in at halftime and I visited with the kids and I said, 'Hey listen. Good teams find a way to win. We are going to find out about your character and we are going to find out if you are a good team. We are going to find out if you can have discipline because we didn't play with some in the first half. I've been here a million times but Minnesota has not always been here. We need to find out who we are and what we are.' And we came out and did good things in the second half and we overcame adversity.'

The Gophers have won seven of their last nine Big Ten games going back to a 4-2 finish last year. Minnesota travels to last-place Illinois (3-4, 0-3) this week before gearing up for a challenging November. The Gophers are idle Nov. 1 before hosting Iowa (Nov. 8) and Ohio State (Nov. 15) then traveling to Nebraska (Nov. 22) and ending at Wisconsin (Nov. 29).

Minnesota's last conference title came as part of a tie in 1967. Its last Rose Bowl appearance was after the 1961 season.

SHOWDOWN LOOMS

Michigan State (6-1, 3-0) and Ohio State (5-1, 2-0) each posted impressive 56-17 victories over Indiana (3-4, 0-3) and Rutgers (5-2, 1-2), respectively. Ohio State was more impressive early, taking a 49-7 lead midway through the third quarter. Quarterback J.T. Barrett passed for three touchdowns and rushed for two, guiding the Buckeyes to their fourth straight game with more than 50 points.

'The good thing is that I don't feel like there's a complacent attitude,' Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer said. 'Complacency is awful in this business and with the players, because when you watch the film, we could actually have played a lot better in certain situations.'

Michigan State was in a scrap early against the Hoosiers, who led 17-14 with four minutes left before halftime. But the Spartans relentlessly pounded Indiana the rest of the game, scoring the game's final 42 points. Michigan State held Indiana, which was down to a third-team quarterback, to just 11 passing yards.

The Spartans had struggled the last two weeks at the end of games. Although it beat both Nebraska and Purdue, Michigan State was outscored a combined 33-7 in the fourth quarter.

'I thought our football team played tremendously well,' Michigan State Coach Mark Dantonio said. 'We talked about the fourth quarter issue, but to me, it was more about keeping an edge when things started to turn and when there would be adversity how would we react. And I thought we reacted extremely well at the end of the second quarter. Two big touchdown drives at the end that gives us an 11-point lead and then the third quarter went our way. Exciting finish.'

QUOTABLE

'No issues with our team's effort and their attitude, it's been great, going back to January. No issues there. But we have to play better, and we have to coach better. It starts right in the front.

'We've got a lot of football ahead. I think we have a mentally tough football team and everybody's hurting and everyone's embarrassed right now. We didn't play very well. But talk is cheap.'

— Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz after his team lost 38-31 at Maryland on Saturday. Both teams are 5-2 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play.

SATURDAY'S STARS

Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett passed for 261 yards and three TDs and rushed for 107 yards and a pair of scores. ... Maryland WR Stefon Diggs caught nine passes for 130 yards and a score. ... Minnesota RB David Cobb rushed 35 times for 194 yards and a touchdown. ... Michigan State QB Connor Cook passed for 332 yards and three touchdowns. ... Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah

rushed 23 times for 146 yards and a career-high four touchdowns.

NOTEWORTHY

Iowa DE Drew Ott had 2.5 sacks and an interception. ... Purdue RB Raheem Mostart rushed for 117 yards on five carries. ... Indiana RB Tevin Coleman rushed for 132 yards on 15 carries. ... Rutgers WR Leonte Caroo caught five passes for 100 yards. ... Northwestern freshman RB Justin Jackson

ran for 128 yards and two TDs.

POWER RANKINGS

1. Michigan State (1) 6-1 3-0

Shook off shaky first half with dominant post-halftime performance

2. Ohio State (2) 5-1 2-0

Scored 50-plus points for fourth consecutive game

3. Nebraska (3) 6-1 2-1

Posted an impressive three-touchdown victory against Northwestern

4A. Minnesota (4B) 6-1 3-0

All alone in the West Division lead

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

Quarterback play determines season's success

4C. Maryland (4E) 5-2 2-1

Terrapins show big-play ability on both sides of the ball

7. Iowa (4A) 5-2 2-1

Weaknesses are apparent and little time to correct them

8. Rutgers (4C) 5-2 1-2

One win from a bowl in impressive first B1G season

9. Northwestern (4F) 3-4 2-2

Wildcats get week off to prepare for late surge

10. Michigan (10) 3-4 1-2

Does week off rally everyone or delay the inevitable?

11. Penn State (11) 4-2 1-2

Will have wild scene Saturday for Buckeyes

12. Indiana (12) 3-4 0-3

Quarterback injuries derail a potential bowl season

13. Purdue (13) 3-4 1-3

Really has shown growth the last two games

14. Illinois (14) 3-4 0-3

Needs to get on track quickly to have any postseason shot

STANDINGS

WEST DIVISION

Minnesota 6-1 3-0

Nebraska 6-1 2-1

Iowa 5-2 2-1

Wisconsin 4-2 1-1

Northwestern 3-4 2-2

Purdue 3-5 1-3

Illinois 3-4 0-3

EAST DIVISION

Michigan State 6-1 3-0

Ohio State 5-1 2-0

Rutgers 5-2 1-2

Maryland 5-2 2-1

Penn State 4-2 1-2

Michigan 3-4 1-2

Indiana 3-4 0-3

SATURDAY'S RESULTS

Maryland 38, Iowa 31

Minnesota 39, Purdue 38

Ohio State 56, Rutgers 17

Nebraska 38, Northwestern 17

Michigan State 56, Indiana 17

Idle: Penn State, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin

UP NEXT

Maryland at Wisconsin, 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Minnesota at Illinois, 11 a.m. (ESPNU)

Rutgers at Nebraska, 11 a.m. (ESPN2)

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

Ohio State at Penn State, 7 p.m. (ABC)

Idle: Iowa, Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue

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