Big Ten links: Kill 'hopeful & positive' Gophers make Claeys head coach

Jerry Kill talked on the radio recently about Tracy Claeys? prospects for being named Minnesota?s permanent head coach. I hope Claeys gets the gig. Why would the Minnesota brass stray from the Kill coaching tree, considering the success it has had?

?I know Coach Claeys is going to do a great job,? Kill told Southern Illinois broadcaster Mike Reis on Saluki Radio. ?I?m very hopeful and positive that here in the next couple weeks he?ll be hired as the head coach permanently, and we?ll see.?

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A lot has been made about the impact of Josh Ferguson?s absence due to injury. The Illinois offense has missed the versatile running back, who is listed as probable this week at Purdue. But injuries at tight end also have been a reason why the Illini offense has sputtered of late.

As this piece points out, the lack of depth issues at tight end has really impacted in the red zone. Illinois has succeeded in 19 of 26 red-zone visits this season - 10th worst in the nation - with only 13 touchdowns. Those numbers drop to just six red-zone visits in the four games against Big Ten opponents with just two ending in touchdowns.

?In the red zone, (lacking tight ends) really limits you,? Illinois coach Bill Cubit said. ?That?s why you need big plays.?

It?s too bad Cubit hasn?t had his full arsenal of offensive weapons at his disposal all season.

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The senior season of Penn State DE Carl Nassib has been nothing short of spectacular. The former walk-on leads the nation in sacks with 14.5. And he?s is just 9.5 sacks from tying the NCAA single-season mark.

"I would love to be a role model for walk-ons and for four-star, whatever that stuff means," Nassib told StateCollege.com. "It would be awesome to be a role model for hard work, and especially for walk-ons because it is difficult, and it's hard to see where all this hard work is going when you don't see results for four or five years, you know. That would be awesome."

He is your Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

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It?s funny how life works sometimes. Cardale Jones had the starting QB job at Ohio State, then lost it, and now he has it again after J.T. Barrett got suspended. Maybe we?ll see an even better Jones this time ? a Jones who plays so well that he won?t relinquish the job.

"I'm sure he'll take advantage of his opportunity," right guard Pat Elflein said. "I expect Cardale to play great. He's had a really good week of practice. I feel like we all have. If we play good around him, too, that will get him going."

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Could Michigan State be in trouble when it plays at Nebraska?

I think this could be a dangerous game for the unbeaten Spartans. Nebraska is a wounded foe that has been backed into a corner. The program is desperate for a big win to help soothe the ache of what to date has been a dreary 3-6 season.

"This is a dangerous football team," said MSU linebackers and special teams coach Mark Snyder. "They are very talented, they've got really good coaches, and they've just lost some heartbreakers. This is a good football team.
"We're going to have our hands full, there's no doubt. You know they are going to be jacked up and ready to go."

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Speaking of a potentially dangerous game for an unbeaten team, that?s just what Iowa faces when it wades into Indiana this Saturday. And divisional pride also is on the line for Iowa, as it wants to defend the honor of the Big Ten West vs. Indiana and the Big Ten East.

IU coach Kevin Wilson gets it.

?As you go around, everyone wants to beat their chest about conferences,? said Wilson said. ?I know we?ve got great coaches, great players in our conference. I?m very, very proud of the Big Ten East and we?re proud to be a part of it. We?re playing a crossover this week.?

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Nice read on Purdue hoopster Rapheal Davis from Pete DiPrimio of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. Davis is not just a good college hoops player. He?s also a father. That?ll make your grow up and mature quickly.

?It changed my life for the better,? he says. ?I?m not recommending being a father as a teenager, but it helped make me who I am.?

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Seven-count ?em, seven-Big Ten teams already are bowl eligible. And three others-Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana–each need two wins to hit the mark. Rutgers and Nebraska need three more triumphs.

Of the three that need a pair of wins, I think Indiana has the best chance, with it probably boiling down to winning its last two games: at Maryland and at Purdue. And keep an eye on Rutgers, which ends the season vs. Nebraska, at Army and vs. Maryland.

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How talented is Michigan?s Jabrill Peppers? Just ask him.

"I've been playing football a very long time and I just try to be as well-rounded as possible," Peppers said.

The guy played 92 snaps last week at Minnesota. Offense, defense, special teams ? Peppers is special whose role on offense continues to grow. Enjoy him while you can. I just hope he stays healthy.