The Wolverine Now

 around the big ten By Kevin Minor Indiana (4-6, 2-4) Michigan State (9-1, 6-0) The Hoosiers hit the road in search of an upset against Ohio State … Sophomore quarterback Nate Sudfeld tops the Big Ten with 19 passing touchdowns, and sophomore quarterback Tre Roberson sits third in the conference with a 157.8 passer rating … Indiana is third in the nation with seven plays of 60 yards or more this year … IU is the first team in Big Ten history, and the first team since Houston in 2011, with five 1,000-yard pass catchers playing together at one time. The No. 13 Spartans can clinch a spot in the Big Ten title game with a win at Northwestern … MSU has led the nation in total defense for 10 straight weeks (currently 228.4 yards allowed per game), and has the best run defense in the country (57.4 yards surrendered per game) … Michigan State sits atop the Football Bowl Subdivision in time of possession (34:56 per game) … The Spartans are 6-0 in conference play for just the third time in school history (1965, 1966). Illinois (3-7, 0-6) Nebraska (7-3, 4-2) The Fighting Illini look to break a 20-game conference losing streak when they travel to Purdue … Fifth-year senior quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase leads the Big Ten and ranks 22nd in the country in total offense (290.5 yards per game), and is second in school history with 9,996 career yards of total offense … Senior linebacker Jonathan Brown paces the conference with 9.4 tackles per game … In his last two games, fifth-year senior wide receiver Steve Hull has stockpiled 329 receiving yards and three scores. The Cornhuskers need a victory to keep their slim Legends Division hopes alive when they collide with Penn State in Happy Valley … Redshirt freshman quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. is expected to start despite committing three turnovers in a 41-28 loss to Michigan State … Junior I-Back Ameer Abdullah is averaging a conferencebest 133.6 rushing yards per game this year … NU has won three-straight games against PSU, and owns an 8-7 lead in the series. Minnesota (8-2, 4-2) Big Ten Standings (through all games of Saturday, Nov. 16) LEGENDS DIVISION Conference Division Overall Record % Record % Record % Michigan State 6-0 1.000 3-0 1.000 9-1 .900 Minnesota 4-2 .667 2-1.667 8-2 .800 Nebraska 4-2 .667 2-2.500 7-3 .700 Iowa 3-3 .500 2-1.667 6-4 .600 Michigan 3-3 .500 2-2.500 7-3 .700 Northwestern 0-6 .000 0-4.000 4-6 .400 LEADERS DIVISION Conference Division Overall Record % Record % Record % Ohio State 6-0 1.000 4-0 1.000 10-0 1.000 Wisconsin 5-1 .833 3-1.750 8-2 .800 Penn State* 3-3 .500 2-2 .500 6-4 .600 Indiana 2-4 .333 2-1.667 4-6 .400 Illinois 0-6 .000 0-4.000 3-7 .300 Purdue 0-6 .000 0-3.000 1-9.1003 *Penn State is ineligible for postseason competition in 2013. Northwestern (4-6, 0-6) The Golden Gophers try to capture the Paul Bunyan Axe for the first time since 2003 when they welcome Wisconsin to Minneapolis … Head coach Jerry Kill will remain in the coaches booth due to health complications … Fifth-year senior wide receiver Derrick Engel, who leads UM with 405 receiving yards and five touchdowns, is questionable for the matchup after suffering a knee injury during practice … Minnesota has won eight games for the first time since 2003, and can capture five straight Big Ten games for the first time since 1962 with a win. The Wildcats aspire to end their downward spiral when they entertain Michigan State … Senior Kain Colter is the ninth quarterback in Big Ten history to gain 2,000 career yards both rushing and passing … Senior linebacker Damien Proby is second in the conference in tackles, averaging 9.0 stops per game this year … NU has forced a conference-best 22 turnovers this season … A Wildcat loss would snap a six-year streak of bowl eligibility. Ohio State (10-0, 6-0) The No. 3 Buckeyes anticipate another decisive win against a struggling Indiana squad … Senior running back Carlos Hyde was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after rumbling for a career-best 246 yards — the fourth-best rushing output in program history — and racking up five total touchdowns in a 60-35 victory over Illinois … Junior linebacker Ryan Shazier earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week recognition with a 16-tackle, 3.5-tackle for loss and 1.5-sack performance. Tight end Maxx Williams (left) and wide receiver Derrick Engel (right) have helped Minnesota post a surprising 8-2 mark this year. photo by lon horwedel THE WOLVERINE • Page 23

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