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| Iowa's Brad Banks completed all 10 of his pass attempts last week against Northwestern. AP |
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Ohio State
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Iowa
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Michigan
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Penn State
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Minnesota
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Purdue
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Illinois
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Wisconsin
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Michigan State
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Indiana
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Northwestern
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Times an Ohio State team has started 11-0, as the Buckeyes have this year. None won the national championship.
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"We haven’t played that kind of football enough times during the year to be talking that way right now."
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Interim Michigan State coach Morris Watts, on the possibility that, with wins in their last two games, the Spartans can become bowl eligible at 6-6. |
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By Brian Hamilton, Special to CNNSI.com
He’d not heard the hype, nor had the hype blown straight into his face like a brisk wind. The delivery, instead, was left to Brad Banks’ friends. They were the ones who saw his name appear in broadcast discussion of the Heisman Trophy race. They were the ones who brought it to the Iowa senior’s attention.
They were the ones who Banks thought were nuts.
“I wasn’t even the first to know it,” Banks said. “My friends told me about it, and I was like, 'Get out of here.'”
No, the hype isn’t going anywhere. Not with the Hawkeyes soaring to the No. 6 spot in The Associated Press poll this week; not with the Rose Bowl basically just a win away this Saturday at Minnesota; not with Banks steering the way and thus becoming perhaps the one player most singularly responsible for his team’s abundant success this year.
The numbers are staggering, especially for a player exactly no one thought could put them up. Banks is No. 1 in the nation in pass efficiency (167.8). He has thrown for 2,269 yards and 23 touchdowns against a scant four interceptions. He has won games with his arm and his legs -- and he’s won at least one with both, when his 44-yard dash started the drive that led to his fourth-down touchdown pass in the last minute to beat Purdue.
And the Hawkeyes are 10-1, poised to enter BCS land if they don’t stumble against rival Minnesota this weekend. If Banks isn’t a Heisman contender, what part of this are we missing?
“It’s hard to argue with his numbers right now -- his statistics or the way he’s impacted our football team,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “You could probably build a pretty good case for him.”
A different coach puts it another way. “Why his name isn’t at the top of the list for the Heisman Trophy is mind-boggling to me,” Minnesota coach Glen Mason said.
One could consider both those statements as a coach pumping up his own player, and another coach pumping up the imminent opposition. But the fact is there has not been a player in the Big Ten who has affected his team’s performance more than Banks has this year. One could’ve made that argument for Maurice Clarett a few games ago, but lo and behold, the Buckeyes are still unbeaten and the freshman tailback has been invisible due to injury.
No, it’s Banks who has ascended to the top of the hypothetical Big Ten MVP voting.
“At this point, I don’t know how you could argue against that,” Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said. “He does so many things for that team, throwing and spreading the ball around and then doing it with his feet. Without putting a whole lot of thought into it, he certainly would be right at the top of the list.”
Nationally, again, few players have found the combination of standout individual play and standout team success. Miami’s Ken Dorsey and Willis McGahee almost cancel each other out. Marshall’s Byron Leftwich has been slowed with injury and his team has stumbled. Perhaps Washington State’s Jason Gesser compares, and also suffers from a potential West Coast bias that mirrors Banks’ shortcomings in terms of playing out of the national spotlight for most of the season.
For Banks, though, it’s a hoot. This is a guy who committed to Florida, qualified too late, then went to Central Florida and got dismissed for academic reasons, then went to Hinds Community College in Raymond, Miss., and went to Iowa basically because they asked first.
“I think about it every now and then,” Banks said of the Heisman talk. “But I don’t get distracted because I don’t think about it too much. It’s good to hear my name mentioned. I’ve truly worked hard and the guys here have truly helped me.”
A huge game against Minnesota and a win that would cinch an unbeaten Big Ten campaign would certainly provide some nice finishing touches to the argument for Banks’ inclusion in Heisman talk. His chances to win are debatable; his chances to score an invite to the ceremony in New York are even questionable.
But his results aren’t. And Banks’ friends should have plenty to keep their buddy posted about.
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Not that he was a slouch to begin with, but has anyone noticed that Purdue’s John Standeford has maybe become the second-best receiver in the conference?
In a discussion of who would likely share first-team All-Big Ten honors with Michigan State’s Charles Rogers, one wouldn’t expect Standeford’s name to jump out, especially since Purdue has struggled and the spotlight has been mostly on a volatile quarterback situation.
But whoever’s throwing the ball, Standeford has been there to catch it. The junior actually leads the conference in receptions (56) and his nine receving touchdowns are second to Rogers, as is his per game average of 99.4 yards receiving. And he’s averaging a quite admirable 17.8 yards per grab.
It’s hardly a groundbreaking effort, but put it this way: It’s good enough for second best.
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HOT:
Ohio State kicker Mike Nugent
Has nailed 22 field goals in a row since last year and is closing in on the NCAA Division I-A record of 30 straight.
NOT:
Minnesota’s offense
The run game has been stifled against two of the Big Ten’s best defenses in Ohio State and Michigan, and the pass game hasn’t compensated.
HOT:
Penn State’s Larry Johnson
Now has a school-record 1,959 all-purpose yards on the season, after amassing 251 against Virginia.
NOT:
The health of Northwestern quarterbacks
Injuries suffered by Wildcats’ signal-callers include a broken leg, a lacerated liver and, after Saturday, a broken hand.
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As it turns out, one can’t accuse the Michigan State players of having a lack of passion this year. Just bad timing.
It was reported this weekend that, in the wake of Bobby Williams’ firing, mulled boycotting the rest of the season’s games as a protest to the decision to axe their coach. It took a few level-headed players and a call to Williams himself for the Spartans to realize maybe this wasn’t such a bright idea.
“Guys were hurt bad about the decision,” defensive tackle Matthias Askew told the Detroit Free Press. “Everybody was just hurt that they did it in the middle of the season and didn't give him the respect to finish out the season.”
Give the Spartans credit, though: They were thinking about taking their non-violent approach off the field for a change.
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Illinois QB Jon Beutjer
The junior’s latest turn in the musical quarterback situation resulted in a 319-yard, four-touchdown performance that saved bowl hopes for a week.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel
If the Buckeyes had misfired on that fourth-and-one pass against Purdue, Tressel gets strung up by critics. They didn’t, and it becomes the gutsiest call of the year.
Michigan State QB Damon Dowdell
Finally, some effort. And Dowdell was at the forefront, throwing for 203 yards and accruing five touchdowns total. |
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It’s a tie. Because Iowa and Ohio State don’t play each other, it’s clear that whomever they do play becomes the biggest game of the week. Both have road tests to deal with this weekend in trying to secure an unbeaten conference season. Iowa rolls up to visit Minnesota, which has struggled for two straight weeks but remains dangerous, especially to a team with as much to gain (and lose) as the Hawkeyes. And Ohio State takes its BCS-leading show on the road to Illinois. The Buckeyes haven’t played terrific on the road this year, but then again, they haven’t lost on the road. They haven’t lost at all. Just another high-stakes weekend for the Big Ten leaders.
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The statistical drop-off when Ohio State takes to the road has been well-documented since the Buckeyes’ march to the Fiesta Bowl took them to Purdue and now to Illinois this week, and it’s something that coach Jim Tressel remains aware of. “I think we’ve played some good teams at their home stadiums. That’s the first reality,” Tressel said. “Secondly, there have been some times when we haven’t executed. I think the kids have played tough and played hard on road, and that’s one of first thing need to do. We’ve weathered some storms on road, but we do fully understand need to play better on the road this week.” … Wisconsin’s backfield could be back in action this weekend, at least as far as getting the usual starters on the field. Badgers coach Barry Alvarez said that tailback Anthony Davis is expected to be at full strength after suffering a stab wound to his leg. Alvarez also said that quarterback Brooks Bollinger practiced Monday and was to undergo a test Tuesday to determine whether he could be cleared after suffering a concussion. … Michigan State interim head coach Morris Watts said that suspended quarterback Jeff Smoker is back in East Lansing and should have a public statement to make about his battle with substance abuse shortly. Watts, however, ruled out Smoker’s return to the playing field this year. “He will not play the rest of this year,” Watts said. “That’s official.” … Penn State coach Joe Paterno had some interesting home décor this week when an effigy of an official was seen hanging from the front door of his house. Paterno, though, gruffly brushed aside an opportunity to clear the air on how that doll got there Tuesday. “I don’t even want to get into that, for crying out loud,” he said. “The whole thing’s getting ludicrous. But I don’t want to get into it.” … Indiana is changing quarterbacks again, going with Tommy Jones to jump-start an offense that had stagnated under Gibran Hamden. Both are seniors. “Both, when they weren’t starting, had very good attitudes,” Hoosiers coach Gerry DiNardo said. “I believe that needs to be rewarded. They’re both about the same player right now.”
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