B1G Numbers to Ponder: Maryland’s 51 Points, Purdue’s Barn Burner and More

What a first week of games! Iowa got the win and the Big Ten looked outstanding as a whole. It was only one game for each team, but I feel liked we learned quite a bit about everyone in the conference. From what we saw over the weekend, both Big Ten divisional races could be wide open.

Let’s get to the numbers!

174 and 2

This is the number of passing yards and interceptions Josh Allen threw against the Hawkeyes. From a yardage standpoint, it was the 4th-worst outing of his collegiate career. As far as the interceptions go, it was the first time he threw multiple picks and did not also toss at least one touchdown.

17

This is the number of points P.J. Fleck’s Minnesota Golden Gophers managed to score against Buffalo. That was the fewest points Minnesota has scored against a non-Power 5 opponent since September of 2015, when they beat Kent State 10-7. Suffice to say, Minnesota’s offensive performance against Buffalo was anything but elite.

410

This is the number of passing yards Indiana’s Richard Lagow threw for against Ohio State. It was the first time an opposing quarterback eclipsed the 400-yard mark agains the Buckeyes since Michigan’s Devin Gardner did it in 2013. The Buckeyes got the win, but a young and inexperienced secondary was exposed nonetheless.

26:10

This is the minutes and seconds (game clock) it took for Washington to actually get a lead over Rutgers. There are no moral victories, but the Scarlet Knights had the Huskies looking for the door early on. I don’t expect Rutgers to win many more games than most projected, but it looks like they are going to be a much tougher out than we all previously thought.

Six

This was the number of lead changes in what ended up being one of the best games of the weekend between Purdue and Louisville. This was an impressive showing for the Boilermakers, considering the talent on Louisville’s roster — including last year’s Heisman winner — and the expectation by many that the Cardinals could contend for the ACC title. This should have been a scary sight for a group of Big Ten West teams and fans who assumed they didn’t need to worry about the Boilermakers in 2017.

51

This is the number of points Maryland dropped on Texas in the Terrapins’ impressive win over the Longhorns in Austin. It was even more impressive considering that their head coach, D.J. Durkin, is a defensive guy. It was the most points scored against the Longhorns since Oklahoma hit them with 63 back in 2012. Look for Maryland to pull off a win or two in the Big Ten that alters the final outcome and standings dramatically.

11

This is how many yards-per-carry Maryland running back Ty Johnson had against Texas. It was no fluke — this is just what the guy does. During the 2016 season, Johnson averaged 9.6 yard-per-touch (rushes and receptions). The guy is a basically a walking, talking first down every time he gets his hands on the ball. He’s one of the five most dangerous offensive players in the conference.