Big Ten Football News and Notes 12.2.2020
• Northwestern leads the West Division with a 5-1 Big Ten record, followed by Iowa at 4-2 and Wisconsin at 2-1. Ohio State stands atop the East Division standings with a 4-0 record, with Indiana close behind at 5-1 and Maryland in third at 2-2 in conference play.
• The Buckeyes remained undefeated on the season with a victory over nationally ranked and previously undefeated Indiana on Nov. 21, extending their home win streak to 23 games and their conference home win streak to 21 games, the second-longest in Big Ten history.
• In the win, Ohio State reached the 40-point mark for the 27th time (in 46 games) since Ryan Day’s arrival with the program in 2017 (58.6 percent). The Buckeyes have scored 40 or more in three of four games this year and are averaging 45.2 points per game. Only two other teams – Clemson and Oklahoma – have reached 40 or more points in a higher percentage of their games during that time span.
• Ohio State continues to boast one of the best offenses in the country, ranking second in relative total offense and fifth in relative scoring offense. Quarterback Justin Fields is on pace to set single-season FBS and Big Ten records for completion percentage (79.6 percent).The Buckeyes continue to lead the Big Ten with 535.3 yards of offense per game and are the only team in the conference to average more than 300 yards passing and 200 yards rushing per game.
• Indiana’s Stevie Scott III scored a career-high three touchdowns to lead Indiana to a 5-1 record in conference play for the first time since 1987 following a 27-11 win against Maryland. The Hoosiers have clinched a second consecutive season with a winning record in Big Ten play, something the program has not accomplished since 1987-88. Scott became the first Hoosier with three rushing touchdowns in a game since Jordan Howard in 2015, has scored at least one touchdown in 16 of his last 22 games and has 26 total touchdowns in that span.
• Indiana leads the nation with 16 interceptions this season, recording multiple interceptions in eight consecutive contests. The Hoosiers have 18 total takeaways on the season.
• After dropping its first two games by a combined five points, Iowa has won its last four games, outscoring its opponents 151-55 and averaging 37.8 points per game during the winning streak. The Hawkeyes’ points per game during their four-game winning streak is the most for the program over a four-game stretch since 2002.
• The Hawkeyes have held their last 20 opponents under 25 points, a streak that includes all six games this season, all 13 games last season and the final game of the 2018 campaign.
• In the win over Michigan, Sean Clifford became the 12th Penn State quarterback to reach the 4,000-yard career passing mark and moved into fifth place in school history in rushing yards by a quarterback with 654. The 2020 team captain also ranks third in career passing efficiency rating (144.2) and career completion percentage (58.9 percent).
• Penn State’s Parker Washington is one of two FBS freshmen this season with at least 30 receptions, 340 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in their first six games. Washington is the only Penn State freshman with those totals through six games since 2000. Against Michigan, Washington made a career-high nine catches, the most by a PSU true freshman in program history.
• On Oct. 23, the Big Ten Conference announced the launch of the ‘United As One’ social justice campaign. ‘United As One’ is among several conference-wide Equality Coalition initiatives dedicated to constructively and collectively recognizing and eliminating racism and hate in our society by creating resources for inclusion, empowerment and accountability.
• The Big Ten Conference established the Equality Coalition in 2020 with 227 members including presidents and chancellors, directors of athletics, coaches, student-athletes, conference and school administrators, alumni, families and friends representing all 14 institutions.
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