The Wolverine

Led by defensive tackle Kawann Short, Purdue ranked second in the conference in scoring been abysmal, ranking 80th nation- ally in pass efficiency, and has been replaced by redshirt freshman Joel Stave. To make matters worse, senior running back Montee Ball suffered a concussion in UW's final non-confer- ence game — his second head injury in two months — and may be limited in the coming weeks. 4. Penn State (2-2): With over- defense (14.0 points allowed per game) entering the last weeekend of September. PHOTO COURTESY PURDUE whelming tension surrounding the Nittany Lions, first-year head coach Bill O'Brien's squad has handled the pressure well. After stumbling to an 0-2 start, PSU roared back to .500 with gritty wins over Navy and Tem- ple. Much-maligned fifth-year senior quarterback Matt McGloin has made substantial progress in his final col- legiate campaign, leading the Big Ten with 251.5 passing yards per game through four weeks, while sopho- more wide receiver Allen Robinson led the league with 29 catches for 404 yards (13.9 yards per reception) and five scores. PSU is poised to be a late- season spoiler when it plays Purdue Nov. 3 and Wisconsin Nov. 24. 5. Indiana (2-1): The Hoosiers jumped out to a 2-0 start with victories over weak competition — Indiana State and Massachusetts — but lost starting quarterback Tre Roberson to a season- ending leg injury in week two and suffered a disappointing 41-39 loss to Mid-American Conference foe Ball State in their third game. Improve- ment is apparent on offense in Kevin Wilson's second season, with IU aver- aging 36.0 points and 583.3 yards per game, but the Hoosiers are still years away from competing for a title. 6. Illinois (2-2): The Tim Beckman era is off to a miserable start in Cham- paign. An Illini team that concluded the non-conference season unde- feated in 2011 and finished the sea- son ranked second in the conference in total defense (286.2 yards allowed per game) ranks dead last in the Big Ten in scoring defense (26.0 points allowed per game). Exacerbating the issue, Illinois is 11th in total offense (345.8 yards per game) and has been outscored by an average of 29 points in its losses to Arizona State and Loui- siana Tech. 1. Nebraska (3-1): With the return LEGENDS DIVISION 3. Michigan (2-2): It is still too early to discern if the Wolverines' slow start is the result of a downgrade in talent from 2011 or a much more dif- ficult schedule. Despite a historically feeble performance against Notre Dame, senior quarterback Denard Robinson will continue to determine the fate of the Wolverines this season. U-M has a favorable home matchup against divisional rival Michigan State, but has difficult road clashes against Ohio State, Nebraska and a surprising Purdue team. 4. Northwestern (4-0): The Wildcats have carried the banner for the con- ference in 2012, going 3-0 against BCS conference schools, including a road victory at Syracuse. However, NU's three BCS opponents possess only a combined 3-8 record on the year, leaving much for Northwest- ern to prove. Junior running back Venric Mark led the Big Ten with 178.5 all-purpose yards per game through four weeks, but head coach Pat Fitzgerald must make the deci- sion on whether junior Kain Colter or sophomore Trevor Siemian is go- OCTOBER 2012 THE WOLVERINE 41 of senior I-back Rex Burkhead from injury, the emergence of sopho- more wide receiver Kenny Bell and the continued improvement of ju- nior quarterback Taylor Martinez, the Cornhuskers possess argu- ably the most potent offense in the league. NU paced the conference in both scoring offense (48.5 points per game) and total offense (541.8 yards per game). The traditionally vaunted Black Shirt defense has been less than intimidating, how- ever, ranking eighth in the Big Ten (352.3 yards per game) through four weeks, and must stiffen if Nebraska is going to achieve its conference title aspirations. 2. Michigan State (3-1): Expecta- tions of a return to the Big Ten title game have been sullied by a sputter- ing Spartans offense, which ranked 11th in the league in scoring (21.0 points per game) and seventh in yards (405.3 per game). Fortunately for those in East Lansing, junior run- ning back Le'Veon Bell (152.5 rushing yards per game) has been an absolute force on the ground, and a daunting Spartans defense, which stood atop the conference in four of the five ma- jor categories, could be enough to carry MSU to a second consecutive division title.

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