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Big Ten Weekly Football Release - Nov. 21
Complete Release in PDF Format
Nov. 21, 2005
Ohio State and Penn State Share Big Ten Title: In the final weekend of conference action, Ohio State and Penn State secured a share of the 2005 Big Ten Championship by taking care of business on the road. The Buckeyes were the first team to hit the field as they met Michigan in Ann Arbor for the 102nd meeting in the all-time series. The Wolverines built a 21-12 advantage with less than eight minutes remaining before OSU rallied for the win, with Antonio Pittman scoring on a three-yard run with only 24 seconds left to give the Buckeyes a 25-21 victory and a share of the crown. The Nittany Lions then took the field in East Lansing and built a 17-0 halftime lead over the Spartans before holding on for the 31-22 triumph to split the conference title. Nittany Lions Earn BCS Bid: While both OSU and PSU shared the Big Ten title, the Nittany Lions collected the league's automatic Bowl Championship Series (BCS) berth based on a 17-10 victory over the Buckeyes on Oct. 8. Penn State will take part in its first BCS bowl game since the system's inception in 1998, becoming the sixth Big Ten school in eight years to earn BCS automatic qualification joining Illinois (2001), Michigan (2003, 2004), Ohio State (2002), Purdue (2000), and Wisconsin (1998, 1999). Overall, the Big Ten entered the 2005 campaign with a conference-best 11 BCS bowl berths in its first seven years of existence, sending a second team to a BCS bowl in 1998 (Ohio State), 1999 (Michigan), 2002 (Iowa) and 2003 (Ohio State). Buckeyes Win 30th Big Ten Championship: Ohio State picked up a share of the 30th Big Ten title in school history, the second-highest total among all league programs behind only Michigan (42). The Buckeyes have now won two conference championships in head coach Jim Tressel's five years at the helm and four crowns in the last decade, also splitting the title in 1996, 1998 and 2002. The Wolverines lead the way with five championships in the last 10 years (1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004), followed by OSU's four crowns and a pair of first-place finishes for Iowa (2002, 2004), Northwestern (1996, 2000) and Wisconsin (1998, 1999). Penn State's Second Title: The Nittany Lions and head coach Joe Paterno picked up their second Big Ten Championship since joining the conference in 1993. PSU placed third in the standings in their first season before claiming the Big Ten title with a perfect 8-0 mark in 1994 -- part of an undefeated 12-0 campaign including a Rose Bowl victory over Oregon. Since joining the league, the Nittany Lions have placed third or better on six occasions -- 1993 (3rd), 1994 (1st), 1995 (T3rd), 1996 (T3rd), 1997 (T2nd) and 2005 (T1st). Worst to First: Penn State became the third Big Ten program in the last six years to win a conference crown just one season after placing ninth or worse in the league standings. The Nittany Lions produced a 2-6 record during the 2004 campaign which put PSU in ninth place, only to reverse that record for a 7-1 mark and a conference title in 2005. Illinois produced a similar reversal of fortunes four years ago, winning the 2001 championship with a 7-1 record after tying for ninth at 2-6 in 2000. While the Illini were placing ninth in 2000, Northwestern earned a share of the Big Ten crown with a 6-2 mark just one year after ending the 1999 season in 10th place with a 1-7 record. Spreading the Love: Parity has reigned over the Big Ten landscape for the last decade (1996-2005) with eight different teams winning the conference title either outright or as a co-champion: Illinois ('01), Iowa (`02, '04), Michigan (`97, `98, `00, '03, '04), Northwestern (`96, `00), Ohio State (`96, `98, `02, '05), Penn State ('05), Purdue (`00) and Wisconsin (`98, `99). The title has been shared by at least two teams six times in this span, with a pair of three-team ties in 1998 and 2000 and two teams atop the standings in 1996, 2002, 2004 and 2005. Big Ten Shatters Three Attendance Records: With three sellouts in the final weekend of Big Ten play, the conference established three attendance records while also surpassing the five million mark in total attendance for just the third time in league history. In 69 contests, the Big Ten averaged 72,566 patrons per outing which shattered the previous league best of 70,505 fans per game set in 2002. In addition, the conference's total attendance of 5,007,067 for all games ranks third in Big Ten annals behind only the 2002 (5,499,439 in 78 games) and 2003 (5,282,102 in 75 games) seasons. Big Ten programs also set records for total and average attendance in conference games only with 3,175,427 patrons in 44 contests for an average of 72,169 fans per outing. The previous league highs were 3,138,387 in total attendance and 71,326 per game, both established in 2001. Three of the five conference games were sold out last weekend, boosting the Big Ten's total number of packed houses to 38, which equals the second-highest single-season total in league history behind only the 39 sellouts posted last season. Ten of the Big Ten's 11 teams boast at least one sellout this season and the league sold out all five games the weekend of Oct. 15, which marked the first time the league featured packed stadiums for every game in a single week since at least the 1998 season. In addition, the conference set a single-day attendance record during the opening week of non-conference play with an average of 76,475 fans for eight home games, besting the previous record average of 70,270 patrons for eight games on Sept. 14, 1985. Big Ten Seven-Up: With just one regular-season game remaining, the Big Ten will send seven schools to postseason bowls including Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin. The conference has now produced seven or more bowl teams on seven occasions, most recently when a league-record eight squads advanced to the postseason following the 2003 campaign. The Big Ten also boasted seven bowl qualifiers in 2002, 1999, 1997, 1996 and 1993. The Big Ten has seven bowl tie-ins this season -- the Rose Bowl/Bowl Championship Series (BCS) game, Capital One, Outback, Alamo, Sun, Music City and Motor City 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 designated national championship game, the Rose Bowl. Another Chance for Non-Conference Success: With Wisconsin wrapping up its non-conference slate at Hawaii on Friday, the Big Ten has a chance to improve upon its out-of-league mark of 27-6 (.818), which is the best winning percentage since going 23-4 (.852) prior to bowl play in 1997. In addition, the league's 27 non-conference victories are the most prior to bowl play in an 11-game season since conference teams went 28-7 (.800) in 1999. The Big Ten opened the 2005 campaign with an unblemished 10-0 mark, the league's first undefeated week since Sept. 14, 1985, and then produced records of 8-3 and 9-2 in weeks two and three, respectively, before Purdue fell to Notre Dame in week five. More National Award Honorees: Six more Big Ten student-athletes were named finalists or semifinalists for national awards last week, a group that includes Iowa's Albert Young, Minnesota's Laurence Maroney, Ohio State's A.J. Hawk, the Penn State duo of Tamba Hali and Paul Posluszny and Wisconsin's Brian Calhoun. Hawk and Posluszny were tabbed as two of four finalists for the Rotary Lombardi Award, which honors the nation's outstanding lineman, while also being named among the 10 "Players to Watch" for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, two of only three defensive standouts to make the list. The two linebackers were previously named finalists for the Butkus Award (top linebacker) and semifinalists for the Bednarik Award (top defensive player) while Hawk was also chosen as a semifinalist for the Lott Trophy (top defensive player). Big Ten players have earned the Lombardi Award on six occasions, most recently when Buckeyes offensive tackle Orlando Pace claimed the trophy in back-to-back seasons in 1995 and 1996. The last linebacker to win the Lombardi Award was Texas A&M's Dat Nguyen in 1998, while Michigan State's Percy Snow was the last conference linebacker to be so honored in 1989. The Walter Camp Award has been nabbed by a Big Ten player on 17 occasions, most recently by Nittany Lions' running back Larry Johnson in 2002. Since the inception of the award in 1967, only two defensive players have been honored -- Michigan defensive back Charles Woodson (1997) and Pittsburgh defensive end Hugh Green (1980). Hali was the second Penn State defender to earn national recognition last week after being named one of five finalists for the Nagurski Trophy, which honors the country's top defensive player. Two Big Ten standouts have won the Nagurski Trophy -- Michigan's Woodson (1997) and Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald (1995, 1996), the only two-time winner of the award. On the offensive side of the ball, Iowa's Young, Minnesota's Maroney and Wisconsin's Calhoun were three of 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award, honoring the nation's top running back. Four conference rushers have taken home the Walker Award, including the Wolverines' Chris Perry (2003), the Nittany Lions' Johnson (2002), the Badgers' Ron Dayne (1999) and the Buckeyes' Eddie George (1995). Big Ten Individual Leaders . . . : With the Big Ten season now complete, the conference produced new statistical leaders in every major category during the 2005 campaign. Iowa's Albert Young rallied to become the first Hawkeye to lead the conference in rushing since Dennis Mosley in 1979. The sophomore running back, who ranked fifth among all rushers after five Big Ten games, climbed to second place on the charts entering the final weekend of play trailing only Minnesota's Laurence Maroney, whom the Hawkeyes were facing in the regular-season finale. In a matchup of the league's top two ground gainers, Young rushed for 103 yards while Maroney was limited to 10 yards before leaving the game in the first quarter after reaggravating an ankle injury that forced him to miss the previous week's game. Young ends the season ranked first in league games only with 125.2 rushing yards per game, while Maroney tops the Big Ten in all games with 135.5 yards on the ground per outing. Ohio State's Troy Smith led the Big Ten in league games only with a 169.6 pass efficiency rating, making him the first Buckeye quarterback to lead the conference since Joe Germaine in 1998. Northwestern's Brett Basanez produced 339.4 yards of total offense per game to rank first in the league for the second time in his career after leading the way as a freshman in 2002 (250.3 ypg). He becomes just the second player in the last 20 years to average more than 300 yards of total offense per contest along with Purdue's Drew Brees, who accomplished the feat three times from 1998-2000. On the receiving end, Dorien Bryant become the fifth different Purdue wideout in the last seven years to top the Big Ten in receptions per game with 6.62 catches per outing in conference games only. The Boilermakers offense has produced the leading pass-catcher in six of the last seven seasons, a group that includes Taylor Stubblefield (2002, 2004), John Standeford (2003), Vinny Sutherland (2000) and Chris Daniels (1999). Wisconsin running back Brian Calhoun led the charge in scoring with 10.5 points per game, making him the first UW player to lead the league in points since Ron Dayne in 1999. And in punting, fellow-Badger Ken DeBauche led the Big Ten with 44.4 yards per boot in conference contests only to end the two-year reign of Michigan State's Brandon Fields, who concluded the season ranked fourth with 41.0 yards per punt. . . . and Team Leaders: In the team statistics, Ohio State dominated the defensive side of the ball while three different squads topped the charts in the major offensive categories. The Buckeyes led the Big Ten in league games only in scoring defense (14.8 ppg), total defense (271.1 ypg), rushing defense (80.8 ypg) and passing defense (190.4 ypg). The last conference school to rank first in all four categories was Michigan in 2001. The Buckeyes have now topped the conference in points, total yards and rushing yards allowed in three of the last six seasons, including the 2000 and 2003 campaigns. OSU led in scoring defense four times in that six-year span (2005, 2003, 2002, 2000), ranked first in total defense on four occasions (2005, 2003, 2002, 2000) and topped the league in rushing defense three times (2005, 2003, 2000). However, the annual leader in passing defense in the Big Ten records book is determined by pass efficiency rating and Penn State (104.1) edged Ohio State (111.7) for the top spot in that category. The Nittany Lions also led the league in defensive pass efficiency last season with a rating of 92.8. On the offensive side of the ball, Northwestern was the only Big Ten unit to rank among the top five in points, total yards, rushing yards and passing yards per game. The Wildcats topped the conference in both total offense (494.0 ypg) and passing offense (306.6 ypg) while rating fourth in scoring offense (31.6 ppg) and fifth in rushing offense (187.4 ypg). Northwestern ranked first in total and passing offense for just the second time in school annals and the first time since the 1950 squad accomplished the feat. NU most recently led the way in total yardage in 2000 while topping the charts through the air in 1973. Minnesota led the Big Ten with 259.2 rushing yards per outing in 2005 league games, ranking first for the second time in three years (2003). Penn State put up more points than any other league outfit this season with 35.2 points per contest in Big Ten games to lead the way in scoring for the first time since setting the conference record in 1994 (48.1 ppg). Welcome to the 10,000-Yard Club: Northwestern quarterback Brett Basanez became just the third signal caller in Big Ten history to hit the 10,000-yard plateau in career passing yardage last weekend. In the regular-season finale at Illinois, the Wildcats signal caller set a single-game school record by completing 80.6 percent of his pass attempts (25-of-31) for 240 yards and two touchdowns to boost his career passing yardage total to 10,164 stripes. He passed Purdue's Mark Herrman (9,946 yards) for third-place on the Big Ten career list behind only Purdue's Drew Brees (11,792) and Iowa's Chuck Long (10,461). Basanez also appears among the top four in passing attempts (2nd with 1,514) and completions (2nd with 875) and total offensive plays (3rd with 1,897) and yardage (3rd with 11,128). He is just the third player to appear among the top five in career passes, completions, passing yards, total offensive plays and total offensive yards along with Purdue's Brees and Kyle Orton. OTHER TOP PERFORMERS LAST WEEKEND OFFENSE: DEFENSE: SPECIAL TEAMS:
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