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Nov. 16, 2009

FACES OF THE BIG TEN: Blair White, Michigan State

Blair White has been named one of 12 finalists for the Wuerffel Trophy, presented to the college player who best combines exemplary community service with outstanding academic and athletic achievement. White has become a mentor, providing friendship and encouragement, to James Stanley, a sophomore at Holt (Mich.) High School who has been stricken with bone cancer in his right leg. In July, White participated in the Heroes for Kids golf outing to benefit Saginaw (Mich.) youth recreation programs. An Academic All-America candidate, he graduated last May with a 3.89 grade point average in human biology.

2009 BIG TEN FOOTBALL HONORS ANNOUNCED EXCLUSIVELY ON BIG TEN NETWORK NEXT MONDAY, NOV. 23

The Big Ten Network will present the live, exclusive announcement of the 2009 All-Big Ten football teams and individual honors during the Big Ten Football: All-Conference Selection Show  at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 23. Dave Revsine will host the show, alongside analysts Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith, with select award winners joining them during the 30-minute program. The show will reveal the All-Big Ten teams as selected by both the coaches and the media. Coaches and media each will select a Big Ten Offensive Player, Defensive Player and Freshman of the Year. Media will also honor the Dave McClain Coach of the Year while the coaches will pick an Offensive and Defensive Lineman of the Year.

BIG TEN. BIG NEWS.

Buckeyes Go Overtime to Clinch Share of Big Ten Title and BCS Automatic Berth: With at least a share of the 2009 Big Ten Championship and the conference's Bowl Championship Series (BCS) automatic berth on the line, Iowa and Ohio State needed an extra period to determine a winner. The Hawkeyes and Buckeyes entered the game atop the standings and both boasted wins over Penn State and Wisconsin, which meant the victor held the tiebreaker advantage to earn the automatic spot in the BCS. OSU jumped out to a 24-10 fourth-quarter lead at Ohio Stadium, only to see the visitors rally for two touchdowns. Backup redshirt freshman quarterback James Vandenberg, playing for injured starter Ricky Stanzi, connected on a scoring toss to knot the score at 24-24 with less than three minutes remaining. After Iowa failed on their overtime possession, another backup stepped up. Kicker Devin Barclay, a 26-year-old former pro soccer player and walk-on playing for injured kicker Aaron Pettrey, connected on a 39-yard field goal to give the Buckeyes the victory, a share of their fifth straight Big Ten title and a trip to a BCS game.

Iowa, Penn State and Wisconsin Maintain Hope for Share of 2009 Crown: While Ohio State has secured at least a share of the 2009 Big Ten Championship, Iowa, Penn State and Wisconsin can still become co-champions with victories on Saturday combined with a Buckeyes' loss. The Nittany Lions and Badgers both posted home triumphs last weekend to improve to 5-2 in conference play and stand in a three-way tie for second place with the Hawkeyes, one game back of OSU. Ohio State plays early on Saturday, with a road matchup against Michigan beginning at Noon ET. Iowa also wraps up Big Ten action early and is the only team among the top four in the standings to conclude the season at home, hosting Minnesota at 11 a.m. CT. At 3:30 p.m. ET, both Penn State and Wisconsin will be in enemy territory, with the Nittany Lions playing at Michigan State and the Badgers facing a road test against Northwestern. Penn State is aiming for a fourth title and back-to-back crowns after sharing the top spot with OSU last season. Both Iowa and Wisconsin are targeting their 12th Big Ten titles, which would mark the first for the Hawkeyes since 2004 and the first for the Badgers since 1999.

Buckeyes Earn Share of Fifth-Straight Title: Ohio State has now won at least a share of the last five Big Ten Championships , becoming the first school in conference history to win five or more straight crowns on multiple occasions. The Buckeyes shared the crown with Penn State in 2005 and 2008 and ended the 2006 and 2007 seasons alone atop the standings and have compiled a Big Ten mark of 35-4 over the last five years. OSU 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. Ohio State 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: Ohio State 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.

Michigan-Ohio State Game Impacts Big Ten Race Again: For the 10th straight season, the Michigan-Ohio State season finale will have a direct impact on the Big Ten Championship race. The Buckeyes enter the season finale with a conference record of 6-1 and can clinch their third outright title in the last four seasons with a victory. A Wolverines' triumph would give Iowa, Penn State and Wisconsin a chance to share the 2009 title with OSU. In every year since the 2000 campaign, at least one of these two teams has entered this game with a shot at the conference crown. The last Michigan-Ohio State game to have no impact on the Big Ten title chase occurred in 1999, when Wisconsin clinched the title in the second-to-last weekend with a 7-1 mark before the Wolverines improved to 6-2 with a win over the Buckeyes in the final weekend.

Michigan State and Minnesota Give Big Ten Seven Bowl-Eligible Teams: After improving to 6-5 last weekend, Michigan State and Minnesota have joined Iowa (9-2), Ohio State (9-2), Penn State (9-2), Wisconsin (8-2) and Northwestern (7-4) as the sixth and seventh teams to become eligible for bowl competition this season. Spartans' head coach Mark Dantonio is looking to guide MSU to a third straight postseason game for just the third time in school history, a streak also accomplished from 1987-90 and 1995-97. Gophers' mentor Tim Brewster is aiming for back-to-back bowl berths and the school's ninth postseason trip in the last 11 years, after making only five bowl games prior to the 1999 campaign. The only other Big Ten team with hopes of playing in a bowl game is Michigan, which must defeat Ohio State on Saturday to secure its sixth win and bowl eligibility. The Big Ten has seven bowl tie-ins this season - the Rose Bowl/Bowl Championship Series (BCS) game, Capital One, Outback, Alamo, Champs Sports, Insight and Little Caesars Pizza Bowls. If the Big Ten champion (or co-champion) is ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the final BCS rankings, then that team will participate in the BCS National Championship Game to be played on Jan. 7, 2010, in Pasadena, Calif.

Five-Million Fan March: With sellouts in four of six games last weekend, the Big Ten surpassed the five-million mark in overall attendance for the fifth straight season and just the seventh time in conference history. With six home contests still remaining, a total of 5,141,664 fans have attended 71 contests this year for an average of 72,418 patrons per outing. The Big Ten's attendance in all games already ranks as the sixth-highest total in conference annals, while the average per game rates second all-time behind only the 2005 season, when an average of 72,566 patrons attended each game. Last weekend featured packed houses for Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin to boost the Big Ten's total to 38 sellouts so far this season, just four shy of equaling the conference record of 42 sellouts set in each of the last two seasons.

Four Big Ten Teams Target 10-Win Plateau: Entering the final weekend of Big Ten play, four conference teams have a chance to post 10 or more victories this season. Iowa, Ohio State and Penn State all stand at 9-2 overall with their regular-season finales on Saturday, while Wisconsin boasts an 8-2 record with two more regular-season contests on the docket.  The Hawkeyes aim to reach the 10-win plateau for the first time since recording three straight seasons of 10 or more triumphs in 2002, 2003 and 2004. The Buckeyes are looking to post at least 10 wins for the fifth straight year, which would break the previous program-record of four straight seasons with 10-plus victories set from 1995-98. Ohio State would become 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. The Nittany Lions are aiming to crack double-digits in victories for the second straight year for the first time since the 1993 and 1994 campaigns. PSU ended last season with 11 wins and has also posted 10 or more triumphs on five other occasions since joining the conference in 1993 (2005, 1999, 1996, 1994 and 1993). The Badgers are seeking 10 or more wins in a season for the first time since recording back-to-back double-digit victory campaigns in 2005 and 2006. In the last 113 years of Big Ten football, the conference has produced four teams with double-digit victories on only two occasions, the 1999 and 2003 campaigns. The last time that three conference programs ended the year with 10 or more triumphs was in 2006.

Trophy Games Abound in Final Weekend: Three of the Big Ten's 15 traditional trophies will be on the line in the final weekend of regular-season play. Below is a breakdown of this week's trophy games:

Floyd of Rosedale: For the 75th time since 1935, Iowa and Minnesota will square off for the Floyd of Rosedale trophy. After the Hawkeyes lost the 1935 game, Iowa governor Clyde Herring presented Minnesota governor Floyd B. Olson with Floyd of Rosedale, a full-blooded champion pig, as the result of a bet made prior to the contest. Olson commissioned a statue to capture Floyd's image, which resulted in a bronze pig 21 inches long and 15 inches high. The two teams have played for the statue ever since. Minnesota holds a 39-33-2 advantage, but Iowa has won the last two matchups.

Old Oaken Bucket: Indiana and Purdue will battle for the Old Oaken Bucket for the 75th time since 1925. The Boilermakers hold a 55-26-3 advantage in Bucket games and reclaimed the trophy last season. The two programs will be playing for the 112th time overall, the second-longest rivalry in conference annals behind the 119 games played by Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Land Grant Trophy: One of the newest trophies will be up for grabs when Michigan State and Penn State square off for the Land Grant Trophy. The Nittany Lions hold a 12-4 edge in these trophy games and reclaimed the trophy last season.

OTHER TOP PERFORMERS - NOV. 14

OFFENSE:
IND QB Ben Chappell: Set career highs with 51 attempts and 32 completions (62.7 pct.) while throwing for 298 yards with two TDs.
IOWA WR Marvin McNutt: Hauled in six passes for 78 yards (13.0 avg.) with two TDs, including a 10-yard score late in the game to force OT at OSU.
MSU QB Kirk Cousins: Completed 11-of-25 passes (44.0 pct.) for 208 yards and three TDs to help MSU rally from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit.
NU QB Mike Kafka: Completed 23-of-37 passes (62.2 pct.) for 305 yards and one TD and added a rushing TD at Illinois.
OSU RB Brandon Saine: Recorded 11 rushes for 103 yards (9.4 avg.) with two TDs against Iowa.
PSU RB Evan Royster: Accumulated 134 all-purpose yards against Indiana, rushing 17 times for 95 yards (5.6 avg.) with a TD and adding four receptions for 39 yards (9.8 avg.) with another TD.
PUR WR Keith Smith: Set career highs with 15 receptions and 152 yards (10.1 avg.) with one TD against Michigan State.

DEFENSE:
IND LB Matt Mayberry: Set career high with 15 tackles (seven solo) and picked off a pass.
IOWA DE Adrian Clayborn: Posted a career-best 12 tackles (eight solo) with three TFLs (-18 yards), including a 13-yard sack, at Ohio State.
MICH DE Brandon Graham: Set career highs with 11 tackles (six solo) and four TFLs (-28 yards) while also posting two sacks (-25 yards) and forcing a fumble that was returned for a TD at Wisconsin.
MSU LB Eric Gordon: Recorded nine tackles (five solo) and blocked a field-goal attempt.
NU CB Sherrick McManis: Ended Illinois' final drive with an interception, while adding five tackles (four solo) and one TFL (-4 yards).
OSU LB Ross Homan: Registered eight tackles (four solo), a TFL (-2 yards) and an interception at Iowa.
WIS LB Chris Borland: True freshman collected a career-high 11 tackles (seven solo) along with 1.5 TFLs (-six yards), 0.5 sacks (-5 yards), a forced fumble and a QB hurry.

SPECIAL TEAMS:
IOWA KR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos: Returned three kickoffs for 154 yards (51.3 avg.), including a 99-yard TD to pull Iowa within 24-17 in fourth quarter; TD was Iowa's first kickoff return score since 2003 Orange Bowl and fourth-longest return in school history.
MINN K Eric Ellestad: Hit a career-best three-of-four field goals (23, 26, 25) and one PAT, including the game-winning field goal from 25 yards out with 2:30 left against South Dakota State.
OSU K Devin Barclay: Connected on two-of-three field goals (30, 39) and three extra points, including a 39-yard field goal to win the game in overtime.
PSU P Jeremy Boone: Posted two punts for 89 yards (44.5 avg.) with one inside the 20-yard line.
WIS DL J.J. Watt: Blocked a field goal in first quarter against Michigan, Wisconsin's first blocked field goal since the 2008 Outback Bowl.