BTN.com staff, September 3, 2011

BTN.com has a new staple every Saturday night. It's called "Marines: Leaders of the Week," and it's a feature designed to honor some of the top Big Ten performances. For Week 1, we're focusing on the quarterbacks. It was a great opening week for Big Ten offenses, and much of the credit for that can be attributed to the guys under center.

Russell Wilson, Wisconsin – The North Carolina State transfer made quite the first impression in his Badgers' debut Thursday night, completing 10-of-13 passes (77 percent) for 255 yards and two TDs, to go along with 62 rushing yards and another score.

Joe Bauserman, Ohio State – It wasn't too shabby of a first start for the Buckeyes' 25-year-old quarterback, who completed 12-of-16 passes (75 percent) for 163 yards and three TDs, all to tight end Jake Stoneburner. The former minor league baseball player showed his athleticism, too, rushing for 32 yards and a score in the 42-0 win over Akron.

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USMC Leaders of the Week
James Vandenberg, Iowa – Making his fist start since 2009, Vandenberg battled some unfavorable weather conditions, in addition to a lightning delay, en route to completing 13-of-21 for 219 yards and two touchdowns against Tennessee Tech. The junior also added a rushing score.

Nathan Scheelhaase, Illinois – As he's done pretty much since midway through last season, Scheelhaase was highly productive (291 total yards and two TDs) and smart (zero turnovers) in Illinois' 33-15 win over Arkansas State.

Taylor Martinez, Nebraska – The Big Ten's newest dual-threat quarterback didn't waste much time displaying his diverse skills set against UT-Chattanooga. Martinez, who went for 251 total yards, ran for 135 yards and three scores in a 40-7 win.