By: Joe Cumberland (@punterjoe)
Big10 Play Gets Underway For Season 23
After one week of conference action, we have a couple of questions within the Big10. Is the conference more open this season, or will USC just continue its dominance? We couldn’t possibly answer that question after just one week of action, but it will unfold as the weeks go on. The Trojans did topple one of the CFSL’s most dominant out-of-conference offenses, the Ducks got a big win, and Michigan has some offense. Jump in and let’s see how the Big10 shook out in the first week of conference play.
Trojans Flex Conference Muscle
Penn State hosted USC in Week 4 to begin Big10 play for both schools. The Nittany Lions entered the contest 3-0 and were looking to end a 4-game losing streak to the Trojans. A dominant run game had the Happy Valley faithful hopeful, but USC found a way to slay the two-headed beast of Thomas/Williams III. A 34-7 Trojan victory gives them the 5-1 all-time edge over Penn State and brings the Season 21 national champions to 2-2 on the campaign. Penn State suffers its first loss of the season and is now 3-1. While out-of-conference play didn’t go as planned for USC, the Trojans made a statement in Week 1 of Big10 action.
The Trojans dominated time of possession (21:58-14:02) and more than doubled the offensive output of Penn State (493-182). Perhaps the most impressive thing was the ability of the USC defense to stifle the running game of Penn State. The Nittany Lions entered the contest averaging over 340 yards on the ground per game. USC was able to hold them to just 82 yards on the night and sacked the freshman Colter Thomas 4 times.
Star freshman Troy League entered the game leading the CFSL in yards per game. The talented signal caller had another big night, going 40/54 for 391 yards and 3 touchdowns. He added another score with his legs. Senior Dash Delano crossed the century mark (107 yards) on 23 carries. The freshman quarterback found fellow freshman Keanu King 9 times for 123 yards and a score. Aniyah Late and Daelin Sparks were also on the receiving end of touchdown tosses from League.
Derrick Davis has long been a leader for the Trojan defense and is the tackle king in Trojan Country. He began his last season of Big10 play with a bang. The senior posted 7 tackles, 2 sacks, and an interception in the win. Fellow linebacker Jay Holt added 9 stops, 2 being for a loss. Morgan Winters had 2 tackles for loss in his 7 total stops. On the night, the Trojans held Penn State to just 1 conversion on 15 3rd down attempts.
Oregon Spoils Ohio State Home Conference Opener
The Buckeyes hosted the Oregon Ducks to begin Big10 play in Week 4. Neither team had quite the out-of-conference results they were looking for, nor expected. Both squads limped into the game with 1-2 records. One of the more heavily played matchups in the league, the teams came in even versus one another at 9-9. It would be Oregon stepping up and taking a one-win lead in the overall head-to-head with a 53-48 victory.
The Ducks passed for 459 yards en route to 643 yards of total offense. Despite scoring 53 points, Oregon only managed 2 touchdowns on 9 redzone attempts. Junior kicker Lathan Auger made 6 field goals, hit on all 5 extra point attempts, and even had a tackle. Alexa Earl had a big night. The sophomore signal caller went 33/44 with 459 yards and 4 touchdowns. She added another 70 yards with her legs. Star halfback Ryan Ralosky crossed the 100-yard mark with 104 on 14 carries. Dylan Powell had 2 touchdowns in his 6 grabs for 201 yards. Daxton Bliss Jr and Cam Welk were the other 2 recipients of Earl’s touchdown tosses.
The Oregon victory was aided by a defensive touchdown from Jacobia Watson. The senior standout corner picked off a Buckeye pass and trotted 49 yards for the pick-6. Theo Markos led the defensive effort with 8 tackles and an interception. Safety Billy Davis also had 8 tackles on the night.
The Buckeyes will travel to Penn State, and Oregon will host Michigan in Week 5 play.
Michigan Routes Hawkeyes
The Wolverines and Hawkeyes haven’t met since Season 15. The matchup would be the first conference game for Iowa since rejoining the CFSL this season. Michigan did not provide a warm welcome. The Wolverines move to 6-2 all-time versus Iowa after the 61-27 whooping. 664 total yards of offense made for a long night for the Iowa defense.
Freshman Michael Amber went 37/51 for 479 yards and 5 scores. He threw 2 interceptions. Collin MacElroy has long been a fixture in the Michigan backfield. The running back carried the ball 23 times for 167 yards and a score. The big playmaker on the night was wide receiver Jaylen Zachery, who had 17 catches for 253 yards and 3 touchdowns. Player of the Week nominations quickly followed the performance.
Safety Brock Powers led the way defensively with 11 tackles, a sack, and 3 pass breakups. Linebacker Spike Hall had 6 tackles, while Amarion Xander Martel had 4 tackles and an interception.
Michigan will travel to Oregon, and Iowa will host USC in Week 2 of Big10 action.
Week 4 Big10 Results
USC defeats Penn State 34-7
Oregon defeats Ohio State 53-48
Michigan defeats Iowa 61-27
Big10 Week 5 Schedule
Tuesday, June 3
Ohio State @ Penn State 8:30 CST on Twitch
Wednesday, June 4
USC @ Iowa 6:30 CST on YouTube
Michigan @ Oregon 8:30 CST on Twitch
Big10 Game of the Week
Our game of the week this go ‘round will be on Wednesday night as the Michigan Wolverines travel out west to do battle with the Oregon Ducks. Both squads showed offensive explosiveness in their Big10 debuts for Season 23. Michigan holds an 11-7 all-time edge over the Ducks, but the last 7 battles have gone the way of the maize and blue. Oregon looks to end that streak. Only one of the two can remain unbeaten in conference play. Tune in to Twitch on Wednesday night to find out who.
