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Big Ten Football Final Release
Complete Release in PDF Format
Jan. 13, 2010
BIG TEN. BIG BOWLS. Big Ten Teams Win Four Bowl Games: For the first time since the 2002 campaign and the seventh time in Big Ten history, conference teams earned four bowl triumphs this season, with victories by Iowa in the Orange Bowl, Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, Penn State in the Capital One Bowl and Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl. The last time the Big Ten won four or more bowl games was following the 2002 campaign, when conference teams posted a bowl record of 5-2. The Big Ten also collected five bowl wins after the 1998 and 1999 seasons, while registering four bowl triumphs following the 1993, 1994 and 1996 campaigns. The Big Ten has recorded at least three bowl triumphs in six of the last eight years, including three postseason victories after the 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007 regular seasons. Big Ten Posts 2-0 Mark in BCS Games: For the fourth time in the 12-year history of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), the Big Ten won a pair of BCS contests with the Hawkeyes defeating ACC Champion Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl and the Buckeyes knocking off Pac-10 Champion Oregon in the Rose Bowl. The Big Ten also went 2-0 in BCS play in 1999, 2000 and 2006 and now has 10 BCS victories, ranking second only to the SEC's 14 BCS triumphs and ahead of the Pac-10 (9 wins), Big 12 (7) and Big East (6). The Big Ten is one of only three conferences to win two BCS games in a single bowl season, as the SEC has accomplished that feat on five occasions while the Pac-10 went 2-0 in BCS play after the 2000 campaign. Big Ten Squads Post Four Bowl Wins Over Top-15 Teams: Big Ten teams knocked off four nationally ranked programs during the bowl season, becoming the first conference to notch four wins over teams appearing among the top 15 of the final BCS poll since the 1998-99 postseason slate. Wisconsin opened the Big Ten bowl season with a victory over No. 15 Miami (Fla.). On New Year's Day, Penn State edged No. 12 LSU while Ohio State defeated No. 7 Oregon. Then in the Big Ten bowl finale, Iowa knocked off No. 9 Georgia Tech. The Big Ten's four bowl wins over top-15 teams exceeded the combined total of every other conference, followed by the SEC (two top-15 wins) and WAC (one). The Big Ten was the last conference to record four bowl wins over schools appearing among the top 15 of the BCS poll, accomplishing the feat following the 1998 campaign with victories by Michigan (over #13 Arkansas), Ohio State (over #6 Texas A&M), Purdue (over #3 Kansas State) and Wisconsin (over #5 UCLA). Since the institution of the BCS system prior to the 1998 season, Big Ten teams have compiled 19 victories over BCS top-15 squads, including three triumphs after the 1999 season and two wins following both the 2002 and 2005 campaigns. The SEC leads all conferences with 23 top-15 wins since 1998, followed by the Big Ten (19), Pac-10 (14), Big 12 (10), Big East (7) and ACC (6). Breaking Down the Bowl Wins: Below is a quick summary of each of the Big Ten's bowl triumphs: CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL: After a long kickoff return set up an opening score for Miami (Fla.), John Clay rushed for two first half touchdowns to give Wisconsin a 17-7 halftime lead. The Badgers were able to survive a late score and an onside kick to hold on for the 20-14 victory. CAPITAL ONE BOWL: After Penn State built a 16-3 lead, LSU rallied to go ahead 17-16 in the fourth quarter. With only 3:19 left in the game, Daryll Clark drove PSU 65 yards on 12 plays to set up the game-winning field goal with only 57 seconds remaining for a 19-17 win. ROSE BOWL: After Ohio State claimed a 16-10 halftime lead thanks to two late field goals, Oregon pulled ahead 17-16 early in the third quarter. The Buckeyes defense would not allow another score, as OSU reclaimed the lead with a 38-yard field goal and put the game away with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Terrelle Pryor in the fourth quarter for a 26-17 triumph. FEDEX ORANGE BOWL: Iowa's Ricky Stanzi tossed a pair of early touchdown passes before Georgia Tech returned an interception for a score to cut the lead to 14-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Hawkeyes' defense shut down the Yellow Jackets' high-powered attack, allowing only a fourth-quarter touchdown that cut the lead to 17-14. Iowa responded with a late touchdown run to put the game away for a 24-14 victory. Bowl MVPs: Four Big Ten standouts were named the Most Valuable Players in their bowl games, including three student-athletes who could return to the field next season. Iowa junior defensive end Adrian Clayborn was named the Orange Bowl MVP after posting nine solo tackles and two sacks to help slow the Georgia Tech offensive attack. Ohio State sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor was selected as the Rose Bowl Offensive MVP after setting career highs with 266 passing yards, 37 attempts and 23 completions while tossing two touchdown strikes against Oregon. Penn State senior quarterback Daryll Clark was chosen as the Capital One Bowl MVP after compiling 216 passing yards and one touchdown, while leading PSU to the game-winning field goal with less than a minute left against LSU. Wisconsin sophomore running back John Clay was tabbed as the Champs Sports Bowl MVP after rushing for 121 yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns against Miami (Fla.). Close Calls: In addition to the Big Ten's four bowl victors, the conference's other postseason participants all had chances to win their games as well. In the Insight Bowl, Minnesota rallied from a 14-3 halftime deficit against Iowa State to pull within 14-13 at the end of three quarters. With less than five minutes remaining, the Gophers drove to the 17-yard line before a fumble ended the drive as the Cyclones held on for the one-point victory. In the Outback Bowl, Northwestern trailed Auburn 35-21 in the fourth quarter before the Wildcats scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes of the game, capped by a successful two-point conversion to even the score at 35-35 with 1:15 remaining. Auburn fumbled the ensuing kickoff, but NU missed a 44-yard field goal as time expired to force overtime. The Tigers hit a field goal to open overtime before the Wildcats drove to the 19-yard line. The NU kicker missed a 37-yard field goal, but was injured on the play after Auburn was called for roughing the kicker. Given a second chance, Northwestern drove to the five-yard line, but chose to fake a field goal on fourth down to go for the win and was unsuccessful, as Auburn held on for the 38-35 victory. In the Valero Alamo Bowl, Michigan State rallied from an early 17-7 deficit to Texas Tech to take a 31-27 lead in the fourth quarter. But the Spartans could not hold on, as the Red Raiders scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes for the 41-31 win. Getting Defensive: All four of the Big Ten's bowl victories featured stout defensive efforts against some of the nation's top offensive attacks. In the Rose Bowl, Oregon entered the game ranked among the top 10 nationally with 236.1 rushing yards (sixth) and 37.7 points (seventh) per game, while also averaging 424.7 yards of total offense (25th). Ohio State's defense held the Ducks to only 17 points, 179 rushing yards and 260 yards of total offense, while registering four tackles for loss, a sack and an interception. In the Orange Bowl, Georgia Tech entered the postseason rated among the top 11 nationally with 307.2 rushing yards (second), 442.7 total yards (11th) and 35.3 points (11th) per outing. The Iowa defense limited the Yellow Jackets to a mere 143 rushing yards, 155 total yards and one offensive touchdown, while collecting five tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception. In the Champs Sports Bowl, Miami (Fla.) wrapped up the regular season ranked among the top 30 nationally with 268.1 passing yards (27th) and 31.7 points (27th) per game while averaging 412.5 yards of total offense. The Wisconsin defense disrupted the Hurricanes' offensive attack with nine tackles for loss and five sacks to limit Miami (Fla.) to 14 points, 188 passing yards and 249 total yards. In the Capital One Bowl, LSU entered the contest averaging 309.7 total offensive yards and 25.5 points per game. The Penn State defense held the Tigers to 17 points and 243 total yards, including only 41 rushing yards, while racking up six tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. In the final NCAA statistics, the Big Ten featured three of the top 10 defenses based on points allowed (#3 Penn State, #5 Ohio State, #8 Iowa), rushing yards allowed (#5 Wisconsin, #6 Penn State, #7 Ohio State) and total offensive yards allowed (#5 Ohio State, #9 Penn State, #10 Iowa). Paterno Builds on NCAA Record for Bowl Wins: Penn State's Joe Paterno led his program past LSU in the Capital One Bowl to win his NCAA record 24th bowl. The PSU mentor is now 24-11-1 in postseason games, including triumphs in four of the last five seasons to improve his bowl mark to 10-3 since joining the Big Ten. Paterno, Ferentz and Tressel Among Big Ten's Best Bowl Mentors: While Penn State's Joe Paterno picked up his 10th bowl victory since joining the conference, Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and Ohio State's Jim Tressel both earned their fifth bowl triumph. All three head coaches now rank among the top five in Big Ten history in total bowl wins. Paterno's 10 bowl victories is a conference record, while former Wisconsin head coach and current Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez ranks second with eight bowl wins. Iowa's Hayden Fry and Michigan's Lloyd Carr both collected six bowl victories. Ferentz and Tressel are now tied with Michigan's Bo Schembechler and the Buckeyes pair of Woody Hayes and Earle Bruce for fifth-place in Big Ten annals with five bowl triumphs. Bowl Attendance: The Big Ten's seven bowl games attracted 439,096 fans for an average of 62,728 per contest. The Rose Bowl boasted a sellout crowd for the 65th straight season, packing 93,963 fans into the 92,000-seat stadium. The Rose Bowl attendance ranked second among all bowls behind only the BCS National Championship Game, also held at the Rose Bowl. Three other Big Ten bowl games boasted more than 63,000 patrons in attendance. The Orange Bowl welcomed 66,131 fans to Miami. The Valero Alamo Bowl recorded its third sellout in the last four games, as the attendance total of 64,757 ranked sixth in the history of the bowl. The Capital One Bowl nearly filled the stadium, with 63,025 fans in the 65,438-seat facility. In addition, the Champs Sports Bowl attracted 56,747 fans, the second-highest attendance in the history of the bowl and the highest mark since the event moved to Orlando, Fla. Bowl Ratings: Big Ten bowls also produced impressive television numbers, with four of the seven highest-rated bowls featuring conference teams. Ohio State's trip to the Rose Bowl earned a 13.18 rating on ABC, second only to the BCS National Championship Game. Penn State's Capital One Bowl appearance ranked fifth with a 6.83 rating on ABC, while Iowa's Orange Bowl trip rated sixth with a 6.80 rating on FOX. Michigan State's appearance in the Valero Alamo Bowl produced a 5.6 rating to rank seventh, making it the most-watched college bowl game in ESPN history. Big Ten Sends Seven Teams to Bowl Games: The Big Ten sent seven schools to take part in bowl games, marking the fifth straight year that seven or more Big Ten programs have earned postseason berths, the longest streak in conference history. The Big Ten's seven bowl berths rank as the second-highest single-season total in conference annals, behind only the eight bowl bids earned following the 2003 and 2007 campaigns. The conference also qualified seven schools for postseason play after the 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2008 seasons. The Big Ten sent six or more teams to bowl games for the 11th straight year and 18th time overall. Conference programs have made 69 bowl appearances over the last decade (2000-09) and 248 appearances all-time. Big Ten BCS Duos: Two Big Ten schools were selected for BCS games for the ninth time in the 12-year history of the system and the seventh time in the last eight seasons. Since the inception of the BCS in 1998, the Big Ten has qualified 21 teams for BCS bowls, more than any other conference. The SEC ranks second with 19 BCS bids followed by the Big 12 (17), Pac-10 (14), ACC (12) and Big East (12). The Big Ten also sent a pair of squads to BCS games in 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Overall, seven conference programs have taken part in a BCS contest, including Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin. Five Straight Years of BCS Doubleheaders: The Big Ten sent a pair of teams to BCS games for the fifth straight season, the longest streak since the system's creation. Ohio State has earned BCS berths in each of the last five years and has been joined by Penn State (2005 and 2008), Michigan (2006), Illinois (2007) and Iowa (2009). The SEC ranks second to the Big Ten after earning two BCS spots for the fourth straight year this season. BCS Regulars: Ohio State collected the Big Ten's automatic BCS berth for the fourth time and took part in a BCS game for the fifth straight season and the eighth time since the system's creation in 1998. Ohio State is the nation's only program to qualify for eight BCS games in the 12-year history of the system, as Oklahoma and Southern California rank second with seven BCS trips each. In addition, only one other team has appeared in five or more consecutive BCS games, as the Trojans appeared in a BCS contest seven straight seasons from 2002 to 2008. OSU previously earned the Big Ten's BCS automatic bid in 2002, 2006 and 2007. The Buckeyes are one of six Big Ten schools in the 12 years of the BCS to gain automatic qualification, joining Illinois (2001), Michigan (2003, 2004), Penn State (2005, 2008), Purdue (2000) and Wisconsin (1998, 1999). BCS Depth: Seven different Big Ten schools have qualified to play in a BCS game, including both Ohio State and Iowa this season. The conference's previous BCS-bowl participants include Illinois, Michigan, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin. The Big Ten's seven-team BCS contingent is tied for the lead among all conferences along with the Big 12, Big East and Pac-10, followed by the SEC (six different teams) and ACC (five teams). BCS Success: Only 12 schools have produced multiple BCS wins and the Big Ten boasts two of those programs in Ohio State and Wisconsin. The Buckeyes have won five BCS games, including triumphs in the Rose Bowl (2010), Fiesta Bowl (2003, 2004, 2006) and Sugar Bowl (1999). Florida has also won five BCS contests while Southern California tops all schools with six triumphs. The Badgers are 2-0 in BCS matchups with back-to-back Rose Bowl victories following the 1998 and 1999 seasons. The other teams to win at least two BCS games include Boise State, Georgia, Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia. BCS Double-Dippers: Iowa has now played in two BCS contests, splitting the 2003 and 2010 Orange Bowls. The Hawkeyes are one of 24 schools to appear in multiple BCS games, a group that includes the Big Ten's Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin. The Big Ten leads all conferences with six teams earning multiple bids to BCS games, followed by the SEC with five programs collecting more than one BCS appearance. More SEC Matchups: Over the last five and 10 years, the Big Ten has played more bowl games against the SEC than any other conference. The two conferences have met in the postseason on 12 occasions over the last five years, with the two conferences each winning six games. Over the last decade, the Big Ten and SEC have met in 26 bowl contests, with the SEC holding a 14-12 edge. The Big Ten's most common bowl opponent since 2000 is the SEC (26 games), followed by the Big 12 (17) and Pac-10 (13). Bowl Veterans: The Big Ten boasts three of the 11 programs with 39 or more bowl appearances in Penn State (8th - 42), Ohio State (T9th - 41) and Michigan (11th - 39). The Nittany Lions rank third all-time with 27 bowl triumphs followed by the Wolverines (T14th - 19) and Buckeyes (T14th - 19). 2009-10 BIG TEN BOWL TOP PERFORMERS OFFENSE DEFENSE SPECIAL TEAMS BIG TEN. BIG NEWS. Big Ten Polling Place: With bowl season now complete, the Big Ten led all conferences with four teams ranked among the top 16 and three teams among the top 10 in the final Associated Press (AP) and USA Today coaches polls. The Big Ten had twice as many top-16 programs as any other conference, as the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Mountain West and SEC each had two top-16 teams in both rankings. The SEC was the only other conference with multiple teams in the final top 10 of both polls. The Big Ten placed at least one team among the final top 10 for the eighth consecutive year and produced three top-10 programs for the fourth time in the last eight seasons. The Big Ten also ended the year with three top-10 schools in 2006 (AP/USA Today - #2/2 Ohio State, #7/5 Wisconsin, #8/9 Michigan), 2003 (#4/4 Ohio State, #6/7 Michigan, #8/8 Iowa) and 2002 (#1/1 Ohio State, #8/8 Iowa, #9/9 Michigan). Big Ten and Rose Bowl Champion Ohio State led the way at No. 5 in both polls, its fourth top-five finish in the last five years (#5/4 in 2007, #2/2 in 2006, #4/4 in 2005). Orange Bowl Champion Iowa was rated No. 7 in both rankings, its first top-10 finish since ending the year at No. 8 in both polls following the 2004 campaign and best final ranking since finishing third in the AP poll and second in the UPI rankings in 1960. Capital One Bowl Champion Penn State was slotted No. 9 by the media and No. 8 by the coaches, its second straight top-10 finish after ending last season at No. 8 in both polls. Champs Sports Bowl Champion Wisconsin was rated No. 16, its fifth appearance in the final polls in the last six years and best final ranking since earning the No. 7 spot from the media and the No. 5 ranking from the coaches in the last Top 25 after the 2006 season. Three Teams Post 11 Wins for Second Time in Big Ten History: After becoming the first conference among the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC to produce three teams with 11 or more wins in 2006, the Big Ten has duplicated that feat in the 2009 campaign. Iowa, Ohio State and Penn State were all victorious in bowl games to end the season with identical 11-2 records. In 2006, OSU and Wisconsin ended the year at 12-1 while Michigan posted an 11-2 record. The Big Ten has produced two teams with 11 or more wins on four other occasions, including 2002, 1998, 1996 and 1903. The only other conference to boast of three schools with 11 or more wins in a single season is the Big 12, which accomplished the feat in 2007 and 2008. Four Schools Reach 10-Win Plateau for Third Time in Big Ten Annals: For just the third time in conference history and first time since 2003, four different Big Ten teams have produced 10 or more triumphs. Wisconsin ended its season by picking up a 10th win with a victory over Miami (Fla.) in the Champs Sports Bowl, while Iowa, Ohio State and Penn State all recorded their 10th victories in their regular-season finales. Both the 1999 and 2003 seasons concluded with four conference schools producing 10 or more triumphs. The Double-Digit Quartet: All four Big Ten schools that produced 10 or more wins this season are in familiar territory. Iowa matched a school record with 11 triumphs this season, equaling the feat of the 2002 team, and hit double-digits in victories for the first time since recording three straight seasons of 10 or more triumphs in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Ohio State produced 11 or more wins for the third time in the last four seasons, including an 11-2 mark in 2007 and a 12-1 record in 2006. The Buckeyes posted at least 10 wins for the fifth straight year, breaking the previous program record of four straight seasons with 10-plus victories set from 1995-98. OSU is only the second team in Big Ten history to record five straight years of 10 or more triumphs and the first in more than a century, as Michigan posted five consecutive seasons with 10-plus wins from 1901-05. Penn State collected 11 triumphs for the second straight year, the first time the Nittany Lions have cracked the 11-win mark in back-to-back seasons since 1985 (11-1) and 1986 (12-0). The last time PSU reached double-digits in victories in consecutive campaigns was in 1993 (10-2) and 1994 (12-0). Wisconsin produced its sixth season with double-digit triumphs, including 1993, 1998, 1999, 2005 and 2006. Everybody's All-American: Eleven Big Ten student-athletes were named to the All-America first, second or third teams as chosen by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Associated Press (AP), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Walter Camp Football Foundation and Sporting News. The Big Ten All-Americans include one standout named to all five teams - Michigan State linebacker Greg Jones. The media's choice as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Jones was named a first-team All-American by the AFCA, AP and FWAA while earning second-team honors from Walter Camp and third-team accolades from Sporting News. Other Big Ten players to earn first-team All-America laurels are the Iowa duo of linebacker Pat Angerer (FWAA) and offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga (Sporting News), Ohio State safety Kurt Coleman (Sporting News) and Penn State defensive tackle Jared Odrick (AFCA). Second- or third-team selections include Illinois offensive lineman Jon Asamoah, Iowa safety Tyler Sash, the Michigan pair of defensive end Brandon Graham and punter Zoltan Mesko and the Penn State duo of linebacker Navorro Bowman and offensive lineman Dennis Landolt. Smart Players: The Big Ten topped all conferences for the fifth straight season with eight student-athletes named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America first or second teams in football. The Big Ten also led the way with six first-team selections, matching the third-highest total in conference history behind only the seven first-team honorees in 2008 and the eight first-team choices in 2006. The Big Ten paces all conferences with 43 Academic All-Americans in the sport of football over the last five years, including at least eight honorees every season. The Big Ten's total of eight Academic All-Americans led all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conferences, followed by the FCS' Missouri Valley with five selections and the FBS' Big 12 with four honorees. The first-team selections included six honorees from the Big Ten and nine choices from all other FBS conferences, including two each from the Big 12 and SEC. The Academic All-America first-team honorees from the Big Ten include Michigan's Zoltan Mesko, Michigan State's Blair White, Northwestern's Zeke Markshausen and the Penn State trio of Josh Hull, Andrew Pitz and Stefen Wisniewski. Second-team honors went to Northwestern's Stefan Demos and Purdue's Ryan Kerrigan. Hull and Pitz each earned their second consecutive first-team accolades after being honored last season. To be eligible for the award, a player must be in at least his second year of athletic eligibility, be a first-team or key performer and carry a cumulative 3.30 grade point average (GPA). Buckeyes Secure Outright Big Ten Championship: With a chance to clinch the outright Big Ten Championship for the third time in the last four seasons, Ohio State went on the road to defeat Michigan to end the regular season alone atop the standings. The Buckeyes have won at least a share of the last five titles, splitting the crown with Penn State in 2005 and 2008 and ending the 2006, 2007 and 2009 seasons alone in first place. The Buckeyes have compiled a Big Ten mark of 36-4 over the last five years. Ohio State is the first conference team in over 15 years to finish in first place in five straight seasons since Michigan won at least a share of five consecutive championships from 1988-92. OSU has clinched five consecutive crowns for the first time since posting a Big Ten-record six straight titles from 1972-77. Michigan and Ohio State are the only two teams in Big Ten annals to post four or more consecutive first-place finishes on multiple occasions, accomplishing the feat a combined seven different times. Tressel Joins Rare Coaching Fraternities: OSU head coach Jim Tressel joins an elite group of coaches to claim five straight Big Ten titles and six championships in his first nine campaigns. In the previous 113 years of Big Ten football, only one coach had finished atop the conference standings in five or more consecutive years, as the Buckeyes' Woody Hayes earned six straight crowns from 1972-77. In addition, only two coaches had earned six or more titles in their first nine years with a Big Ten institution. Michigan's Bo Schembechler holds the Big Ten record by finishing first in seven of his first nine campaigns from 1969-77, while Minnesota's Bernie Bierman won six titles from 1932-40. Ohio State Claims Sixth Big Ten Title in Last Decade: Ohio State tops all Big Ten schools with six titles over the last decade, including first-place finishes in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Michigan ranks second with three championships over that time span (2000, 2003, 2004), followed by a pair of first-place finishes for Iowa (2002, 2004) and Penn State (2005, 2008) and one title for Illinois (2001), Northwestern (2000) and Purdue (2000). Overall, seven schools have won at least one title in the last decade. More on OSU's Six Pack: The Buckeyes are one of only three Big Ten programs to claim six or more titles over a 10-year span and the first since the Wolverines finished in first place six times between 1989-98. The last time OSU won six or more crowns in a decade was when the school finished first on six occasions from 1975-84. Ohio State holds the conference record with nine Big Ten Championships over a 10-year span, accomplishing the feat from 1968-77. The Buckeyes have also won eight titles over 10 years on three occasions (1972-81, 1970-79 and 1969-78), a streak of success matched only by Michigan (eight from 1971-80 and 1969-78). Minnesota is the only other Big Ten team to finish first six or more times in a 10-year span, with seven titles from 1933-41 and six crowns from 1903-11. Big Ten Sets Overall Attendance Record: The Big Ten shattered the conference record for overall attendance with 5,526,237 fans attending 77 home games during the 2009 campaign. The previous record was set in 2002 when 5,499,439 patrons went through the turnstiles for 78 contests. The Big Ten surpassed the five-million mark in overall attendance for the fifth straight season and just the seventh time in conference history. Big Ten programs averaged 71,769 fans in 77 home games, which ranks as the second-best average attendance in conference annals behind only the 2005 campaign, when the Big Ten averaged 72,566 patrons per outing. In addition, the Big Ten recorded 40 sellouts this season, the second-highest total in conference annals behind only the 42 packed houses in each of the previous two seasons (2007, 2008). In conference games only, the Big Ten broke the three-million barrier with 3,127,311 attending 44 contests on the year, an average of 71,075 attendees per game. Both the total and average attendance numbers in conference games only rank fifth in Big Ten history, marking only the fifth time in history the Big Ten has surpassed 3.1 million fans and more than 71,000 per contest. Nation's Best Fans: Three Big Ten teams stand atop the NCAA rankings for average attendance while six conference programs rate among the top 21 in the country overall, which ranks second to the SEC (7 of top 21) for the national lead. Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State rank first, second and third, respectively, in average attendance. The Wolverines averaged 108,933 fans in eight games for a total attendance of 871,464. Penn State ranked second with an average of 107,008 fans in eight home contests (856,066 total) while the Buckeyes rated third by welcoming an average of 105,261 patrons for seven matchups (736,830). Other Big Ten schools to appear among the top 21 in average attendance are Wisconsin (15th at 80,109), Michigan State (18th at 74,741) and Iowa (21st at 70,214). Only 21 schools broke the 70,000 barrier in average attendance this season. Paterno Still the One: Penn State's Joe Paterno picked up his 394th victory with a triumph over LSU in the Capital One Bowl and currently holds the all-time victory record among Football Bowl Subdivision coaches. Paterno has built a record of 394-129-3 in his 44 seasons leading the Nittany Lions. Paterno is the longest serving head coach at one school in major college football history. Amos Alonzo Stagg served as head coach at Chicago for 41 years (1892-1932) during his 57-year tenure as a head coach. Paterno Ends Season Ranked Fifth in Century Club: Penn State's Joe Paterno picked up his 147th triumph since joining the conference to end the season ranked fifth on the list of 12 mentors to collect 100 or more wins while at a Big Ten school. Paterno is 147-62 in 17 seasons since 1993. Paterno needs 18 more triumphs to crack the top four of Michigan's Fielding Yost (165 wins) and Bo Schembechler (194), Chicago's Amos Alonzo Stagg (199) and Ohio State's Woody Hayes (205). Among other active Big Ten coaches, Ohio State's Jim Tressel boasts 94 wins in nine years with the Buckeyes while Iowa's Kirk Ferentz has racked up 81 victories in 11 seasons in Iowa City. Record Breakers: Three Big Ten standouts set conference career or single-season records during postseason play. In the Outback Bowl against Auburn, Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka set school records with 98 total offensive plays (first in Big Ten history), 566 total offensive yards (second), 532 passing yards (fourth), 78 attempts (second) and 47 completions (second). His performance gave him 642 total offensive plays this season, breaking the previous Big Ten record of 638 plays set by Purdue's Drew Brees in 1998. Kafka also ranks among the single-season top 10 in total offensive yards (ninth with 3,729), along with passing attempts (10th with 492), completions (fifth with 319) and yards (10th with 3,430). Wisconsin's David Gilreath returned two kickoffs for 40 yards against Miami (Fla.) in the Champs Sports Bowl. The junior wideout now has 108 career kickoff returns, breaking the previous Big Ten record of 106 returns held by fellow-Badger Brandon Williams (2002-05) and Michigan State's Derrick Mason (1993-96). Gilreath also has 2,366 kickoff return yards, just 210 yards away from breaking Mason's conference record of 2,575 yards. Minnesota's Troy Stoudermire had three kickoff returns for 50 yards against Iowa State in the Insight Bowl. His 43 kickoff returns this season match the Big Ten single-season record set by Iowa's Earl Douthitt in 1973. Stoudermire's 1,057 kickoff return yards this season rank third in Big Ten annals, while the sophomore has already cracked the top 10 in career returns (7th with 86) and yardage (4th with 2,140). Big Ten Individual Leaders . . . : The conference crowned new statistical champions for conference games only in all categories appearing in the records book. Purdue featured stat leaders in three different categories with quarterback Joey Elliott topping the Big Ten with 282.1 yards of total offense per game and wide receiver Keith Smith leading the conference with 7.88 receptions and 92.8 yards per outing. Elliott becomes the third Boilermakers' signal caller to end the season ranked first in total offense over the last six seasons, joining Curtis Painter (2006) and Kyle Orton (2004). Smith continued Purdue's recent dominance in the category of receptions per game, as a Boilermakers' wideout has ranked first in that category in eight of the last 11 seasons. Other Purdue pass catchers to top the Big Ten in receptions per game over the previous decade include Dorien Bryant (2005 and 2006), Taylor Stubblefield (2002 and 2004), John Standeford (2003), Vinny Sutherland (2000) and Chris Daniels (1999). In the category of receiving yards per contest, Smith is the first Boilermaker to rank first since Daniels in 1999. Penn State's Daryll Clark topped the Big Ten with a pass efficiency rating of 136.6 to become just the second Nittany Lion to end the year first in that category along with Kerry Collins, who led the conference in 1994. Wisconsin's John Clay averaged a conference-best 121.0 rushing yards per game to join P.J. Hill (2006) and Ron Dayne (1996-98-99) as the third Badger to rank first in rushing in the last 15 seasons. Philip Welch became the second Wisconsin kicker in the last four years and the third Badger in the last five seasons to lead the Big Ten in scoring after producing 7.8 points per outing. Wisconsin kicker Taylor Mehlhaff and running back Brian Calhoun were the conference's leading scorers in 2006 and 2005, respectively. Among punters, Michigan's Zoltan Mesko led the way with 45.2 yards per boot to become the first Wolverine to rate first in punting since Paul Staroba in 1970. . . . and Team Leaders: In team statistics, Big Ten Champion Ohio State ranked first in three of the eight offensive and defensive categories for conference games only, while Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State and Wisconsin also ended the season rated first in at least one area. The Buckeyes led the Big Ten in scoring defense for the fifth straight season by allowing only 12.6 points per game while also topping the conference in total defense for the sixth time in the last eight seasons by limiting opponents to only 277.9 yards per outing. OSU is the first school since 1936 to rank first in points allowed per contest in five straight campaigns, breaking the previous record of four consecutive seasons set by Michigan from 1969-72. In other defensive categories, Wisconsin edged Ohio State to lead the conference by allowing only 72.0 rushing yards per game. The Badgers topped the conference in rushing defense for the first time since 1951 and also held all eight Big Ten opponents to less than 100 rushing yards, the first defensive unit to accomplish that feat since Ohio State in 1998. Iowa rated first by allowing only 159.0 passing yards per game, the first time the Hawkeyes have led the Big Ten in passing defense since 1984. On the offensive side of the ball, four different teams led in the four major categories. Wisconsin ranked first with 29.5 points per outing to lead the Big Ten in that category for the first time since 1999. Ohio State rated first with 198.6 rushing yards per contest to top the Big Ten for the second straight season and third time in the last four years. Penn State produced 400.6 yards of total offense per game to lead all conference teams and appear first in that category for the first time since 1994. Northwestern ranked first with 270.8 passing yards per contest to end the conference season rated first in that category for third time in the last five years, including the 2005 and 2007 campaigns.
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