Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor, September 29, 2012
Every Saturday night during the college football season, BTN.com web editor Brent Yarina hands out his weekly Big Ten game balls. The series is called "U.S. Marines Corps: Leaders of the Week," and it's designed to spotlight the Big Ten's top individual performances. Who took home the honors from Week 5? Find out in this post.
WEEK 5 GAME BALLS
1. Kain Colter, QB, Northwestern: 14 car., 161 yards, 4 TD; 9 rec., 131 yards – The Wildcats racked up a school-record 704 yards of offense in their 44-29 victory over Indiana, and Colter accounted for 294 of them, eclipsing the 100-yard plateau as a runner and receiver. Best of all, Colter ran for a career-high four scores.
2. Michael Mauti, LB, Penn State: 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 0.5 sacks – For a change, Mauti finished a game with fewer than 10 tackles. But the senior leader and star compiled one of his best all-around performances, picking off a pair of passes, one of which he returned 99 yards on an Illinois 4th-and-goal attempt in the final seconds of the second quarter.
3. Matt McGloin, QB, Penn State: 18-30, 211 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT; 2 rush TD – The expected: McGloin, the Big Ten's leading passer, threw for 211 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. The unexpected: McGloin ran for two scores for the second consecutive week. As BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart mentioned Saturday, McGloin is an early candidate for Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
4. Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska: 17-28, 182 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; 8 car., 100 yards, 1 TD – Martinez led Nebraska on four consecutive scoring drives in the second half, helping the Huskers rally from 17 points down to beat Wisconsin, 30-27. The 17-point rally tied for the second largest comeback in program history, trailing last season's 21-point comeback against Ohio State.
T-5. Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State: 16-23, 179 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 23 car., 136 yards – How would Miller fare against Michigan State's vaunted defense, people asked? Just fine, thank you. The sophomore sensation accounted for 315 yards, including 136 on the ground, completed 70 percent of his passes and delivered the decisive score, a 63-yard scoring strike to Devin Smith late in the third quarter.
T-5. Caleb TerBush, QB, Purdue: 27-37, 294 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT; 8 car., 16 yards – In a shootout with Marshall that featured 92 points and 977 yards of offense, TerBush tossed a career-best four touchdowns, including three to Gary Bush. The senior also set career highs in completions (27) and yards (294), while completing an impressive 73 percent of his attempts.
BEST OF THE REST
Mark Weisman, RB, Iowa: 21 car., 177 yards, 1 TD; 3 rec., 12 yards
Anthony Hitchens, LB, Iowa: 12 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack
Christian Kirksey, LB, Iowa: 5 tackles, 1 FR, 1 INT, TD
Max Bullough, LB, Michigan State: 12 tackles, 1 FF
Chris Norman, LB, Michigan State: 9 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 FR, 1 sack
Will Compton, LB, Nebraska: 10 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 pass breakups, 1 sack
Alonzo Whaley, LB, Nebraska: 9 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 FF, 1 sack
Venric Mark, RB Northwestern: 29 car., 139 yards, 1 TD
Damien Proby, LB, Northwestern: 14 tackles
Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State: 9 tackles, 2 pass breakups, 1 blocked punt
Etienne Sabino, LB, Ohio State: 8 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 pass breakup, 1 sack
Zach Zwinak, RB, Penn State: 19 car., 100 yards, 2 TD
Ricardo Allen, CB, Purdue: 8 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, TD
Gary Bush, WR, Purdue: 7 rec., 83 yards, 3 TD
Kawann Short, DT, Purdue: 3 TFL, 1 FF, 1 pass breakup, blocked FG, 1 sack
Jared Abbrederis, WR, Wisconsin: 7 rec., 141 yards, 1 TD
Chris Borland, LB, Wisconsin: 9 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 FR
Mike Taylor, LB, Wisconsin: 15 tackles
BTN.com web editor Brent Yarina covers football and men's basketball for BTN.com. He writes the popular uniform feature "Clothes Call," which also focuses on the latest cosmetic changes across Big Ten arenas and stadiums. Read all of his work here. You can subscribe to Yarina's RSS feed and follow him on Twitter @BTNBrentYarina. |