College Football

Can anyone stop Marvin Harrison Jr.? Who's up, down across Big Ten

Updated Oct. 23, 2023 5:38 p.m. ET

College Football and College Basketball Writer

The biggest game of the Big Ten season left little doubt about the hierarchy in the conference's vaunted East division as No. 3 Ohio State smothered No. 7 Penn State, 20-12, in a battle that was nowhere near as close as the final score indicated.

Viewers of Saturday's tilt came away wholly certain that Ohio State and Michigan remain the top dogs in the conference's pecking order despite what many believe to be head coach James Franklin's best team since taking over the Nittany Lions.

Across the league, Iowa lost control of the Big Ten West race with a stunning — and stunningly controversial — defeat to Minnesota in which a questionable penalty erased what might have been the game-winning touchdown on a punt return by Cooper DeJean in the waning moments.

What does it all mean? Let's find out in a new edition of the Stock Watch.

STOCK UP

Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State: Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. And that's exactly what Harrison did from start to finish during Saturday's hard-fought win over Penn State that inched the Buckeyes toward a berth in the Big Ten championship game. Harrison caught a career-high 11 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown in what might have been the finest performance of his career considering the caliber of opponent — a Nittany Lions defense that entered the weekend No. 1 in the country overall and No. 2 in scoring, and which has at least two cornerbacks with NFL potential.

But none of that seemed to matter for Harrison, who was targeted on 16 of 35 pass attempts by quarterback Kyle McCord. Harrison tormented Penn State on a series of short and intermediate routes that were transformed into longer gains courtesy of 80 yards after the catch, a number that exceeded the total of 71 yards after the catch from Penn State's entire receiving corps. His first eight receptions resulted in first downs to pace the Buckeyes' offense on a challenging afternoon, and Harrison finished with his third consecutive 100-yard game for the first time in his career. Of the 37 players in college football with at least 40 receptions this season, none have a better yards-per-catch average than Harrison's mark of 18.2 through the first seven games. He's averaging nearly 2 yards per catch more than he did while snagging 77 passes for 1,263 yards and 14 scores in 2022.

What Ohio State's win means moving forward

Michigan's tight ends: If there was an aspect of Michigan's ruthlessly efficient offense that could be questioned amid its undefeated start, it was almost certainly the caliber of downfield weapons at quarterback J.J. McCarthy's disposal. With 27 catches for 446 yards and 10 touchdowns, senior wideout Roman Wilson might have played his way into the top 100 picks of the 2024 NFL Draft, but who else could McCarthy really count on? After all, Wilson is the only Michigan player to rank among the top 100 nationally in receiving yards, and even he checks in at No. 80 following Saturday's 49-0 shellacking of Michigan State.

But the inconsistency of No. 2 wideout Cornelius Johnson and the lack of a reliable No. 3 receiver might not matter if tight ends Colston Loveland (four catches, 79 yards, two TDs) and AJ Barner (eight catches, 99 yards, one TD) continue playing the way they did against the Spartans. With 23 catches for 364 yards and four touchdowns this season, Loveland, a true sophomore, has pulled within 19 yards of Johnson's receiving total and has found the end zone four times as often. His pair of 22-yard touchdowns in East Lansing on Saturday represented the first multi-score game of Loveland's career. Barner, who transferred from Indiana last offseason, has been described by head coach Jim Harbaugh as one of the best blocking tight ends in the country. But Barner exploded for new career highs in receptions and yards against Michigan State after failing to eclipse 26 yards in his first five appearances for the Wolverines. Together, Barner and Loveland had more receiving yards (178) than every Spartan player combined (133).

Michigan under investigation for sign-stealing

Rutgers' rushing attack: Outside of Iowa, how many Power 5 programs can score a resounding victory over a conference opponent with a quarterback who completes just five of 12 passes for 39 yards and no touchdowns? Well, it's time to add Rutgers to that list following Saturday's 31-14 road win at Indiana. The Scarlet Knights scored 17 unanswered points to improve to 6-2 overall for their best start to a season since going 7-1 to start 2012, and in doing so they've equaled the program's most Big Ten wins in a single year (3) since joining the league in 2014.

To get there, Rutgers relied on a metronomic rushing attack that churned out 276 yards and three touchdowns on 55 attempts. Quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, whose 39 passing yards were his lowest output of the season, carried 16 times for a career-high 143 rushing yards — a school record for a quarterback. He also found the end zone on all three of the Scarlet Knights' rushing touchdowns to become the first Rutgers quarterback this century with at least seven rushing scores in a single season. Tailback Kyle Monangai chipped in 109 yards on 24 carries for his fourth 100-yard game this year, which hasn't been done at Rutgers since Paul Knight accomplished the feat in 2013. As a team, the Scarlet Knights now rank fourth in the Big Ten and 39th nationally in rushing at 178.8 yards per game.

Braedyn Locke, QB, Wisconsin: Losing starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai to a broken hand during last week's disappointing loss to Iowa left the Badgers thin on experience at the sport's most important position. Mordecai was one of three transfer quarterbacks to join Wisconsin following the arrival of new head coach Luke Fickell, but the players who joined him — Locke and Oklahoma transfer Nick Evers — combined to attempt one pass in 2022. Locke, who spent one year at Mississippi State, never even saw the field.

But that didn't stop him from turning in an encouraging performance in Saturday's 25-21 win over Illinois that, when paired with Iowa's loss to Minnesota, thrust the Badgers right back into the heart of the Big Ten West race. Locke completed 21 of 41 passes for 240 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions to lead Wisconsin back from a 21-7 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter. Both of his touchdown passes came in the final eight minutes, as Locke punctuated the first start of his career with a 14-play, 83-yard scoring drive that produced the winning points with 27 seconds remaining. It was the first time the Badgers won in regulation after trailing by 14 or more in the second half of a Big Ten game since 1982.

Wisconsin's Braedyn Locke links up with Will Pauling for 20-yard TD

STOCK DOWN

Drew Allar, QB, Penn State: This was the moment so many Penn State fans had waited for since Allar, a former five-star recruit and the top-rated quarterback in the 247Sports rankings, committed to the Nittany Lions on March 8, 2021. Allar's commitment signified what they hoped would be the end of good-not-great performances from signal-callers like Trace McSorley and Sean Clifford — players who won plenty of games at Penn State but never quite nudged the program over the College Football Playoff hump — and replace them NFL-caliber output. That Allar was returning to his home state of Ohio for Saturday's showdown with Ohio State only added more hype to the "Big Noon Kickoff" environment.

And then Allar tripped all over himself in a dispiriting performance that played a significant role in the overall outcome: a 20-12 loss that damaged the Nittany Lions' hopes of competing for both a Big Ten Championship and that national title. Allar, a true sophomore, completed just 18 of 42 passes (42.9%) for 191 yards and one late touchdown in what finished as the worst game of his young career. It was his lowest completion percentage since becoming Penn State's starter in 2023 and underscored how little help he has from an underwhelming group of wide receivers. Primary target KeAndre Lambert-Smith (six catches, 52 yards) was the only Nittany Lion with more than two receptions. Allar failed to connect on all four of his attempts that traveled at least 20 yards downfield, according to Pro Football Focus, and he only completed five of 15 passes under pressure. After the game, Allar told reporters "I sucked."

Highlights: Penn State falls to Ohio State

Michigan State: After his team suffered its first shutout loss in the rivalry game against Michigan since 2010 — and it's first shutout loss at home since 1985 — interim head coach Harlon Barnett told reporters he thought last week's defeat had been the nadir for Michigan State football. It was hard to imagine anything worse than blowing a 24-6 fourth-quarter lead to Rutgers in the span of five minutes — until Barnett experienced the complete undressing his team endured in a 49-0 obliteration at the hands of the Wolverines on Saturday night.

And there was so much bad on both sides of the ball. Michigan State's offense ran the ball 29 times for 49 yards, with starting tailback Nate Carter averaging 2.1 yards per attempt. The Spartans had two different quarterbacks throw interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown by nickelback Mike Sainristil, and failed to convert on three separate fourth-down attempts. The defense surrendered 21 completions on 27 attempts by McCarthy, who threw for 287 yards and four touchdowns in an easy night's work. And Michigan State allowed the Wolverines to find the end zone on four of their first five possessions in the opening half and five of their first seven possessions overall. It was a four-quarter whooping any way you slice it.

Jer'Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois: A staple on most midseason All-American teams, Newton had been one of the lone bright spots for an Illinois defense that regressed significantly following the departure of defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, who left to become the head coach at Purdue. Newton's total of 33 quarterback pressures this season is more than double the next-highest tally by an Illinois defender, according to Pro Football Focus, and helps explain why he's considered a potential first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. On Saturday, Newton forced a fumble that led to an Illini touchdown midway through the first quarter.

But with 10:02 remaining in the fourth quarter and his team attempting to maintain a double-digit lead, Newton was ejected for targeting on a sack of Locke. The ejection was confirmed by video replay. From that point forward, the Badgers scored 15 unanswered points to rally for a 25-21 win that sunk Illinois to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the Big Ten with four games remaining. Newton still finished with a season-high eight quarterback pressures against Wisconsin, but it's impossible not to wonder what might have been had he remained on the field for the duration of the game. Head coach Bret Bielema described the call as "a game-changer" and said he plans to appeal Newton's suspension.

Iowa's rushing attack: In a season that has been viewed through the lens of a peculiar scoring clause added to the revised contract of offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, whose job security continues to be a topic of national discussion, Iowa's rushing attack had been the only thing keeping the Hawkeyes afloat during a surprising 6-1 start to the season entering Saturday's date with Minnesota. Tailbacks Leshon Williams (472 yards, one TD); Kaleb Johnson (278 yards, two TDs); Jaziun Patterson (106 yards, one TD) and Kamari Moulton (93 yards, two TDs) formed a reasonably effective unit considering the anemic state of Iowa's passing attack.

But Iowa's ground game smashed into a concrete wall during this week's 12-10 loss to Minnesota that pried loose control of the Big Ten West. The Hawkeyes carried the ball 28 times for just 11 net yards to finish with a laughable average of 0.4 yards per attempt. Even without the sack yardage credited to quarterback Deacon Hill, who finished with minus-22 rushing yards, the offense still produced a meager 33 yards on 20 combined carries by Johnson, Williams and Patterson. That left the inexperienced Hill to shoulder most of the offensive load, and he only managed to complete 10 passes on 28 attempts for 116 yards and an interception.

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.