College Football

Ohio State is now winning with defense? Who's up, down across Big Ten

Updated Oct. 9, 2023 4:58 p.m. ET

College Football and College Basketball Writer

The status quo atop the Big Ten East has been extended after Ohio State survived a multi-quarter scare from Maryland and Michigan throttled Minnesota for its second consecutive road win by 38 points or more.

In the wacky Big Ten West, where chaos reigns supreme in the conference's final year with divisions, Iowa improved to 5-1 despite never completing a pass to a wide receiver, and Wisconsin retained the pole position by toppling Rutgers.

Find out who's on the rise and who's in free fall with a new edition of the Big Ten Stock Watch:

STOCK UP

Ohio State's defense: While it's true that Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa had a history of uneven performances against top competition in the Big Ten East, what the Buckeyes' defense did during Saturday's 37-17 win should be viewed as one of its best showings since coordinator Jim Knowles arrived from Oklahoma State ahead of the 2022 campaign. Ohio State limited Tagovailoa to a 51.2% completion rate on 42 attempts and became the first team to hold him under 200 passing yards since Penn State last November, as well as becoming just the third team to keep him below that threshold in the last two seasons combined.

Maligned edge rusher JT Tuimoloau sprung to life with 1½ sacks after coming up empty in the Buckeyes' first four games. He also made a critical fourth-down tackle that kept backup quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. short of the line to gain on Maryland's second offensive possession and generated enough initial pressure to thwart a subsequent fourth-down try in the early stages of the fourth quarter.

Safety Josh Proctor provided an early scoring punch by returning a first-quarter interception 24 yards for a touchdown at a time when Ohio State's offense had yet to awaken, and fellow safety Lathan Ransom added a second interception that facilitated what proved to be the winning score on a 24-yard field goal from Jayden Fielding. The Buckeyes now rank in the top eight nationally for both scoring defense (10.2 points per game) and total defense (264.8 yards per game).

Michigan's defense: The easiest way to explain why defensive coordinator Jesse Minter's group landed on the Stock Up list for the second consecutive week is this: Not only did Michigan's offense outscore Minnesota during Saturday's 52-10 demolition in Minneapolis, but so did the Wolverines' defense. Cornerback Will Johnson and safety Keon Sabb both returned interceptions of quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis for touchdowns in a game that was effectively over after the first quarter. It was the first time Michigan had returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the same game Tyree Kinnel and Lavert Hill did so against Cincinnati in 2017.

The smothering defense held Kaliakmanis to just 52 passing yards and a touchdown on five completions thanks to relentless pressure from defensive tackle Mason Graham (six tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss) and edge rusher Josaiah Stewart (three tackles, one sack, 1½ tackles for loss), among others. A potent Minnesota rushing offense was rendered toothless while averaging just 3 yards per carry on 39 attempts. After six games, Michigan ranks first nationally in scoring defense (6.7 PPG), third in total defense (233.3 YPG), second in passing defense (142.5 YPG) and seventh in fewest plays of 10-plus yards allowed (49). The Wolverines should feast again next week when Indiana's woeful offense comes to Ann Arbor.

Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa: The only justification for including anyone from Iowa's 132nd-ranked offense is because of the workload Johnson had to shoulder during a 20-14 win over Purdue — a game in which quarterback Deacon Hill only completed six passes, with none of them going to wide receivers. Playing in his first game since Week 2, Johnson carried 17 times for 134 yards and a touchdown to account for 46% of the Hawkeyes' total offense on an afternoon when they never trailed. He opened the scoring with a 67-yard touchdown on Iowa's second possession that became the team's longest play from scrimmage.

It's been another difficult season for offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, whose group ranks 131st overall in passing offense and last among Power 5 teams at 129.8 YPG. Johnson and tight end Erick All were the only productive offensive players for a unit in desperate need of improved quarterback play following the season-ending ACL tear for Cade McNamara, though he, too, had struggled to begin the year. All was targeted on 11 of Iowa's 21 passing attempts and caught five of them for 97 yards and a touchdown. Between All's targets and Johnson's involvement as a runner and a receiver, the Hawkeyes turned to one of those two players on 30 of 56 offensive plays. Johnson powered his way to an average of 7.9 yards per carry overall and 4.2 yards per carry outside of his lengthy touchdown run.

Ricardo Hallman, DB, Wisconsin: A multi-interception performance in Wisconsin's version of the spring game has proven an accurate harbinger for Hallman's level of play this season. The redshirt sophomore cornerback notched an interception for the third consecutive game in a 24-13 win over Rutgers on Saturday, returning it 95 yards for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown. It was the fourth-longest interception return in program history and Hallman's fourth pick of the season, which is already the most by a Wisconsin player since corner Sojourn Shelton in 2016.

Hallman is also the first Badger to record an interception in three straight games since Caesar Williams in 2021. His total of four INTs is tied with five other players for the most in college football this season, while his average of 0.8 interceptions per game is tied with Auburn cornerback Jaylin Simpson for No. 1 in the country. It's also worth noting Hallman earned his best coverage grade of the year from Pro Football Focus (89.6) against Rutgers. He allowed just two receptions for 12 yards and did not surrender any yards after the catch. It was the second consecutive game in which he yielded an NFL passer rating of less than 10 on passes thrown his way.

STOCK DOWN

Taulia Tagovailoa, QB, Maryland: After guiding the Terrapins to their best start in two decades, Saturday's trip to Ohio State afford Tagovailoa a chance to rewrite the narrative that he rarely plays his best on the biggest stage. The afternoon began swimmingly as Maryland gained 140 yards on its first three possessions to build a 10-point lead that stunned the Ohio Stadium crowd. Tagovailoa was elusive in the pocket, made tight-window throws, and appeared in total command of an offense with enough speed to test the Buckeyes at the second and third levels.

But Tagovailoa's hot start quickly fizzled once the ball security issues and questionable decision-making that have plagued him against high-level opponents reared their ugly heads in an eventual 37-17 loss. He appeared to misdiagnose the coverage when Ohio State dropped both linebackers after showing double A-gap pressure and tossed an easy interception to safety Josh Proctor, who galloped 24 yards to the end zone. Then he threw a pass over the middle in the waning seconds of the first half despite not having a timeout to stop the clock, costing his team the chance to kick a short field goal and reclaim the lead. And in the third quarter, he made the ill-fated choice to throw across his body after spinning away from multiple defenders for a second interception that swung the tide toward Ohio State. He finished 21-of-41 for a season-low 196 yards and one touchdown.

RJ Young breaks down Ohio State's win vs. Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland

Illinois' rushing attack: A season ago, Illinois was one of the feel-good stories of college football as second-year head coach Bret Bielema guided the Illini to a 7-1 start and an eight-win season for the first time since 2007. The team embodied Bielema's run-first, run-second identity with an offense that leaned heavily on tailback Chase Brown, an eventual fifth-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. Brown ranked third nationally in rushing yards per game with 136.9 and fourth nationally in total rushing yards with 1,643.

Despite Brown's departure for the NFL, it's strange to see how impotent the Illinois rushing attack has been without him this season, with Friday's 20-7 loss to Nebraska sinking the Illini to a new low. Bielema's team ran for just 21 yards on 19 carries against a Cornhuskers defense that was gouged for 249 yards by Michigan the week prior. Illinois' longest run measured just 10 yards from tailback Reggie Love III as Bielema's team picked up a single first down on the ground. The Illini have now lost four of their last five games and remain winless against Power 5 opponents this season.

Athan Kaliakmanis, QB, Minnesota: An already challenging season for Kaliakmanis plummeted to a new low during his team's 52-10 loss to Michigan on Saturday night. In a nationally televised game, Kaliakmanis threw a pick-six on Minnesota's second play from scrimmage to foreshadow the worst performance of his career: 5-of-15 for 52 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions — both of which were returned for scores — and an NFL passer rating of 22.9, which is less than one-third of his season average.

The former four-star prospect from Antioch, Illinois, was the 22nd-best recruit in program history when he signed with the Gophers in 2021, according to 247Sports, and held additional scholarship offers from Tennessee, Iowa, Purdue, Syracuse and Virginia Tech, among others. His commitment generated such excitement among Minnesota fans that segments of them wanted head coach P.J. Fleck to move on from veteran Tanner Morgan long before the end of last year. But the learning curve has proven especially steep for Kaliakmanis as a part-time starter in 2022 and a full-time starter in 2023. His six interceptions this season are tied for eighth-most in college football and tied for third among quarterbacks from the Power 5 conferences, according to Pro Football Focus. His overall completion rate of 55.5% ranks 77th among 83 quarterbacks with at least 150 dropbacks, leading only Gavin Wimsatt from Rutgers among Big Ten passers.

Rutgers' run defense: In late September, Rutgers traveled to Michigan Stadium with the belief that it had one of the best run defenses in college football. The Scarlet Knights entered their game against Michigan ranked 11th nationally in rushing defense at 69.7 yards per game — six spots better, it should be noted, than where the Wolverines ranked at the time — and had held Northwestern to 12 yards on 22 attempts in their Big Ten opener. But head coach Jim Harbaugh's team dulled the shine on Rutgers' defense by carving out 201 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a lopsided victory.

And during Saturday's 24-13 loss to Wisconsin, the Badgers replicated that performance by galloping for 213 yards and a touchdown while controlling the clock for nearly 33 minutes. The Scarlet Knights gave up 101 yards to tailback Braelon Allen, 65 yards to backup tailback Jackson Acker and 50 yards to quarterback Tanner Mordecai. The dam never broke in a game when Wisconsin's longest carry netted 18 yards, but Rutgers still allowed 4.6 yards per carry on a series of slow-and-steady gains. A run defense that once ranked among the best in the country has dropped to 42nd overall near the midway point of the season.

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