Five BTN football game facts heading into Big Ten's Week 3

So in Week 2 we all know that Illinois, Northwestern, Ohio State, and Wisconsin all dominated their opponents in shutout victories.  Did you know that this made the Big Ten just the second conference since 1980 to record four shutouts in one week; the SEC did it on Sep. 9, 2006. Let's get into some more stats around the BTN games leading up to a busy Week 3 Saturday.

There are four key non-conference matchups this weekend on BTN/BTN2Go: Michigan vs. UNLV and Minnesota vs. Kent State at noon ET, Wisconsin vs. Troy at 3:30 p.m. ET, and Iowa vs.  Pitt at 8 p.m. Plus, Big Ten play starts with a big game between Rutgers and Penn State in State College at 8 p.m..

Here are links to watch BTN games live online: UNLV vs. Michigan, Kent State at Minnesota, Troy at Wisconsin, Pittsburgh at Iowa, and Rutgers at Penn State.

Now grab a snack and sit back to read five facts to know heading into Week 3.

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1. The turnover bug continues to plague Michigan against non-conference foes. Since the start of the 2013 season the Wolverines have turned the ball over 30 times in non-conference action, the most of any ?power conference? team and the sixth most of any conference affiliated FBS team. They have committed at least one turnover in 20 straight non-conference games, the third longest active streak among all teams in the nation.  It doesn?t help that Michigan?s quarterback Jake Rudock has thrown four interceptions, tied for the most in the conference.

2. Despite some offensive struggles, Minnesota?s defense continues to play very well.  They limited Colorado State last weekend to just 314 yards and 20 points.  The Gophers seem to be especially good against spread teams due to their speed at linebacker and in the secondary.  Their matchup at Kent State can only help their cause, as the Golden Flashes have gone without a touchdown over their last 398:02 of game play against Big Ten opponents dating back to a Michael Machen 31-yard pass to Najah Pruden against Michigan State with 8:02 remaining in the second-quarter on Sep. 3, 2005.

3. After posting just 268 yards of offense in their season-opening loss to Alabama, Wisconsin responded by putting up 451 total yards in last weekend?s win over Miami.  But what?s been intriguing about the Badgers offense this season is their newfound ability to rely on the passing game. Consider the fact that through two games, Wisconsin has run the ball on just under 47 percent of its offensive plays. So what? Well, Wisconsin has never had a season in which it has passed more times than it has run the ball in the post World War II era.

4. Iowa junior quarterback C.J. Beathard was named co-Offensive Player of the Week by the Big Ten on Monday.  He received the honor after completing 15-of-25 attempts for 215 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in last weekend?s win at Iowa State.  With his performance, he became the first Iowa quarterback to toss three TD passes without a pick since James Vandenberg (2009-12) did so against Purdue on Nov. 19, 2011.  Since Iowa struggled last season with the turnovers, it?s important to know that Beathard has not thrown a single interception in his last 105 consecutive pass attempts during the regular-season.

5. It?s all about special teams for Rutgers in their matchup at Penn State.  The Scarlet Knights finished tied for the national lead in blocked kicks (six) last season.  Since 2009, they have led all schools nationally with 42 blocked kicks/punts.  Rutgers has blocked at least four kicks in every season since 2007.  On the flip side, Penn State has not recorded a blocked punt or kick since 2013.  It?s also worth noting that this is just the ninth time in 23 seasons since joining the Big Ten that the Nittany Lions are opening conference play at Beaver Stadium.  But that not might be a good thing for Penn State, as they have lost five of their previous eight conference openers played at home.

Check us out on Twitter at @BTNStatsGuys as we provide more facts and stats leading up to and on game day. Here's a taste of what we did last weekend.