Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, September 25, 2015

It was too bad to see the 2015 season get off to a flying thud for Wisconsin running back Corey Clement. The guy was supposed to be perhaps the top back in the Big Ten, assuming the mantle of ?Badger Running Back,? one of the most prestigious crowns in college football. And now, he?s out 4-6 weeks with a sports hernia injury.

What?s it mean for the Badgers? With Clement out, Dare Ogunbowale and Taiwan Deal have gotten the bulk of the carries. Neither is of Clement?s ilk, but each is capable.

Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel notes that Ogunbowale, a redshirt junior who was switched to tailback from cornerback last September by then-coach Gary Andersen, is set to start his fourth consecutive game this Saturday.

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If it is football season, there must be a quarterback change at Purdue. That?s three in-season changes in three seasons under Darrell Hazell. But the issues under center pre-date Hazell. This story link chronicles back to 2009 to what has been a dreary state of affairs under center for a program that hasn?t come close to living up to it moniker as ?the cradle of quarterbacks.?

Until the Boilermakers figure out this spot, they will continue to founder.

[ MORE: Week 4 scoreboard | Week 4 previews | Polls: Pick Week 4 winners | Q&A: Jordan Canzeri | Power Rankings | Bowl Projections | Player Rankings | Latest polls | Big Ten standings | Big Ten stats ]

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Rutgers has several issues it?s dealing with. One: a lack of big plays on defense.

Aside from Anthony Cioffi's two interceptions, the defense has been sorely lacking in big plays, note Dan Duggan of NJ.com. The Knights have forced only one fumble this season and it was recovered by the offense. If worm ever is going to turn, it may this week against moribund Kansas.

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InsideNU.com never fails to have some boffo analysis of the Wildcats. Here is a deep dive into some numbers that offer hope ? and concern.

One of the more interesting revelations: Justin Jackson hasn?t really been that good. He is more of a plodder than a game-breaker. More big runs are needed from Jackson in an offense that too often plods along.

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Now this is just flat-out wrong: George Perles had memorabilia stolen from his house during the Oregon game. Who would do such a thing to a Spartan icon?

The 81-year-old Perles, who coached the Spartans from 1983-94, reports that thieves took 14 game rings and a bracelet that belonged to his wife. Most of the rings were from bowl games.

That's just a horrible thing to do.

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This is an interesting look at how the lure of Ann Arbor, a place where Jim Harbaugh grew up, helped bring him back to his alma mater. Great work by Nick Baumgardner of Mlive.com.

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Can you believe it has been 15 years since the horrific injury suffered by Penn State?s Adam Taliaferro?

Taliaferro, now recovered and a member of the New Jersey General Assembly's 3rd district, tweeted about the 15th anniversary of that injury earlier this week:

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Now this is an interesting question posed by Cleveland.com: Is assembling a top-tier MAC team harder than building a national champion?

I think it may be more challenging to build a top MAC team. You have can?t miss on kids. At a place like Ohio State, it?s OK if four or five of your four- or five-star recruits don?t work out because, well, you have 20 other four- and five-star recruits. And at a MAC school, you really have to be a good coach and schemer to maximize your talent. At a place like Ohio State, you just flat-out have better talent than most every team you play. Why get fancy or creative with schemes? Just out talent the opposition with basic schemes and plays.

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Wisconsin had Derrick Tindal and Leon Jacobs ejected last week for targeting. Rare for two players from the same team to get the boot in the same game.

?We have to do a better job at it,? Wisconsin DC Dave Aranda said. ?Those are such bang-bang plays. You want everyone to play aggressive and you want everyone to play physical and play fast. All you can do is emphasize what you can.

?It?s a hard call. It?s tough when it does happen, but that?s the consequence. They?re trying to make a point, and I understand that completely.?

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Rick Brown of HawkCentral.com looks at the day Hayden Fry nearly fired assistants Kirk Ferentz and Dan McCarney, who comes home to Iowa this week as North Texas coach. I love stories like these.

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About Tom Dienhart BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section.

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