B1G Rewind: Northwestern D a forceful menace

Few people expected Northwestern to make a move in the Big Ten West Division, mostly because of last year's 5-7 overall record and partly because of an inexperienced quarterback.

But Northwestern did take out Wisconsin and Notre Dame last year and its inconsistency masked a team with potential. On defense, that potential has grown into promise this year.

Northwestern (3-0) has combined a stifling defense with a good running game to start 3-0. The Wildcats, now ranked No. 17 by the Associated Press, beat Stanford to open the season, shut out Eastern Illinois and then stopped Duke 19-10 on the road Saturday.

Duke began the day ranked eighth nationally in total offense (592.5) and 18th in scoring offense at 46 points a game. Not only did the Wildcats hold the high-powered Blue Devils to 10 points, but they slowed Duke to 327 yards of total offense.

Northwestern forced Duke to punt 11 times and held the Blue Devils to 3 of 17 on third down. Duke converted just one of eight in the second half.

'We were pretty dominant on third down,” Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald said.

The Wildcats rank first nationally in scoring defense at 5.3 points per game sixth nationally in total defense (235). Northwestern leads the country in third-down defense (13.95 percent) by four percentage points, allowing opponents to convert just 6 of 43 opportunities.

Still, Fitzgerald wasn't satisfied with his team's performance against Duke.

'I felt we adjusted very well in the second half and our offense got moving,” Fitzgerald said. 'Defensively, we have to start faster. We can't give up those plays and that long run in I think the third quarter or midway through the fourth when we fit things wrong.”

Northwestern faces Ball State (2-1) on Saturday in its non-conference final, then opens Big Ten play Oct. 3 at home against Minnesota (2-1).

TOUGH ENDING FOR NEBRASKA

There are two ways to look at Nebraska's 36-33 overtime loss at Miami (Fla.) and neither viewpoint is mutually exclusive.

On one side, the Cornhuskers (1-2) showed heart and toughness to overcome a 33-10 deficit with 8:36 left in humid Miami. Nebraska scored three touchdowns and converted a pair of 2-point conversions to force overtime. But on the flip side, the Cornhuskers were completely outplayed for three-plus quarters.

Before Nebraska's comeback, Miami had outgained the Huskers 469-240. That didn't happen by accident. Nebraska Coach Mike Riley said his players lacked energy early in the game.

'I just thought at halftime that we were our own worst enemies,” Riley said. 'We couldn't do anything without doing something wrong. Make a play and get a penalty, or something. We were sloppy, very sloppy. We waited a long time to start playing and so that was my message at halftime: that this is all our fault - the way this is going down. So, we can change it.”

The Cornhuskers had the ball first in overtime but quarterback Tommie Armstrong was intercepted on the first play, and Miami kicked a field goal for the win.

Armstrong threw three interceptions, but in the fourth quarter he completed 11 of 20 passes for 184 yards and four touchdowns.

'We have to make sure we play all four quarters like that,” Armstrong said. 'It's all about consistency when it comes to our football team. We saw games where we've been great two or three quarters and then sloppy one quarter, and it happens to lose this game. This time, we had maybe a quarter and a half where we were playing as great as we wanted to. But we have to make sure we fix that, myself as a leader, I have to make sure I have guys prepared and I have to make sure we have the right attitude going into each and every game.”

TARGET PRACTICE

In Wisconsin's otherwise, ho-hum 28-3 win against Troy, two targeting penalties became a primary storyline.

Late in the first quarter, Wisconsin linebacker Leon Jacobs was ejected for targeting when he drilled Troy quarterback Brandon Silvers in the chest with his helmet. Then late in the third quarter, Badgers cornerback Leon Jacobs was whistled for targeting when he hit Troy receiver Ismail Saleem in the head after a catch. Jacobs must miss the first half of next week's game against Hawaii.

Silvers' helmet flew off with the first hit, which seemed to have aided the officials' call.

'With a quarterback, any forcible contact to the head or neck area is targeting,” referee Jeffrey Servinski told a pool reporter. 'So he's in a defenseless mode, because he had just thrown the ball. It was not roughing the passer, because of the timing of it. So roughing the passer was not on the table. But the contact was to the head or neck area, so we need to look at was it forcible contact to the head or the neck. It was determined that it was.”

Saleem was crouched low after his catch, leaving Jacobs with no target to hit. Jacobs hit Saleem in the helmet with a forearm.

'The defensive player, when we have a defenseless player, cannot target to the head or neck area,” Servinski said.

When asked what he saw on either play, Wisconsin Coach Paul Chryst said, 'doesn't matter what I see,”

'But the officials are good,” Chryst said. 'At that point, it's all - really, it's out of their hands at times. And there's no doubt that every coach that I know wants to - and this is for all rules, to make this game safer, no question.”

KOEHN DO IT

Iowa kicker Marshall Koehn has become a versatile weapon in the Hawkeyes' attack, and not just converting field goals. He has rushed for a combined 23 yards on fake field-goal attempts and on Saturday, Koehn booted a 64-yard, rugby-style punt that rolled to the Pittsburgh 4. He also has drilled 11 of his 16 kickoffs out of the end zone.

But Koehn also has become one of the nation's most consistent kickers. He finished the 2014 season converting 11 of his last 12 field goals and has connected on all four attempts this year. Three of his field goals this year have come from 40-to-49 yards while the other was Saturday's 57-yard game-winner to beat Pitt as time expired.

It was a high-pressure situation, but Koehn's teammates have ultimate confidence in the senior from Solon.

'He does that in practice every day so we weren't surprised,” Iowa wide receiver Tevaun Smith. 'I feel like the first kick before they called the timeout, he was just squaring up, practicing because he knew they were going to call a timeout. He knew he was going to hit it. So the next one, he just had the leg.”

'I wanted that kick,” Koehn said. 'We wanted that kick.”

Koehn has helped pace Iowa to its first 3-0 start since 2009, when the Hawkeyes finished 11-2 and won the Orange Bowl.

'Iowa football, we're always in tight games,” Koehn said. 'This is just a huge win to keep building off of, and I think we're headed in the right direction as a team.”

ONE AND TWO

Ohio State and Michigan State now sit No. 1 and No. 2 in the most recent Associated Press poll. It's the first time the Big Ten has the nation's top two teams since 2006 when Ohio State and Michigan were 11-0 entering the regular-season finale.

Northwestern (17) and Wisconsin (22) also are ranked. Receiving votes are Iowa and Minnesota.

THUMBS UPS

Michigan State QB Connor Cook generated 247 yards and four scores in the passing game. ... Michigan held UNLV to 235 total yards. ... Indiana compiled 639 yards in a shootout win against Western Kentucky. ... Iowa kicker Marshall Koehn has connected on all four field goals this year and 15 of his last 16. ... Minnesota's defense contained Kent State to 142 total yards. ... Penn State rolled up 330 rushing yards on Rutgers. ... Northwestern's defense held Duke to 3 of 17 on third down. ... Wisconsin grounded Troy's running game to 2.5 yards per carry. ... Maryland held South Florida to only 60 passing yards.

THUMBS DOWNS

Top-ranked Ohio State generated just 14 first downs and 298 yards, threw three interceptions and was 2-of-13 on third down against Northern Illinois. ... Nebraska had three interceptions, including a crippling pick on the first play of overtime. ... Illinois gave up 6.9 yards per carry and 11.4 yards per completion against North Carolina. ... Rutgers rushed for 43 yards on 32 attempts against Penn State. ... Purdue quarterbacks were 12 of 35 for 121 yards and two interceptions.

WEEKEND STARS

Michigan State WR Aaron Burbridge caught eight passes for 156 yards and three scores. ... Iowa CB Desmond King intercepted two passes, including one in the end zone. ... Maryland QB Caleb Rowe threw for 297 yards and four scores in his first start since 2013. ... Indiana safety Jonathan Crawford recorded two third-quarter INTs that led to 14 Hoosier points. ... Northwestern linebacker Anthony Walker recorded 19 tackles, including 1.5 for loss.

NOTEWORTHY

Nebraska WR Jordan Westerkamp grabbed five passes for 95 yards and a score. ... Ohio State DE Joey Bosa had six tackles, including 2.5 for loss. ... Wisconsin QB Joel Stave completed 13 of 17 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown. ... Illinois RB Josh Ferguson rushed for 133 yards and a TD and now has more than 3,800 all-purpose yards in his career. ... Michigan CB Jourdan Lewis recorded four pass breakups and three tackles. ... Minnesota punter Peter Mortell averaged 41.9 yards on his seven punts and dropped five inside the 20-yard line. ... Penn State RB Sanquon Barkley rushed for 195 yards and two TDs. ... Purdue linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley recorded 11 tackles, including three for loss.

POWER RANKINGS

1. Ohio State (1) 3-0 0-0

Too much talent to play that lethargically

2. Michigan State (2) 3-0 0-0

It's time to consider Spartans a national power

3. Northwestern (3) 3-0 0-0

Has allowed one touchdown in three games

4. Iowa (5) 3-0 0-0

Opens season at 3-0 for first time since 2009

5. Wisconsin (6A) 2-1 0-0

Methodical home victory against overmatched foe

6. Minnesota (4) 2-1 0-0

Concerns aplenty after sluggish offensive performance

7. Michigan (9) 2-1 0-0

Looks like a team starting to grow

8. Nebraska (6B) 1-2 0-0

Overtime loss can be viewed in multiple ways

9. Penn State (10) 2-1 1-0

Took care of business at home

10. Indiana (14) 3-0 0-0

Halfway to second bowl game since 1993

11. Illinois (8) 2-1 0-0

Early-game woes led to second-half dismantling

12. Maryland (12) 2-1 0-0

Most difficult team to figure out

13. Purdue (13) 1-2 0-0

Second half an absolute disaster

14. Rutgers (11) 1-2 0-1

Off-field train wreck could turn into on-field collapse

STANDINGS

WEST DIVISION

Iowa 3-0 0-0

Northwestern 3-0 0-0

Illinois 2-1 0-0

Minnesota 2-1 0-0

Wisconsin 2-1 0-0

Nebraska 1-2 0-0

Purdue 1-2 0-0

EAST DIVISION

Penn State 2-1 1-0

Indiana 3-0 0-0

Michigan State 3-0 0-0

Ohio State 3-0 0-0

Maryland 2-1 0-0

Michigan 2-1 0-0

Rutgers 1-2 0-1

WEEKEND RESULTS

Iowa 27, Pittsburgh 24

Penn State 28, Rutgers 6

Michigan State 35, Air Force 21

North Carolina 48, Illinois 14

Maryland 35, South Florida 17

Michigan 28, UNLV 7

Minnesota 10, Kent State 7

Northwestern 19, Duke 10

Ohio State 20, Northern Illinois 13

Miami (Fla.) 36, Nebraska 33 (OT)

Wisconsin 28, Troy 3

Virginia Tech 51, Purdue 24

Indiana 38, Western Kentucky 35

NEXT SATURDAY

North Texas at Iowa, 2:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Southern Miss at Nebraska, 11 a.m., (ESPNNews)

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

BYU at Michigan, 11 a.m. (ABC/ESPN)

Central Michigan at Michigan State, 11 a.m. (BTN)

Kansas at Rutgers, 11 a.m. (BTN)

Indiana at Wake Forest, 11:30 a.m. (KCRG 9.2)

Maryland at West Virginia, 2 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)

Ohio at Minnesota, 2:30 p.m. (BTN)

Western Michigan at Ohio State, 2:30 p.m. (ABC/ESPN/ESPN2)

San Diego State at Penn State, 2:30 p.m. (BTN)

Middle Tennessee State at Illinois, 3 p.m. (ESPNNews)

Bal State at Northwestern, 7 p.m. (BTN)

Hawaii at Wisconsin, 7 p.m. (BTN)

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