Around the Big Ten Week 8: UCLA stays perfect as Wisconsin and Minnesota shake up the race
UCLA reached 7–0, Indiana escaped Michigan in overtime, and Wisconsin and Minnesota knocked off ranked opponents. Northwestern secured bowl eligibility, while Illinois' comeback left Oregon facing another offensive reset.
By Cameron Hobbs · Published
The Big Ten's six Week 8 games rewarded defenses that could keep imperfect offensive performances from becoming losses. Indiana needed overtime to beat Michigan, Minnesota needed a field goal as time expired against Iowa, and Wisconsin held USC to one touchdown. UCLA stayed unbeaten by overcoming early turnovers, while Northwestern and Illinois won with very different kinds of quarterback production. Northwestern, Minnesota and Wisconsin all kept their second conference loss at bay, preserving their places behind UCLA and idle Ohio State.
UCLA answers early mistakes with 28 straight points
UCLA 28, Michigan State 10
UCLA surrendered two long fumble returns in the first half, but its defense prevented those mistakes from producing a lasting deficit. The Bruins scored 28 consecutive points after falling behind 7–0, improving to 7–0 overall and 5–0 in the conference.
Michigan State's opening touchdown began with Devin Vaught's 56-yard return of an Anthony Woods fumble to the UCLA 15. Two plays later, freshman quarterback Kayd Coffman found Kenneth Williams for a 14-yard touchdown. Coffman was making his first career start in place of injured Alessio Milivojevic, and the short field gave him an early opportunity to put the Spartans ahead.
UCLA created an answer of its own when Malik Hartford forced a Williams fumble and Sammy Omosigho recovered, setting up Jaivian Thomas' seven-yard touchdown run. Another Bruins fumble threatened to give Michigan State a second touchdown opportunity, but Donavyn Pellot intercepted Coffman and returned it 67 yards. Wayne Knight finished the ensuing scoring drive, giving UCLA a 14–7 halftime lead.
Ty Dieffenbach was helped off late in the first half but returned to lead the offense after the break. His 63-yard touchdown pass to Brian Rowe Jr. opened the third-quarter scoring, and Woods added a four-yard touchdown run on the next UCLA possession.
Dieffenbach finished with 198 passing yards, while Woods rushed for 112 yards on 14 carries. UCLA totaled 443 yards, including 245 on the ground, and its defense allowed only 156 yards while collecting four sacks and three takeaways.
The Spartans lost running back Marvis Parrish and defensive tackle Ben Roberts to injuries during the opening possessions. Coffman and Leo Hannan combined for 109 passing yards, and Michigan State converted only two of 11 third downs. At 2–6 and 0–5 in conference play, the Spartans could not turn the early gifts into sustained offensive success. UCLA's ability to recover from those mistakes preserved its unbeaten start.
Indiana finds its touchdown in overtime at Michigan
Indiana 13, Michigan 6 (OT)
Josh Hoover completed only eight passes all afternoon, but the first snap of overtime produced the one Indiana needed most. His 21-yard connection with tight end Brock Schott set up Hoover's four-yard touchdown run, and the Hoosiers stopped Michigan's answering possession to win at Michigan Stadium for the first time since 1967.
Indiana's defense made that finish possible. Amare Ferrell intercepted Tommy Carr, and Isaiah Jones recovered a Carr fumble, providing the short fields that led to Nico Radicic's two first-half field goals. Rolijah Hardy and Tobi Osunsanmi each recorded two sacks as the Hoosiers held Michigan to 224 total yards and 57 rushing yards.
Michigan's defense was almost as restrictive. Indiana managed 212 yards, with Hoover finishing eight of 18 for 81 yards and an interception. Curt Cignetti said afterward that Hoover had not been fully healthy during the week following the Ohio State game. Turbo Richard's 68 rushing yards and Lee Beebe Jr.'s 56 supplied much of the Hoosiers' movement before overtime.
Carr completed 20 of 32 passes for 167 yards in his first career start. His final regulation possession consumed 7:32 and ended with Trey Butkowski's 26-yard field goal as time expired, tying the game at six. Michigan had already missed two field goals, however, and never reached the end zone.
Zeke Berry's 37-yard interception return helped create Michigan's first field goal, while Chris Bracy finished with 13 tackles. Those contributions kept a win available despite the offensive difficulties. When Indiana finally scored a touchdown, the Wolverines could not match it; Carr's fourth-down pass in overtime fell incomplete.
The Hoosiers improved to 7–1 and 4–1 in conference play. Michigan fell to 4–3 and 1–3, with the quarterback change producing some completions and one sustained late drive but still too little scoring support for its defense.
Wisconsin's pressure leaves USC without a second touchdown
Wisconsin 24, USC 7
Bryan Jackson scored against his former team to put Wisconsin ahead before halftime, and the Badgers never allowed USC to regain the lead. Wisconsin followed with touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters, completing a 24–7 win built around two interceptions, five sacks and a Trojans rushing total below zero.
Bryce West and Cairo Skanes intercepted Jayden Maiava in the first quarter. West's return helped set up Gavin Lahm's opening field goal, although USC eventually went ahead 7–3 on Maiava's four-yard touchdown pass to Taniela Tupou.
That was the Trojans' only touchdown. Jackson finished Wisconsin's 75-yard response with a five-yard scoring run late in the second quarter, sending the Badgers into halftime ahead 10–7. On the opening possession after the break, Colton Joseph found Chris Brooks Jr. for a 16-yard touchdown on fourth-and-two.
The fourth-down decision gave Wisconsin a ten-point lead and increased the demands on a USC offense already struggling to finish possessions. Mason Posa's sack pushed the Trojans backward on a later scoring opportunity, and Junior Poyser blocked the resulting 44-yard field-goal attempt. Tight end Ryan Schwendeman added a one-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Joseph completed 12 of 14 passes for 58 yards and a touchdown, with Abu Sama III rushing for 71 yards on 16 carries. Wisconsin did not need a large passing total because its successful scoring possessions were supported by a defense that kept USC from building a consistent response.
For the Trojans, Maiava's two interceptions and five sacks were compounded by the inability to establish a productive running game. Their early touchdown briefly changed the lead but did not change those underlying difficulties.
Wisconsin improved to 5–2 and 3–1 in the Big Ten, remaining in the group with one conference loss. USC fell to 6–2 and 3–2, losing ground in the race on a night when neither its offense nor special teams could capitalize on enough opportunities.
Minnesota's final completion brings Floyd home
Minnesota 13, Iowa 10
Luke Drzewiecki made a 46-yard field goal as time expired, completing Minnesota's 44-yard winning drive and returning the Floyd of Rosedale trophy to the Gophers. Drake Lindsey's 39-yard completion to Jalen Smith on third down supplied the decisive gain after Iowa had rallied to tie the game.
The Hawkeyes had just produced their best possession of the afternoon: a four-play, 98-yard drive ending with Hank Brown's 37-yard touchdown pass to Reece Vander Zee with 3:46 remaining. It erased Minnesota's 10–3 lead, but it could not erase the repeated mistakes that had made another comeback necessary.
Iowa committed four turnovers: three interceptions and one lost fumble. The Hawkeyes fumbled four times altogether, retaining three of them. Minnesota also blocked a punt on Iowa's opening possession to create the short field for Drzewiecki's first field goal.
The Gophers' lone touchdown came on Darius Taylor's one-yard fourth-down run in the third quarter, after an Iowa offsides penalty had negated a stop on the previous play. Minnesota generated only 209 yards, but those extra opportunities kept it ahead until Iowa's late touchdown.
Lindsey completed 14 of 26 passes for 137 yards and an interception. Brown went 11 of 21 for 136 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions after replacing Jeremy Hecklinski, who threw for 62 yards and was intercepted once. Iowa outgained Minnesota 288–209 but managed only 90 rushing yards.
The Hawkeyes also lost Kamari Moulton during the second quarter. In a Tuesday, Oct. 27 update, Kirk Ferentz confirmed that Moulton would miss the rest of the season and described L.J. Phillips Jr. as day-to-day. That leaves Iowa's backfield facing additional uncertainty after a game in which its running attack struggled.
Minnesota improved to 5–2 and 3–1 in conference play. Iowa fell to 5–2 and 2–2, having received enough defensive support to win but lost too many possessions to mistakes.
Chiles' five touchdowns carry Northwestern past Rutgers
Northwestern 42, Rutgers 14
Aidan Chiles threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more as Northwestern built a 21-point first quarter and secured bowl eligibility. The Wildcats improved to 6–1 and 3–1 in the Big Ten, producing 502 total yards and answering Rutgers' brief third-quarter rally with two more touchdowns.
Chiles opened the scoring with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Griffin Wilde, then finished Northwestern's next drive with a one-yard run. Michael Kilbane's strip-sack created another opportunity, and Chiles found tight end Alex Honig for an eight-yard touchdown that made it 21–3.
Caleb Komolafe's 33-yard touchdown run extended the lead before Rutgers' late field goal left Northwestern ahead 28–6 at halftime. Komolafe finished with 150 yards on 13 carries, while Wilde caught nine passes for 133 yards. Chiles completed 19 of 25 attempts for 219 yards and added 83 yards on the ground.
Rutgers' plans changed early when Dylan Lonergan left following a blow to the head on the Scarlet Knights' first possession. Greg Schiano confirmed that Lonergan was ruled out for the rest of the game. AJ Surace and Sean Ashenfelder subsequently took snaps, with Rutgers managing 100 passing yards and throwing two interceptions.
The Scarlet Knights found their best answers on the ground. Antwan Raymond rushed for 150 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and Clay Thevenin added 116. Ashenfelder's two-point run after Raymond's touchdown reduced the deficit to 28–14.
Northwestern prevented that score from becoming a sustained comeback. Chiles threw a four-yard touchdown to Drew Wagner and later ran 37 yards for the final score. The Wildcats' three takeaways provided useful separation, although allowing 244 rushing yards left a clear area to improve.
Rutgers dropped to 2–5 and 1–3. Its two 100-yard rushers kept the offense moving in stretches, but the early quarterback injury, turnovers and inability to interrupt Northwestern's scoring drives left too much ground to recover.
Laughery's long run starts Illinois' comeback and Oregon's reset
Illinois 21, Oregon 10
Aidan Laughery changed the game with one run. Trailing 10–0 late in the first half, Illinois scored on Laughery's 75-yard carry with 2:15 remaining, then opened the second half with another touchdown drive. Oregon never scored again.
Freshman quarterback Michael Clayton II finished the nine-play, 70-yard opening drive after halftime with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Christian Abney, putting Illinois ahead 14–10. His 23-yard touchdown pass to Collin Dixon with 2:29 left in the fourth quarter established the final margin.
Clayton completed 11 of 18 passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns. Illinois supported him with 225 rushing yards, including Laughery's 123 on 13 carries. The Illini did not generate the afternoon's largest passing totals, but they turned three critical possessions into touchdowns while their defense kept returning the ball to them.
Oregon had started effectively. Jordon Davison's two-yard touchdown run finished its opening possession, and Gage Hurych's short field goal later pushed the lead to ten. Dylan Raiola finished with 246 passing yards on 27 completions in 41 attempts, and Davison rushed for 92 yards.
The Ducks nevertheless stalled repeatedly when additional points would have protected or restored their lead. Hurych missed three field-goal attempts, and Illinois kept Oregon from running a play in the red zone after halftime. The Illini defense also produced a takeaway when Ean Rhea forced a fumble on a sack and Joe Barna recovered.
After Oregon's third consecutive game without Dante Moore, Dan Lanning dismissed offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer on Sunday, Oct. 25. In a Monday, Oct. 26 update, Lanning said he did not expect Moore to return this season from his September concussion and named Jay Johnson to coordinate the offense.
Both teams left 4–3 overall and 2–2 in the conference. Illinois earned Oregon's first Big Ten road loss with a timely explosive run, a dependable second-half defense and two touchdown passes from its freshman quarterback. The Ducks left with another unfinished offensive performance and a change in the staff directing it.
Where Week 8 Leaves the Race
UCLA leads at 5–0 in conference play, with idle Ohio State still unbeaten in the Big Ten at 4–0. Indiana's overtime win kept the Hoosiers close at 4–1, while Northwestern, Minnesota and Wisconsin each reached 3–1.
Wisconsin and Minnesota gained ground directly against fellow contenders. The Badgers' victory moved USC to 3–2, and Minnesota's rivalry win dropped Iowa to 2–2. Illinois joined Iowa, Oregon, Nebraska and Purdue at 2–2, leaving that group with more ground to make up.
The leading teams also have distinct problems to solve. UCLA has kept winning through a quarterback change but had to recover from two damaging fumbles. Indiana's defense protected an offense whose quarterback was not fully healthy. Northwestern produced the weekend's most complete scoring performance, while Minnesota and Wisconsin demonstrated that their defenses can preserve games even with limited passing output.
Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue, Washington and Maryland were idle. For the teams that played, Week 8 showed how quickly the race can turn when an offense leaves scoring opportunities unfinished—and how valuable it is to have a defense capable of keeping the next possession meaningful.
